Chương 6
"I know you're in there."
The calmness of her tone terrified me more than if she had been shouting.
Daniel looked at my mother.
My mother looked at the baby.
And I realized everyone in the room had the same thought.
This woman knew.
She knew about the baby.
She knew about Michael.
And she knew exactly where to find us.
Daniel quietly walked toward the door.
I grabbed his arm.
"No."
He looked at me.
"I need to know who she is."
"We need to know."
I shook my head.
"Not if she already knows everything."
The three knocks came again.
Slow.
Patient.
Like Rachel wasn't worried about leaving.
Like she knew we would eventually open the door.
Then Lily whispered.
"Mommy."
I looked down.
Her face was pale.
"She was here before."
My heart stopped.
"What?"
Lily looked toward the door.
"Yesterday."
My mother turned sharply.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Lily looked scared.
"Because Grandma told me not to."
I looked at my mother.
She closed her eyes.
"I didn't want to scare her."
"You told my daughter to keep secrets from me too?"
The pain in my voice made my mother look away.
"I was wrong."
For the first time that day, she didn't try to defend herself.
She admitted it.
And somehow that hurt more.
The baby started crying.
I held him tighter.
"It's okay."
I whispered.
But I wasn't sure if I was saying it to him or myself.
Daniel moved closer to the door.
I stepped in front of him.
"No."
He looked surprised.
"I need answers."
"So do I."
I looked at the door.
"This is my life."
My voice shook.
"My past."
"My family."
"My child."
Everyone became silent.
Because even though the truth was painful, I finally understood something.
I couldn't keep letting other people decide when I was ready to know it.
I walked toward the door.
Daniel immediately tried to stop me.
"Don't."
I looked at him.
"How many more years are you going to ask me to live in the dark?"
He had no answer.
I unlocked the door.
But I didn't open it fully.
Only a small gap.
Rachel stood outside.
She looked exactly like the photograph.
Dark brown hair.
Tired eyes.
A face carrying years of regret.
For a moment, she didn't speak.
She just looked at me.
Then she looked past me.
At the baby.
Her expression broke.
"Oh my God."
Her voice trembled.
"He looks just like Michael."
My grip tightened around the baby.
"Who are you?"
A tear rolled down her cheek.
"I think you already know."
"No."
My voice became cold.
"I know your name."
I looked at her.
"I know you worked for my father."
"But I don't know why you brought this baby to my mother."
Rachel swallowed.
"Because I promised Michael I would."
The words hit me.
My knees almost weakened.
"You knew him?"
She nodded.
"I knew him better than anyone."
Daniel stepped forward.
"Where have you been?"
Rachel looked at him.
"I've been hiding."
"From who?"
Her eyes moved around the house.
Then back to me.
"From the same people who wanted Michael gone."
My mother stepped closer.
"Rachel, tell her everything."
Rachel looked at my mother.
"You should have done that years ago."
My mother's face fell.
"I know."
Rachel looked at me.
"Michael never abandoned you."
I closed my eyes.
I had heard those words before.
But hearing them from someone who knew him felt different.
"Then what happened?"
Rachel took a deep breath.
"Your father discovered something."
My body tensed.
"About what?"
"About the company."
My father's old business.
The one everyone remembered as successful.
The one people praised after his death.
Rachel continued.
"He discovered that money was being moved through accounts that didn't exist."
Daniel nodded slowly.
"Illegal payments."
Rachel looked at him.
"Yes."
I stared at her.
"And Michael found out?"
She nodded.
"He was helping your father uncover the truth."
My mother whispered.
"But your father told him to stop."
Rachel looked down.
"Because your father was afraid."
"Afraid of who?"
Rachel looked at me.
"Someone inside the family."
The words made my stomach turn.
My family.
Again.
Always my family.
"Who?"
Rachel hesitated.
Then she reached into her coat.
She pulled out an old envelope.
My mother's face changed when she saw it.
"No."
Rachel looked at her.
"It's time."
My mother stepped backward.
"What is that?"
Rachel held it out.
"The last letter your father wrote before he died."
I stared at the envelope.
"Why do you have it?"
"Because Michael gave it to me."
My heart raced.
"Why didn't he give it to me?"
Rachel looked at me sadly.
"Because he was trying to protect you."
I almost laughed.
Another person saying they protected me.
But this time, something felt different.
Rachel wasn't asking me to trust her.
She was giving me something.
A choice.
She handed me the envelope.
I opened it carefully.
The handwriting was different from Michael's.
Older.
Stronger.
My father's words.
My hands shook as I read.
"My daughter, if you are reading this, then I failed to keep the darkness away from you."
I stopped.
My vision blurred.
The letter continued.
"I spent years believing I could fix what I helped create."
My breathing became uneven.
"I was wrong."
Rachel watched me.
Daniel watched me.
My mother looked like she already knew what the letter said.
"My biggest regret was allowing someone close to us to become powerful enough to hurt the people I loved."
I looked up.
"Who?"
Rachel's eyes filled with sadness.
"Keep reading."
I continued.
"The person who betrayed me was someone I trusted more than anyone."
My heart pounded.
The next line made my fingers go numb.
"Someone who was supposed to protect my family."
I looked at my mother.
Then Daniel.
Then Rachel.
The letter fell slightly in my hands.
Because suddenly I understood.
May you like
The person who destroyed my family wasn't a stranger.
It wasn't someone from the outside.
