Chapter 2: The Woman Who Was Supposed To Be Gone
I stared at the phone screen.
Nobody spoke.
Victoria looked at it.
Then she looked at me.
And for the first time since I met her, she looked completely terrified.
The call kept ringing.
Emily.
My dead wife’s name.
Impossible.
My fingers felt numb as I answered.
“Hello?””
For three seconds, there was only silence.
Then a woman whispered:
“Daniel?””
I almost dropped the phone.
That voice.
It wasn’t possible.
“Who is this?””
A shaky breath came through the speaker.
“Please don’t hang up.””
Victoria stepped closer.
“Daniel, don’t listen to whoever that is.””
I turned away from her.
“Who is this?””
The woman on the phone started crying.
“My name is Rachel. I was Emily’s nurse.””
I froze.
Emily’s nurse.
The hospital.
The last week of Emily’s life came rushing back.
The white walls.
The machines.
The way she held my hand and told me to protect Noah.
“Why are you calling me?”” I asked.
Rachel’s voice trembled.
“Because I found something Emily left behind.””
Victoria’s face changed again.
A tiny reaction.
But this time, I caught it.
“You know Victoria?”” I asked.
There was silence.
Then Rachel answered.
“Yes.””
My stomach dropped.
“How?””
Rachel hesitated.
“Daniel, before Emily died, she asked me to promise something.””
“What?””
“To contact you only if Victoria ever came near Noah.””
The room felt colder.
I looked at my fiancée.
She looked like she wanted to disappear.
“Why would Emily say that?””
Rachel lowered her voice.
“Because Emily was afraid of her.””
Victoria suddenly raised her voice.
“Daniel, this is insane. You’re really going to believe a stranger?””
I covered the phone.
“Why are you scared?””
“I’m not.””
“Then why did you know her name?””
Victoria opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
No explanation.
No excuse.
Just silence.
Noah was still holding my shirt.
I looked down at him.
His eyes were fixed on Victoria.
Like he had known all along.
I returned the phone to my ear.
“Rachel, where are you?””
“I’m at my office.””
“Send me everything you have.””
“I already did.””
My phone buzzed.
An email notification appeared.
One attachment.
The subject line made my hands shake.
*Emily’s Final Message.*
I opened it.
A video file.
Recorded two years earlier.
I pressed play.
The screen showed Emily.
My Emily.
Pale.
Tired.
But smiling.
I forgot how much I missed hearing her voice.
“Daniel,” she said softly.
My knees almost gave out.
“If you’re watching this, something happened that I was afraid of.””
Victoria whispered:
“No…”
I looked up.
She had heard.
She knew.
Emily continued.
“I need you to listen carefully. Do not trust anyone who says they love Noah more than you do.””
My heart pounded.
The video continued.
“Someone is trying to erase me from his life.””
Victoria suddenly grabbed her purse.
“Noah is tired. I’m taking him upstairs.””
I stepped in front of her.
“No.””
Her face hardened.
“Move.””
“No.””
For the first time, the sweet woman I knew disappeared.
“You have no idea what you’re doing.””
I looked at her.
“Then tell me.””
She said nothing.
The video played.
Emily’s voice became weaker.
“Daniel, if Victoria is with you…”
She paused.
Like saying the name hurt.
“…then she found a way back into our lives.””
I stopped breathing.
“Back?””
I looked at the screen.
“What does that mean?””
Victoria looked at the floor.
“Daniel…”
“No.””
I pointed at the phone.
“No more lies.””
Emily continued.
“Victoria wasn’t a stranger.””
The video froze for a second.
Then Emily said the words that changed everything.
“She was the person who caused the accident that put me in the hospital.””
My entire body went cold.
The room blurred.
Noah’s small hand found mine.
I couldn’t speak.
Victoria shook her head.
“That’s not true.””
But her voice was different.
Weak.
Desperate.
“I was there,” I whispered.
“You told me you met Emily once at a charity event.””
“I did.””
“You said you barely knew her.””
“I barely did.””
“Then why would she say this?””
Victoria’s eyes filled with tears.
“I can explain.””
I laughed once.
A broken sound.
“Everyone always says that.””
The video ended.
One final message appeared on the screen.
A note attached from Emily.
I opened it.
Only one sentence.
*“Daniel, the person who tells you I’m gone forever is lying.””*
I looked up slowly.
Victoria was crying now.
Not because she was hurt.
Because she had been caught.
Then Noah pointed at her purse again.
“Daddy.””
His voice was barely a whisper.
“Open it.””
Victoria grabbed the purse and ran toward the door.
I moved after her.
She reached the handle.
Then stopped.
Because standing outside the front door was a woman I had never seen before.
The woman looked at me.
Then at Victoria.
May you like
And said:
“Daniel, she doesn’t want you to know that Emily is still alive.””
