Chapter 5: The Woman Before Me
I couldn’t sleep that night.
The house felt different.
Not peaceful.
Not yet.
Just quiet.
For three years, silence had meant danger.
A slammed door.
A heavy footstep.
A phone call unanswered.
But now silence meant something else.
Freedom.
I sat in my childhood bedroom at my father’s house, staring at the file Rachel gave me.
The woman’s name was Sarah Miller.
She had married Derek four years before me.
The marriage lasted eleven months.
The divorce papers said “irreconcilable differences.””
But the police report told another story.
Emotional abuse.
Financial manipulation.
Threats.
The same pattern.
The same excuses.
The same promises.
My hands covered my mouth.
“He did this before.””
My father sat beside me.
“Yes.””
“Why didn’t anyone stop him?””
Dad looked at the floor.
“Because people like Derek are careful.””
I looked at him.
“What do you mean?””
“They don’t hurt everyone.””
That sentence stayed with me.
Because it was true.
Derek was charming.
Derek was generous in public.
Derek remembered birthdays.
He opened doors.
He smiled at strangers.
And then, behind closed doors, he became someone else.
The next morning, Rachel returned.
She looked serious.
“Emily, Sarah wants to meet you.””
My heart raced.
“Why?””
“She says there’s something you need to know.””
We met at a small coffee shop across town.
Sarah was younger than I expected.
She looked nervous.
When she saw me, tears filled her eyes.
“I’m sorry.””
I sat down.
“For what?””
“For not finding you sooner.””
I didn’t know what to say.
Sarah looked at my face.
Even though the bruises were fading, she noticed.
“He did that to you?””
I nodded.
She closed her eyes.
“He did it to me too.””
The words hurt.
But somehow, they also healed something.
Because for the first time, I wasn’t alone.
Sarah reached into her bag.
She placed a small envelope on the table.
“He kept something from both of us.””
I opened it.
Inside were copies of messages.
Emails.
Photos.
My blood ran cold.
“What is this?””
Sarah whispered:
“Derek wasn’t just controlling us.””
I looked up.
“He was collecting us.””
“What?””
She pointed at the messages.
“He kept records. He compared us. He wrote notes about how to make us dependent on him.””
I felt sick.
“He studied us.””
Sarah nodded.
“And there’s more.””
She pushed one final paper toward me.
It was a property document.
My name was on it.
But so was Derek’s.
I frowned.
“This is our house.””
Sarah shook her head.
“No.””
She pointed to the date.
The date was from before my wedding.
Before Derek and I met.
My heart stopped.
“Why was my name on this?””
Sarah looked at me.
“Because Emily…”
She took a breath.
“You weren’t his first victim.””
I stared at her.
“Then what was I?””
Sarah looked at the document.
“You were his final plan.””
My phone rang.
I looked down.
Unknown number.
I answered.
At first, there was only silence.
Then a voice.
A voice I recognized.
Derek.
But he wasn’t angry.
He wasn’t threatening.
He sounded terrified.
“Emily…”
I stood up.
“How did you get this number?””
His breathing was uneven.
“Because I need your help.””
I froze.
After everything.
After all the lies.
After everything he did.
Those words made no sense.
Then Derek whispered:
May you like
“Your father is in danger.””
And before I could respond, the call ended.
