Chapter 7: The Truth Rachel Never Told Me
I left my mother’s house that night.
I didn’t argue.
I didn’t scream.
I simply walked out.
Because for the first time in my life, I understood something terrifying.
The person I trusted most had never been trying to help me.
She had been trying to keep me.
Rachel met me in the parking lot.
The moment she saw my face, she knew.
“You found out.””
I nodded.
“She wrote letters.””
Rachel looked down.
“Yes.””
“How long did you know she had them?””
Her silence hurt.
“Rachel.””
She swallowed.
“I suspected.””
“You suspected?””
“I didn’t know for sure.””
I stared at her.
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
She looked exhausted.
“Because every time I tried, something happened.””
“What does that mean?””
Rachel took a breath.
“Daniel, after I left, I tried contacting you.””
“I know.””
“No, you don’t.””
She looked at me.
“Your mother answered.””
I froze.
“She answered my calls.””
My chest tightened.
“She told me you didn’t want to speak to me.””
I closed my eyes.
“She told me you hated me.””
“She told me you were happy with Elena.””
My heart sank.
“Before I even met Elena?””
Rachel nodded.
“She was already planning.””
The words hit harder than I expected.
“What planning?””
Rachel looked toward the dark street.
“She wanted you to move on.””
“Why?””
“Because she thought I was taking you away.””
I remembered those old conversations.
The small comments.
The guilt.
The way my mother always said:
“You’re not the same since Rachel came into your life.””
At the time, I thought she missed me.
Now I realized she resented me.
“I should have listened to you.””
Rachel looked at me.
“No.””
I frowned.
“No?””
“You should have asked.””
That hurt because she was right.
“I trusted her.””
“I know.””
“And I didn’t trust you.””
Rachel looked away.
“You weren’t the only one who lost something.””
I swallowed.
“What do you mean?””
She reached into her bag.
She pulled out a folder.
“I kept copies.””
Inside were emails.
Messages.
Photos.
Proof.
“She threatened me,” Rachel said.
My hands tightened around the papers.
“When?””
“Before I left.””
I read one message.
From my mother.
*If you don’t disappear, Daniel will know exactly what kind of person you are.*
My stomach turned.
“What did she have on you?””
Rachel hesitated.
Then she said:
“She knew about our fight.””
I looked up.
“What fight?””
“The one before I left.””
I remembered.
The worst argument we ever had.
Rachel wanted me to spend more time with Leo.
I wanted to focus on work.
I had said things I regretted.
Things that made her cry.
“She recorded part of it.””
My face went pale.
“She used that?””
“Yes.””
“She made me think you left because you hated me.””
Rachel nodded.
“She told me if I didn’t leave, she would show you only the worst moments.””
I looked at the folder.
A person could destroy someone with only pieces of the truth.
That was what my mother did.
She didn’t create a completely fake story.
She edited reality until it became a weapon.
My phone buzzed.
A message from Elena.
*I found something else. Come home. Please.*
When we arrived, Elena was sitting on the floor surrounded by papers.
She looked like she hadn’t slept.
“I owe both of you the truth.””
Rachel stiffened.
Elena looked at her.
“I’m sorry.””
Rachel didn’t respond.
Elena handed me a document.
“What is this?””
“My mother’s original agreement.””
I frowned.
“Agreement?””
She nodded.
“Between her and Martha.””
My blood went cold.
“Between them?””
Elena closed her eyes.
“My mother was paid.””
Silence.
“What?””
“She received money to help Martha create a new image for you.””
I stared at the document.
A payment record.
A signature.
Martha’s name.
Elena’s mother’s name.
A date.
Two months before I met Elena.
I felt sick.
“So my marriage…”
Elena cried.
“I didn’t know at first.””
“But you stayed.””
“I was manipulated too.””
Rachel looked at the papers.
Then at me.
“Daniel.””
“What?””
She pointed at the date.
“The payment stopped three days after our wedding.””
I looked closer.
There was another note.
A handwritten message.
Only one sentence.
*Phase one completed. Daniel has forgotten Rachel.*
My hands began shaking.
Because suddenly I understood.
My wedding wasn’t just a celebration.
It was the final step in someone else’s plan.
Then Elena whispered:
“There’s something worse.””
I looked at her.
“What?””
She opened another file.
“This was found inside my mother’s safe.””
I read the first line.
May you like
And my entire body went numb.
*Leo was never supposed to find the letters.*
