Chapter 6: The Letter My Mother Left
I held my mother’s letter for almost ten minutes without turning the page.
It was strange.
A piece of paper.
That was all it was.
But my hands shook like I was holding something fragile enough to disappear.
Because I was.
My mother was gone.
But somehow, after five years, she was speaking to me again.
Dad sat beside me.
He didn't rush me.
He didn't tell me to be brave.
For once, he let me feel everything.
I turned the page.
The handwriting continued.
"My beautiful Nia,
If you are reading this, I need you to know that I loved you more than anything in this world.
I know you may wonder why I kept secrets.
I know you may feel angry.
But everything I did was to protect you.""
I wiped my eyes.
Dad looked away.
Giving me privacy.
The letter continued.
"Your father is a good man. Sometimes, good people believe the best in everyone. That is his greatest strength and his greatest weakness.""
I looked at Dad.
He closed his eyes.
Because he knew exactly what she meant.
"Marcus trusts the people he loves. But not everyone who says they love him is protecting him.""
My heartbeat increased.
I kept reading.
"There is someone close to us who has been hiding things.""
My fingers tightened around the paper.
"Someone who smiles at our family while quietly trying to break it apart.""
I stopped.
I couldn't breathe.
Dad whispered:
"Nia...""
I kept reading.
"Do not blame yourself. If anyone tries to convince you that your existence made life harder for your father, remember this.""
The next sentence blurred because of my tears.
"You were the best thing that ever happened to us.""
I covered my mouth.
For years, I had wondered if I was the reason people left.
If I was too much.
Too emotional.
Too needy.
Too difficult.
And my mother had answered a question I had never asked out loud.
No.
I wasn't.
I turned the page.
The final part was shorter.
"I left something important with Elena. It contains information about what happened and proof of what I discovered.""
My eyes moved to the flash drive.
"Trust your instincts, Nia. You have your mother's heart.""
The letter ended with:
"Always choose people who choose you.""
I couldn't stop crying.
Dad wrapped his arms around me.
And this time, I let him.
Because even though he had made mistakes...
He was still my dad.
And I needed him.
After we left Elena's house, Dad drove home quietly.
Neither of us spoke much.
There were too many emotions.
Too many questions.
That night, we opened the flash drive.
The files were old.
Photos.
Documents.
Audio recordings.
Everything my mother had collected.
Dad sat beside me as we looked through them.
Then one file caught his attention.
A folder.
Named:
RACHEL.
His face changed.
"I don't know if I can do this.""
I looked at him.
"We have to.""
He nodded.
Inside were copies of emails.
Financial records.
And one video file.
Dad clicked it.
The screen showed my mother sitting at a desk.
She looked tired.
But she was alive.
My breath caught.
She looked directly at the camera.
"If you're watching this, something went wrong.""
Dad grabbed my hand.
My mother's voice filled the room.
"I don't know who I can trust anymore.""
She looked down.
Then back at the camera.
"Rachel has been asking questions about my investigation.""
Dad whispered:
"Oh my God.""
My mother continued.
"I don't know if she is involved, but I know she knows more than she admits.""
Then she said something that made both of us freeze.
"There's another person helping her.""
I leaned closer.
My mother looked scared.
"Someone inside Marcus's company.""
The video ended.
The room went silent.
Dad stared at the screen.
"Who?""
I shook my head.
"I don't know.""
Then his phone rang.
He looked at it.
His expression changed.
"Who is it?""
He didn't answer.
He just showed me the screen.
The name appeared.
Claire.
I felt sick.
Dad answered.
"Where are you?""
Silence.
Then his face became pale.
"What do you mean you found it?""
I watched him listen.
A few seconds later, he said:
"Don't touch anything. We're coming.""
He ended the call.
"What happened?""
Dad stood up.
"Claire found something.""
"What?""
He grabbed his keys.
"The rest of your mother's evidence.""
I followed him.
"Where?""
He looked at me.
And his answer made my stomach drop.
"At the house where your mother died.""
As we drove away, I looked out the window.
Five years ago, I lost my mother.
May you like
Tonight, I might finally learn why.
But I didn't know that the truth waiting for us there would reveal the one person who had been lying since the beginning.
