Chapter 11: The Last Promise
The password worked.
That was the part that scared me.
Not because my mother had chosen my name.
Because my father knew.
He had known something about her final days that I never knew.
I entered the password with shaking fingers.
The video loaded.
The hospital room appeared again.
My mother was sitting exactly where she had been before.
The same thin blanket.
The same tired smile.
The same eyes that somehow still looked warm.
I covered my mouth.
Eight years disappeared in a second.
“Hi, baby.””
Two words.
That was all it took.
I broke.
I turned away, but I couldn’t hide the tears.
My mother looked at the camera.
At me.
Like she knew exactly where I would be sitting.
Exactly how much I would miss her.
“I wish I could be there when you see this.””
Her voice was weak.
“But if you’re watching it, then I didn’t get the chance.””
My father sat down behind me.
I didn’t look at him.
I couldn’t.
My mother continued.
“First, I need you to know something.””
She paused.
“Your father loved me.””
I looked at Raymond.
He closed his eyes.
“But love does not stop people from making mistakes.””
My chest tightened.
“That is something I learned the hard way.””
The video shook slightly.
Maybe my mother had adjusted the camera herself.
Maybe she had been alone.
That thought hurt more than anything.
“I know you are angry.””
A small smile appeared on her face.
“You always hated unfairness.””
I laughed quietly through my tears.
She knew me.
Even then.
“Simone, I need you to understand why I didn’t tell you everything.””
The room became silent.
“Because the truth is complicated.””
I almost hated that word now.
Complicated.
Everyone used it when they wanted to hide something.
But from my mother, it sounded different.
It sounded like pain.
“Daniel was involved in the financial crimes.””
My eyes moved toward him.
He looked down.
“But Daniel was not the reason I died.””
The room froze.
My father looked up.
“What?””
The video continued.
“The night I went to the hospital, I did not collapse because of an argument.””
My breathing slowed.
“I was poisoned.””
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
My mother’s words echoed through the hallway.
“I don’t know who did it.””
Daniel’s face went pale.
Raymond whispered:
“No.””
“But I know someone changed my medical records afterward.””
My hand flew to my mouth.
Medical records.
Marissa.
The doctor.
“Someone made sure everyone believed my condition got worse naturally.””
The video flickered.
My mother leaned closer.
“Simone, listen carefully.””
I leaned toward the phone.
“Do not trust anyone who tells you they were protecting you.””
My eyes moved to my father.
He looked destroyed.
“Because sometimes people use protection as an excuse for fear.””
A tear rolled down my cheek.
Then my mother said something that changed everything.
“There is one person who knows exactly what happened that night.””
The video paused for a second.
Then:
“Marissa.””
My father stood.
“What?””
I looked at him.
My heart pounded.
My mother continued.
“Marissa was the only person who saw my medical file before it was changed.””
My phone slipped slightly in my hand.
The woman who brought us the truth.
The woman who warned us.
The woman who told us not to trust my father.
Could she be involved?
The video continued.
“Simone, I don’t want you to hate people.””
My mother’s eyes softened.
“That is not who you are.””
A long pause.
“But I want you to ask questions.””
The recording ended.
The screen went black.
Nobody spoke.
Then Daniel laughed.
Quietly.
Everyone looked at him.
“You all thought I was the worst person in the room.””
I turned.
“What are you saying?””
He looked at the phone.
“Your mother was right.””
My father stepped forward.
“Don’t.””
Daniel ignored him.
“She always saw more than people thought.””
I stared.
“Are you saying Marissa poisoned my mother?””
Daniel shook his head.
“No.””
Relief almost came.
Then he finished:
“I’m saying Marissa knows who did.””
The front door suddenly opened.
We all turned.
Marissa stood there.
Her face was pale.
She looked at the phone.
Then at me.
“You watched it.””
Nobody moved.
My father’s voice was cold.
“Why didn’t you tell us?””
Marissa looked at him.
“I tried.””
“No.””
He stepped forward.
“You knew.””
Her eyes filled.
“Yes.””
My heart dropped.
“You knew my mother was poisoned?””
Marissa looked at me.
“I knew someone tried.””
The words were different.
But they were not better.
“Who?””
She looked toward Daniel.
Then Raymond.
Then me.
“I don’t know.””
I stared.
“You expect me to believe that?””
“I was your mother’s doctor.””
“That doesn’t answer my question.””
Marissa stepped closer.
“I know who changed the records.””
My heart raced.
“Who?””
She looked at my father.
And whispered:
“Someone who had access to your mother’s hospital room.””
My father shook his head.
“No.””
Marissa’s eyes filled with tears.
“I’m sorry, Raymond.””
The silence became unbearable.
Then she said the name.
The name nobody expected.
“The person who changed Elena’s records…”
May you like
She looked at me.
“…was Simone.””