Chapter 4: The Truth Rebecca Buried
I stared at the knife.
Not because I thought Rebecca would attack me.
Because I finally understood.
The woman I invited into my home had been hiding behind a mask.
And I had handed her the keys to everything I loved.
“Rebecca,” I said quietly.
Her face changed.
The anger disappeared.
The fear returned.
“You shouldn’t have looked.””
I stepped back.
“Looked at what?””
She laughed softly.
“At the past.””
The knife lowered.
“I tried to move on.””
“By replacing Emily?””
Her expression hardened.
“I loved you.””
“No.””
The word came out before I could stop it.
“You loved the life you wanted.””
She stared at me.
For the first time, she looked like she had no plan.
“You don’t understand.””
“Then explain.””
Silence.
Then she whispered:
“I was supposed to be her.””
My heart sank.
“What?””
Rebecca sat down.
“I met you before the crash.””
I froze.
“What are you talking about?””
She smiled bitterly.
“You don’t remember.””
And then she told me something I never knew.
Months before Emily disappeared, Rebecca had worked at a charity event where I was volunteering.
She had seen me.
She had watched Emily and me together.
“She had everything,” Rebecca said.
“Your love. Your daughter. Your family.””
Her voice became colder.
“And she didn’t appreciate it.””
“That doesn’t explain anything.””
“No.””
She looked toward the hallway.
“It explains everything.””
I followed her eyes.
Lily’s bedroom.
My blood turned cold.
“You came into my home because of Lily?””
Rebecca looked away.
“I thought if I became important enough, she would forget Emily.””
I stared at her.
“She’s six years old.””
“She was always talking about her.””
Rebecca’s voice cracked.
“I hated hearing that name.””
I stepped away from her.
“You hurt a child because she missed her mother?””
“I was trying to make her accept me.””
“You poured water on her.””
Her face twisted.
“She needed discipline.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“She needed love.””
A sound came from the hallway.
We both turned.
Emily stood there.
She had heard everything.
Rebecca looked at her.
“You were never supposed to come back.””
Emily walked closer.
“And you were never supposed to be part of my family.””
Rebecca’s eyes filled with rage.
“You think you won?””
Emily said nothing.
Rebecca laughed.
“Do you know why I wasn’t worried when you came back?””
Nobody answered.
“Because everyone thought you were dead.””
She looked at me.
“Daniel, tell her.””
I frowned.
“Tell her what?””
Rebecca smiled.
“That you signed papers.””
My stomach dropped.
“What papers?””
Emily looked at me.
Rebecca continued.
“The divorce documents.””
The room went silent.
“That’s impossible.””
“You filed after she disappeared.””
I remembered.
The lawyer had brought documents months later.
I never signed them.
Did I?
I couldn’t remember.
Rebecca stepped closer.
“You were grieving. You weren’t thinking clearly.””
Emily looked hurt.
“You divorced me?””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“I would never.””
But Rebecca smiled.
“Check the documents.””
The next morning, I found them.
And my hands started shaking.
Because there was my signature.
My name.
My approval.
Except there was one problem.
I never signed them.
Someone had forged my signature.
And at the bottom of the page was the name of the witness.
A person who had been helping Rebecca from the beginning.
A person I trusted.
Emily looked over my shoulder.
Then she whispered:
“Daniel…”
“What?””
“That witness…”
She pointed.
May you like
Her face turned pale.
“That’s the person who pulled me from the crash.””
