Chapter 5: The Truth Brielle Tried To Bury
The recording stopped.
But nobody moved.
The final sentence repeated in my mind.
Ask Brielle why she was the last person who saw me before I disappeared.
I looked at the woman standing beside the altar.
The woman who was supposed to become my wife in front of everyone I loved.
I didn’t recognize her anymore.
“Marcus,” Brielle whispered.
I held up my hand.
“No.””
The word came out harder than I expected.
She stopped.
I looked at the box again.
The letters inside.
The necklace.
The recorder.
All pieces of a life I thought was gone.
“Open the letters,” Lily said softly.
I looked at her.
“You’ve seen these before?””
She nodded.
“My mommy wrote them.””
I picked up the first envelope.
My name was written on the front.
Marcus.
The handwriting was familiar.
Too familiar.
My fingers shook as I opened it.
The letter was short.
Marcus,
If you are reading this, I need you to know one thing.
I never left you.
I read the sentence again.
And again.
Because those four words destroyed seven years of believing the wrong story.
I continued.
I didn’t stop loving you. I didn’t stop looking for a way back. Someone made sure you believed I abandoned you.
I looked up.
Brielle was staring at the floor.
I kept reading.
The person who hurt me is closer than you think.
My heart pounded.
I looked at Brielle.
She immediately shook her head.
“No.””
“You knew this letter existed.””
“No.””
“You knew she was alive.””
“Yes.””
“Then what else do you know?””
Brielle wiped her tears.
“I know I made a mistake.””
“A mistake?””
Her face tightened.
“I thought I was protecting you.””
I stepped closer.
“Everyone who lies says they’re protecting someone.””
She flinched.
The guests watched silently.
Brielle took a deep breath.
“Your wife came to me that night.””
“What night?””
“The night she disappeared.””
I waited.
“She was injured.””
Lily grabbed my hand tighter.
“Mommy was hurt?””
Brielle nodded sadly.
“She had been followed.””
“By who?””
“I don’t know.””
I stared at her.
“You expect me to believe that?””
“I’m telling the truth.””
“Then why didn’t you tell me?””
Her eyes filled.
“Because she begged me not to.””
That stopped me.
“What?””
“She said if you knew she was alive, you would come looking for her.””
“And?””
“And whoever was after her would come after you.””
The room went quiet.
I looked at the photograph.
The scratched-out face.
The key.
The hidden letters.
A bigger mystery was unfolding.
But one question remained.
“Why marry me?””
Brielle looked destroyed.
“I didn’t plan to.””
The answer surprised me.
“What?””
“She contacted me months ago.””
“Who?””
Brielle looked at Lily.
“Her mother.””
The little girl froze.
My voice dropped.
“Your mother contacted Brielle?””
Lily nodded slowly.
“She told me not to tell you yet.””
“Why?””
“I don’t know.””
Brielle stepped toward the box.
“She wanted to make sure you were safe first.””
I looked at the woman I was about to marry.
“You’re telling me my missing wife trusted you?””
Brielle looked away.
“She did.””
“Then why did she say I should ask why you were the last person who saw her?””
Brielle went silent.
That silence was louder than any answer.
I picked up another letter.
This one was addressed differently.
Not to me.
To Brielle.
I opened it.
Brielle,
I know what you did.
I know why you did it.
But one day Marcus deserves the truth.
My hands tightened around the paper.
I looked at Brielle.
“What did you do?””
She started crying.
“I didn’t mean for it to happen.””
“For what to happen?””
She looked at Lily.
Then at me.
“I drove her away.””
The confession shocked everyone.
“You drove her away?””
“She wanted to come back.””
“Then why didn’t she?””
Brielle’s voice cracked.
“Because I told her you had moved on.””
My blood ran cold.
“What?””
“I lied.””
The church became silent.
“I told her you were happy without her.””
I stared at her.
“You stole seven years from us.””
Brielle covered her face.
“I know.””
Before I could respond, the church doors opened again.
This time, nobody gasped.
Because everyone was already afraid.
A woman stood in the doorway.
Older.
Tired.
Holding a worn bag in her hand.
Lily stopped breathing.
“Mommy?””
The woman looked at her.
Tears filled her eyes.
Then she looked at me.
And whispered:
“Marcus…”
My entire world stopped.
May you like
Because the woman standing there was the same woman from the photograph.
The woman everyone told me was gone.
