Chapter 3: Thomas’s Final Warning
I waited until Diane left before opening the envelope.
That was the first thing Daniel told me to do.
The second thing he told me was not to trust anyone.
Not even him.
That hurt more than I expected.
Because Daniel had been part of our lives for years.
He attended my wedding.
He held Leo after he was born.
He stood beside me at Thomas’s funeral.
He was not just a lawyer.
He was family.
At least, I thought he was.
The envelope sat on the kitchen table.
The same table where Thomas used to leave notes for me.
*Bought milk. Love you.*
*Don’t forget your appointment.*
*You’re beautiful even when you’re angry.*
Simple words.
Normal words.
I missed normal.
I opened the envelope.
Inside was a handwritten letter.
My hands shook as I unfolded it.
Elena,
If you are reading this, something happened.
Something I hoped would never happen.
I stopped.
Because I recognized his handwriting immediately.
The same handwriting that wrote our anniversary cards.
The same handwriting that labeled every box when we moved into this house.
I kept reading.
I need you to understand something first.
I never lied to you because I didn’t love you.
I lied because I loved you too much.
I closed my eyes.
Tears fell onto the paper.
Thomas continued.
Your mother has always believed people belong to her.
She believes love is a transaction.
She gives something.
Then she expects ownership.
My stomach tightened.
That was Diane.
Every birthday gift came with a reminder.
Every favor came with a debt.
Every apology came with blame.
The letter continued.
But I made one mistake.
I underestimated how far she would go.
A noise came from the hallway.
I looked up.
Nobody.
Just the house settling.
I kept reading.
Diane knows about the money.
She knows about the account.
But she does not know about the evidence.
Evidence.
My fingers tightened around the page.
I looked at the device on the counter.
The silent machine.
The thing that started everything.
Thomas wrote:
The device contains information proving what happened ten years ago.
Ten years ago.
I tried to remember.
Thomas and I had only known each other for six years.
Before that?
His life was a mystery.
He rarely talked about his family.
Especially his father.
The letter continued.
Your mother was involved in the accident that destroyed my father’s company.
I stopped breathing.
No.
That was impossible.
My mother?
The woman who made my lunches.
The woman who attended every school event.
The woman who claimed she sacrificed everything for me.
I kept reading.
She didn’t cause the crash directly.
But she helped hide what happened afterward.
I heard the front door close.
I looked up.
Daniel stood there.
My heart jumped.
“How long have you been there?””
He didn’t answer.
His eyes were on the letter.
“Elena…”
“Did you know?””
Silence.
That was my answer.
“Did you know?””
Daniel slowly nodded.
“I knew some of it.””
I felt something break inside me.
“How could you?””
“I promised Thomas.””
“You promised my dead husband before your living client?””
His face tightened.
“He was trying to protect you.””
“No.””
I held up the letter.
“He was trying to prepare me.””
Daniel sat down.
For the first time, he looked old.
Tired.
“You don’t understand what your mother is capable of.””
I laughed.
“I watched her push my child.””
“That’s not what I mean.””
“Then explain.””
Daniel looked toward the window.
“Ten years ago, Thomas discovered financial records connecting Diane to a fraud scheme involving his father’s company.””
My mouth went dry.
“Fraud?””
“Yes.””
“And Rachel Vale?””
“Was the person who helped Thomas investigate.””
The woman in the photo.
“The necklace,” I whispered.
Daniel looked at me.
“What?””
“Rachel was wearing my mother’s necklace.””
His expression changed.
“That’s impossible.””
“Why?””
“Because that necklace disappeared ten years ago.””
The room became completely still.
“What do you mean disappeared?””
Daniel stood.
“Your mother claimed it was stolen.””
I stared at him.
“She lied.””
“Yes.””
The answer came too quickly.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
Daniel looked at it.
“Don’t answer.””
I almost did.
Then I saw the message appear.
A photo.
A live photo.
My house.
Taken from outside.
My front door.
My windows.
Someone was watching.
Then another message arrived.
*THOMAS LEFT YOU A WARNING. HE ALSO LEFT YOU A CHOICE.*
I felt cold.
Daniel whispered:
“Elena…”
A third message appeared.
This one was only three words.
*ASK ABOUT MAYA.*
My daughter was sleeping upstairs.
I looked toward the ceiling.
“What does Maya have to do with this?””
Daniel didn’t respond.
And that scared me more than anything.
Because Daniel Cho had always had an answer.
Always.
But now he looked at me like he was seeing a disaster coming toward us.
Then the unknown number sent one final message.
A photograph loaded slowly.
A hospital bracelet.
A baby bracelet.
My baby’s bracelet.
With Maya Morgan’s name printed across it.
May you like
And beneath the photo was a sentence that made my blood run cold:
*YOUR DAUGHTER WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO COME HOME WITH YOU.*
