Chapter 5: The File That Should Never Have Existed
Marcus took the USB drive from Brielle without touching her fingers.
“Where did you get this?””
“Rachel gave it to me.””
“When?””
“Three weeks ago.””
“Why?””
Brielle glanced toward the guests.
“Can we please talk somewhere private?””
“No,” I said.
My voice surprised everyone, including me.
Brielle stared at me.
I stepped closer.
“You didn't care about privacy when you pulled my wig off. You didn't care about privacy when you announced my medical condition to two hundred people. So you can explain yourself right here.””
Her lips tightened.
“I was trying to help Marcus.””
“You keep saying that. What did you want him to do?””
She looked at him.
“I thought he'd postpone the wedding until he understood what he was getting into.””
Marcus's expression hardened.
“You thought I would leave her.””
“I thought you'd want to make an informed decision.””
“Emily told me everything she knew about her health. You had no right to interfere.””
Brielle's eyes flicked toward my mother.
“Your future mother-in-law disagreed.””
My mother made a small, wounded sound.
“Don't put this on me.””
“You were the one who told me Emily was keeping things from Marcus.””
“I never told you to rip off her wig!””
“No, but you told me she was selfish. You said she cared more about looking perfect than being honest.””
I stared at my mother.
She shook her head.
“Emily, I was upset. I said things I shouldn't have.””
“You said things you believed.””
She looked away.
Marcus held up the USB drive.
“Let's see what's on this.””
The church's event coordinator offered us a small office near the entrance. It had a desk, a computer, and a narrow window overlooking the parking lot.
We moved inside with my grandmother, my mother, Brielle, and Aunt Patricia.
The rest of the guests were asked to remain in the church.
I removed Marcus's jacket long enough to settle my veil over my bare scalp. My hands trembled as I adjusted it.
Marcus noticed.
“Do you want to stop for a minute?””
“No.””
“Emily, you don't have to prove anything to anyone.””
“I know.””
I looked at myself in the dark reflection of the computer monitor.
For the first time, I wasn't trying to hide what I saw.
“I just want the truth.””
Marcus inserted the USB drive.
A folder appeared on the screen.
It contained several documents, two scanned letters, and a file labeled with my full name and date of birth.
My stomach twisted.
Marcus clicked the file.
The first page contained my treatment history, medication information, and notes from a consultation I'd attended months earlier.
I recognized the doctor's signature.
But something was wrong.
The document included details that had never appeared in my patient portal. There were handwritten comments in the margins, followed by a note suggesting that my treatment might affect my ability to conceive.
I gripped the edge of the desk.
“That's not the document my doctor gave me.””
Marcus looked at me.
“Are you sure?””
“Positive. She explained the risks, but she never wrote that I was unlikely to have children.””
He scrolled down.
At the bottom of the page was a section labeled *Access History*.
There were three entries.
The first belonged to an employee at the clinic.
The second belonged to an administrator at the hospital foundation.
The third was dated six days before the wedding.
It listed a user account under the name Rachel Whitmore.
My mother gasped.
“That can't be right.””
I turned toward her.
“Why?””
“Because Rachel doesn't work at the clinic.””
Marcus clicked the next document.
It was a letter addressed to Brielle.
You said you wanted proof. This is what I found. Emily's mother has been hiding more than she admits. If you want the truth, you need to look at the original records.
The letter was signed simply, Rachel.
Brielle covered her face.
“I didn't know she was accessing anything illegally.””
Marcus turned toward her.
“You knew she had confidential records.””
“She told me she had permission.””
“From whom?””
“She wouldn't say.””
“Yet you accepted the documents.””
Brielle lowered her hands.
“I thought they proved Emily was lying.””
“About what?””
“That her condition might affect their future.””
I looked at her.
“You wanted my marriage to fail because of something I might not be able to control?””
Brielle's eyes filled.
“I thought Marcus deserved better.””
The room fell silent.
Then my grandmother spoke.
“Better than what, Brielle? Better than a woman who is sick? Better than a woman who has trusted him enough to tell him the truth?””
Brielle had no answer.
Marcus returned to the computer.
The second scanned letter was addressed to my mother.
It was dated three months after my father's death.
Elaine,
I know you don't want me in Emily's life. I'm not asking to replace you. I only want the chance to know my sister.
Father left me something before he died. He said it would explain why he had spent years paying for my education in secret.
I haven't opened it because I thought you deserved to know first.
Please call me.
There was no signature, only the name Rachel Whitmore typed at the bottom.
I looked at my mother.
“You knew Rachel wanted to meet me.””
“Yes.””
“And you refused.””
“I was trying to keep our family together.””
I shook my head.
“By making sure I never knew my own sister?””
My mother sank into the chair.
“She was a reminder of your father's betrayal.””
“So you punished her for his choices.””
“I didn't know what else to do.””
“You could have told me the truth.””
My mother began crying again.
I turned away.
Marcus opened the final file.
It contained a scanned copy of a document with a red stamp across the top.
*CONFIDENTIAL — NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION.*
Beneath it was a list of names and dates.
My name appeared near the top.
So did my mother's.
But the final entry was the one that made Marcus go completely still.
He read it twice.
Then he enlarged the screen.
“Emily,” he said quietly, “I think we need to speak to your doctor.””
“What does it say?””
He didn't answer.
I moved beside him.
The document listed an authorization dated six days earlier, allowing the release of selected medical information to a third party.
The signature at the bottom was mine.
I stared at it.
It looked like my handwriting.
The same looping E. The same long stroke beneath the final letter.
But I had never signed that authorization.
I had never given anyone permission to access my records.
“That's not my signature,” I whispered.
Marcus took a photograph of the screen.
“Then someone forged it.””
My mother suddenly stood.
“Turn it off.””
I looked at her.
“What?””
“Delete the files. We don't know where they came from.””
Marcus didn't move.
My mother reached toward the keyboard.
He caught her wrist before she could touch it.
“Don't.””
She pulled away.
“You don't understand what this could do to our family.””
I stared at her.
“What could it do?””
She shook her head.
Marcus stepped between us.
“Elaine, why are you afraid of a document with Emily's forged signature?””
My mother looked at the door.
Then at Brielle.
Finally, she whispered, “Because Rachel isn't the only person who had access to your father's records.””
My heart began pounding.
“What records?””
My mother closed her eyes.
“Before your father died, he changed his will. He left something to Rachel. Something he told me would never belong to me.””
May you like
She opened her eyes.
“And if anyone proves I knew about it, I could lose everything.””
