Chapter 7: My Mother's Lie
493 Words
My hands shook as I stared at the photograph.
She knows the truth.
The words seemed to burn into my eyes.
My mother.
The woman who had spent thirteen years mourning my father.
The woman who cried every year on the anniversary of his death.
The woman who swore she knew nothing.
According to David's notebook...
She was lying.
The study door suddenly creaked.
My heart jumped.
I quickly shoved the notebook back into the drawer and slipped behind a bookshelf.
Seconds later, footsteps entered the room.
I held my breath.
David.
He walked to the desk.
Opened the hidden drawer.
And froze.
My stomach dropped.
He knew someone had been there.
For several terrifying seconds, he searched the room.
One more step and he would find me.
Then his phone rang.
David answered immediately.
"Tell me."
His face darkened.
"What do you mean she's investigating?"
My pulse quickened.
Were they talking about me?
David turned away.
"No. We can't let history repeat itself."
Silence.
Then he spoke again.
"Keep an eye on her."
My blood ran cold.
He was definitely talking about me.
---
The next morning, I couldn't look at Mom the same way.
Every smile felt fake.
Every word felt rehearsed.
Every glance made me wonder what she was hiding.
Finally, I couldn't take it anymore.
"Did you know Dad worked with David?"
The spoon slipped from Mom's hand.
The sound echoed through the kitchen.
Bingo.
For a brief moment, panic crossed her face.
Then it disappeared.
"What kind of question is that?"
"A simple one."
Mom stood.
"I'm late for work."
She walked away.
Too fast.
Much too fast.
And for the first time in my life...
My mother looked guilty.
---
That evening, Elsa called.
"You need to come over."
Her voice sounded strange.
Urgent.
"What happened?"
"I found something."
An hour later, I arrived at her apartment.
She was waiting with a laptop.
"What am I looking at?"
Elsa turned the screen toward me.
An old news archive.
The article was dated just weeks before Dad's death.
My eyes widened.
The headline read:
THREE BUSINESS PARTNERS UNDER INVESTIGATION
Below the headline were three photographs.
Dad.
David.
And the stranger.
But that wasn't what shocked me.
My gaze moved to the article.
Then I saw another name.
A name that made my stomach drop.
Camella.
My mother wasn't just Dad's wife.
According to the article...
She was one of the company's accountants.
She had access to everything.
Every transaction.
Every secret.
Every lie.
My heart began pounding.
"Elsa..."
She looked at me.
"What?"
I pointed at the screen.
My finger trembling.
"Mom was involved."
Before Elsa could answer, her phone buzzed.
A new message appeared.
Unknown Number.
Neither of us spoke.
Slowly, she opened it.
Attached was a photograph.
A recent photograph.
Of me and Elsa sitting inside her apartment.
Taken from outside the window.
Beneath it were seven terrifying words.
You're getting closer than your father did.
- Writer
