Chương 6
The old letter was beside her.
The card with Daniel's number was beside it.
She read his handwriting again.
Every word carried a piece of a life she thought was gone.
Then her phone rang.
Unknown number.
Her heart stopped.
She answered slowly.
"Hello?"
For a few seconds, there was only silence.
Then a voice she recognized said quietly,
"Emily, you need to listen to me."
Her expression changed.
Because it was not Daniel.
It was someone from the past.
Someone who should have disappeared years ago.
Emily's hand tightened around the phone.
The voice on the other end was one she had not heard in years, yet she recognized it instantly.
Some voices carried memories that time could not erase.
"Who is this?"
There was a pause.
A pause that felt deliberate.
Then the person answered.
"It's Michael."
Emily stood up so quickly that the chair scraped against the floor.
Michael.
The name alone brought back another chapter of her life.
A chapter filled with confusion, fear, and questions that had never received answers.
"Why are you calling me?"
Her voice was low.
Careful.
The same protective voice she used when speaking about her children.
Michael exhaled.
"Because Daniel found you."
Emily looked toward the window.
The night outside was quiet.
The neighborhood lights were glowing softly.
Everything looked peaceful.
But her life had not felt peaceful since the airplane.
"How do you know that?"
"Because I've been watching what happens around him."
Her expression changed.
"Watching?"
She felt anger rising.
"Who are you working for?"
Michael did not answer immediately.
That silence told her enough.
"Michael."
"I need you to listen carefully."
"No."
Her voice became sharper.
"I spent years listening to people tell me what I should believe."
She walked across the kitchen slowly.
"Daniel told me he was protecting me."
She looked at the old letter on the table.
"Others told me he abandoned me."
Her fingers touched the paper.
"I am done being the person everyone makes decisions for."
Michael became quiet.
Then his voice softened.
"That's exactly why I'm calling."
Emily stopped.
"What does that mean?"
"It means Daniel wasn't the only person who made mistakes."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Explain."
Michael sighed.
"The night Daniel disappeared, he wasn't running from you."
Emily looked at the letter.
"I know."
The words surprised Michael.
"You know?"
"He told me."
A long silence followed.
Then Michael spoke again.
"Then he told you the first part."
Emily felt a chill.
"What first part?"
Michael lowered his voice.
"The part that makes him look like a victim."
Her anger returned.
"Are you saying he's lying?"
"No."
The answer came immediately.
"No, I'm saying he doesn't know everything."
Emily sat back down.
The conversation had become something she could not ignore.
"What don't I know?"
Michael hesitated.
"There were people involved who wanted Daniel gone."
"I already heard that."
"But they didn't just want Daniel gone."
Emily's face became serious.
"What are you saying?"
Michael's voice became quieter.
"They wanted you gone too."
The room suddenly felt colder.
Emily looked toward the hallway where her children were sleeping.
Her first instinct was not fear for herself.
It was fear for them.
"Are my children in danger?"
"No."
The answer was immediate.
"Not right now."
The words "right now" made her heart race.
"What does that mean?"
"It means someone knows Daniel found you."
Emily closed her eyes.
She remembered Daniel's face on the airplane.
The fear behind his regret.
The way he looked at the children.
Maybe he had not just returned because of the past.
Maybe he had returned because something was still happening.
"Why didn't Daniel tell me this?"
"Because he doesn't know."
Emily frowned.
"What?"
"Daniel believes the danger ended years ago."
Michael's voice became tense.
"But I know it didn't."
She stood again.
"Where are you?"
"I'm not telling you."
"Then why call me?"
"Because you need to be prepared."
Emily looked at the old photograph.
A picture of a happier time.
A time before secrets.
"Why should I trust you?"
Michael was silent.
Then he said something that made her freeze.
"Because I was there the night Daniel left."
Her breathing changed.
"You were there?"
"Yes."
"Then why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I was afraid."
The honesty caught her off guard.
"Afraid of what?"
"Of the people who were controlling everything."
Emily looked around the quiet kitchen.
For years she had believed her pain came from one person.
Daniel.
Now she wondered how many other pieces of the truth had been hidden from her.
"Where is Daniel now?"
Michael answered carefully.
"I don't know."
Emily immediately knew he was lying.
"You're lying."
A pause.
Then a quiet response.
"He's at his old office."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Why?"
"Because he found something."
"What?"
Michael's voice lowered.
"The same thing I found."
The call ended before she could ask anything else.
Emily stood in the kitchen holding the phone.
Her mind raced.
Daniel had returned.
Michael had called.
The past she thought was buried had opened again.
And now her children were connected to it.
She looked toward the hallway.
A mother's fear was different from any other fear.
It was not about what might happen to her.
It was about what might happen if she failed to protect them.
She picked up her coat.
Then stopped.
She looked at the card Daniel had given her.
For a moment, she hesitated.
Calling him meant admitting she needed him.
It meant opening a door she had spent years keeping closed.
But she also knew something else.
If Michael was telling the truth, she could not handle this alone.
Her fingers moved.
She pressed the number.
The call rang once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then Daniel answered.
"Emily?"
She heard surprise in his voice.
She closed her eyes.
"I need to talk to you."
A silence followed.
Then his voice changed.
"Are the children okay?"
That was his first question.
Not about her.
May you like
Not about the past.
The children.
