Chapter 10: The Message From the Dead
Nobody spoke.
Not because there was nothing to say.
Because everyone in that hallway was afraid of what the next words would reveal.
My phone was still in my hand.
The message remained on the screen.
*Simone, don’t trust your father. The accident was only the beginning.*
My mother’s number.
My mother’s name.
A message sent from a phone number that had been dead for eight years.
I looked at Raymond.
Then Daniel.
Then back at the screen.
“Who sent this?””
My voice sounded distant.
Nobody answered.
I turned toward my father.
“Did you know this number was still active?””
“No.””
The answer came immediately.
Too immediately.
I studied his face.
For the first time, I realized something terrifying.
My father was not just hiding information.
He was afraid.
And fear looked different from guilt.
Guilt made people avoid your eyes.
Fear made people look like they were waiting for something worse to happen.
“Dad.””
He swallowed.
“I swear I don’t know who sent that.””
Daniel stepped forward.
“Give me the phone.””
I moved back.
“No.””
His expression darkened.
“You don’t understand what you’re dealing with.””
I almost laughed.
“You keep saying that.””
My grip tightened around the phone.
“But nobody explains anything.””
Daniel looked frustrated.
“Because you are looking for a simple answer.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“I’m looking for the truth.””
My father looked at the message again.
Then quietly said:
“Your mother’s phone number was canceled after she died.””
I looked at him.
“How do you know?””
“Because I handled everything.””
The words hit me.
Everything.
Another thing he had done without me.
Another decision made in my name.
“You handled her belongings too?””
His silence answered.
I looked around the hallway.
The hidden letters.
The removed photographs.
The secrets buried behind walls.
“How much of my mother’s life did you control after she died?””
Raymond’s eyes filled.
“Simone…”
“No.””
I stepped away.
“I need to know.””
He lowered his head.
“Almost everything.””
The honesty hurt.
But it was the first honest thing he had given me.
Daniel watched us.
And then he said:
“Your father isn’t the only person who controlled what you knew.””
I turned toward him.
“What does that mean?””
He looked at the letter.
“Elena was smarter than all of us.””
My heart tightened.
“Don’t talk about her like you knew her.””
Daniel’s face changed.
“I did know her.””
“You betrayed her.””
His jaw clenched.
“Yes.””
The admission surprised me.
He didn’t defend himself.
He didn’t make excuses.
He simply accepted it.
And somehow that made him more dangerous.
“Then why are you here?””
Daniel looked toward the door.
“Because someone else is moving.””
My father frowned.
“What?””
Daniel ignored him.
“Whoever sent that message isn’t trying to scare you.””
I looked down at my phone.
“Then what are they doing?””
“Testing you.””
The word hung in the air.
“Testing me for what?””
Daniel didn’t answer.
Instead, he looked at Raymond.
“Tell her about the second file.””
My father went completely still.
I noticed.
“What second file?””
Silence.
“Dad.””
He rubbed his face.
“There was another file.””
My stomach dropped.
“Where?””
He looked toward the wall.
Again.
“No.””
I shook my head.
“You’re kidding.””
“I didn’t know what it contained.””
“But you hid it.””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
His voice cracked.
“Because Elena told me not to open it.””
I stared.
“My mother told you not to open something?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
He looked at the letter.
“Because she said the truth would destroy people who didn’t deserve to be destroyed.””
I frowned.
“That doesn’t make sense.””
“It does if you knew Elena.””
I hated that he was right.
My mother was the kind of person who would protect someone even when they hurt her.
The kind of person who would carry pain silently if it meant sparing someone else.
But there was one thing I couldn’t understand.
“If she knew all of this…”
I looked at my father.
“Why did she leave me with you?””
Nobody answered.
Then Raymond whispered:
“Because she still loved me.””
The words almost made me angry.
Almost.
But then I saw his face.
Not defensive.
Broken.
My father had spent eight years living with something he couldn’t fix.
And maybe that was his punishment.
Not losing my mother.
But knowing he failed her.
My phone buzzed again.
Everyone froze.
A video file appeared.
No sender.
No message.
Just a title.
*Elena_Final_Recording.mov*
My breath caught.
“No.””
My father whispered it.
Not to me.
To himself.
“Where did you get that?””
I looked at him.
“You know?””
He stepped backward.
“I thought it was gone.””
Daniel’s expression changed.
“What?””
Raymond stared at the phone.
“That recording was supposed to be deleted.””
My fingers went cold.
“Recording of what?””
My father looked at me.
And for the first time in my life, I saw genuine terror in his eyes.
“Your mother.””
I pressed play.
The screen went black.
Then a hospital room appeared.
A weak figure sat against white pillows.
My mother.
Older.
Tired.
But alive.
My knees almost gave out.
Her voice filled the hallway.
“Simone, if you’re watching this…”
Everyone stopped breathing.
My mother looked directly into the camera.
And then she said:
“I need you to know that the person who hurt me is not the person you think.””
The video paused.
Buffering.
Then the screen went black.
A new message appeared.
*PART TWO REQUIRES PASSWORD.*
Nobody moved.
Then Daniel whispered:
“She planned this.””
I looked at him.
“What?””
He stared at the phone.
“Elena knew someone would find the recording.””
My father closed his eyes.
“She knew.””
I looked between them.
“What password?””
No one answered.
Then my father spoke.
A single word.
“Simone.””
I frowned.
“What?””
May you like
He looked at me.
“Your mother’s password was always your name.””