Chương 4
“And Lily knew that.”
The sentence landed harder than Jason expected.
His face tightened.
“You’re implying something.”
“I’m repeating her instructions.”
Jason looked around.
His embarrassment was starting to turn into anger.
That was the pattern I had seen in him before.
He was charming when he had control.
When he lost control, the charm disappeared.
“We’re not doing this in front of everyone.”
Daniel nodded.
“I agree.”
For a moment, I thought Jason had won.
Then Daniel continued.
“Which is why I arranged for us to meet at my office tomorrow morning.”
Jason stared at him.
“Tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“You’re making me wait?”
“I’m following your wife’s wishes.”
Jason looked like he wanted to argue.
Then he noticed the people watching.
He swallowed whatever he was about to say.
Rachel stood a few feet away, staring at the floor.
I watched her carefully.
I expected guilt.
I expected arrogance.
I expected some sign that she knew what was coming.
Instead, I saw confusion.
Real confusion.
That bothered me more than if she had looked cold.
Because if Rachel knew everything, she was dangerous.
But if she did not know everything, then maybe Jason had been telling different versions of the truth to different people.
That was something Lily would have noticed.
She always noticed small inconsistencies.
She once caught me lying about being sick because I said I was “fine” but asked for soup instead of coffee.
“You only want soup when you’re upset,” she had said.
I had laughed.
She had not.
“You’re predictable, Em.”
I hated how much I missed being known that well.
Outside the church, the afternoon sun felt too bright.
People stood around in uncomfortable groups.
Nobody knew whether to leave or wait.
My mother sat on a bench near the entrance, staring at the flowers someone had placed beside her.
My father stood nearby with his arms crossed.
He looked older than he had that morning.
Jason and Rachel were near the parking lot.
They were arguing quietly.
I could not hear every word.
I only caught pieces.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t know.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“I’m serious.”
That last sentence made me stop.
Rachel was not defending herself.
She was defending the possibility that she had not known.
Jason saw me watching.
His expression changed immediately.
The anger disappeared.
The public version of himself returned.
“Emily.”
I almost laughed.
He said my name like we were family.
Like he had not spent the last year making my sister feel like a stranger in her own marriage.
“What?”
He walked closer.
“I know this looks bad.”
I stared at him.
“You brought your girlfriend to Lily’s funeral.”
His face hardened.
“Don’t call her that.”
“Why?”
Because that was the only word he could not control.
Because it was simple.
Because it named something he wanted complicated.
Jason looked away.
“She was there for me.”
I felt something inside me go cold.
“My sister was there for you for seven years.”
His mouth opened.
Nothing came out.
I had wanted to scream at him.
I had imagined that moment many times.
I thought I would have endless things to say.
But standing there, looking at him, I realized anger was exhausting.
Grief was heavier.
“Did Lily know you were bringing her?” I asked.
Jason looked back at me.
“No.”
The answer came too quickly.
That scared me.
Not because it proved anything.
Because it proved he understood exactly why I asked.
My father stepped between us.
“Jason, leave.”
Jason looked offended.
“I have a right to be here.”
My father’s eyes moved toward the church.
“My daughter is in there.”
The words were quiet.
“That does not mean you can stand anywhere you want.”
Jason walked away.
Not because he accepted it.
Because he knew there were too many witnesses.
That night, I could not sleep.
I sat at Lily’s kitchen table because my mother had asked me to bring home some of Lily’s things from the house.
The house was still under investigation because of the accident.
The police had not found anything suspicious yet.
That sentence bothered me.
Not suspicious yet.
As if the truth was waiting somewhere.
I opened the drawer where Lily kept takeout menus and old receipts.
Normal things.
Things nobody thought mattered.
That was what hurt most.
A person’s life was made of thousands of meaningless little objects.
A hair tie.
A grocery list.
A half-used candle.
A pen that stopped working but nobody threw away.
I found a receipt folded into quarters.
I almost threw it away.
Then I noticed Lily’s handwriting on the back.
A date.
A time.
And three words.
“Ask Daniel about this.”
My heart started beating faster.
I unfolded it.
It was from a storage facility.
A payment for a small unit outside town.
I had never heard about it.
I stared at the paper for several minutes.
Then I called Daniel.
He answered on the fourth ring.
“Emily?”
“I found something.”
The silence on the other end changed immediately.
“What did you find?”
I told him about the receipt.
He did not sound surprised.
That scared me.
“You knew?”
“I suspected.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because Lily asked me not to.”
I looked around the kitchen.
The refrigerator hummed.
The clock above the stove clicked every second.
“She had a storage unit?”
“Yes.”
“What was in it?”
Daniel paused.
“I don’t know everything.”
I stood up.
“You don’t know?”
“No.”
His voice became quieter.
“Lily opened it herself.”
“Then why do you have the key?”
Another pause.
“Because she gave it to me.”
I looked at the receipt again.
“When?”
“The day before she died.”
My hand tightened around the paper.
“Daniel.”
“I know.”
“No, you don’t.”
My voice broke.
“You don’t understand.”
I looked toward the hallway leading to Lily’s bedroom.
“She was planning for something.”
Daniel did not answer.
May you like
And that silence told me he had been thinking the same thing.
“Emily,” he finally said.
