Chapter 4: The Recording He Never Knew About
The room became silent.
Derek stared at the flash drive.
Then at me.
For the first time, I saw panic.
Real panic.
“What is that?””
I didn’t answer.
My father picked it up.
“Emily?””
I nodded.
“Play it.””
Derek moved quickly.
Too quickly.
He reached toward my father.
“Don’t.””
My father stepped back.
“Why?””
Derek stopped.
Because he realized his reaction had already exposed him.
Rachel connected the drive to her laptop.
A file appeared.
One recording.
One date.
Three years earlier.
The day after my wedding.
I remembered that day.
Everyone thought I was the happiest woman alive.
Nobody knew that the man who promised to protect me had already started showing me who he was.
The audio played.
Derek’s voice filled the room.
“You need to understand something, Emily. Nobody is going to believe you.””
My hands shook.
Because hearing his voice brought everything back.
Another voice followed.
Mine.
“You hurt me.””
Derek laughed.
“Then stop making me angry.””
My father looked away.
His face changed.
Rachel continued playing.
“You should be grateful I’m still here,” Derek said.
“Your father thinks I’m a good man. Your friends think I’m a good man.””
A pause.
Then his final words.
“I can make everyone believe you’re crazy if you want to fight me.””
The recording stopped.
Nobody spoke.
Derek’s face was empty.
No excuses.
No explanations.
Just silence.
Linda suddenly grabbed her purse.
“This is ridiculous.””
Everyone looked at her.
She avoided our eyes.
“Derek made mistakes.””
Rachel stared at her.
“Mistakes?””
Linda became defensive.
“He was under pressure.””
My father looked at her.
“Pressure doesn’t create cruelty. It reveals it.””
For once, Linda had nothing to say.
Derek walked toward me slowly.
“Emily.””
I stepped back.
“Don’t.””
His face softened.
The old performance.
The one I had fallen for.
“I was wrong.””
I almost laughed.
Because I had heard those words before.
“I can change.””
I looked at him.
“No.””
“Emily—”
“No.””
My voice became stronger.
“You don’t want forgiveness. You want another chance to regain control.””
The police arrived twenty minutes later.
Rachel had already contacted them.
Derek tried to remain calm.
He tried to explain.
He tried to turn himself into the victim.
But this time, nobody believed him.
As they walked him toward the door, he looked back at me.
“You’ll never find anyone who loves you like I did.””
I stared at him.
Then I looked at my father.
At the man who came to my birthday with a cake.
The man who saw pain I tried to hide.
And I answered:
“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.””
Derek was taken away.
But something still bothered me.
Because as everyone left, Rachel stayed behind.
She looked at me carefully.
“There’s one more thing.””
I frowned.
“What?””
She hesitated.
“The investigation uncovered something about Derek’s past.””
My stomach tightened.
“What kind of thing?””
She opened another file.
“This wasn’t the first time he did this.””
I stared at the papers.
“What are you saying?””
Rachel placed the file in front of me.
Inside was a name.
A woman.
And a photograph.
A woman who looked terrified.
May you like
Rachel whispered:
“Emily, Derek didn’t choose you randomly.””
