Chapter 8: The Woman Who Was Supposed To Be Gone
Damon stared at the photo like it was something impossible to touch.
Something dangerous.
Something that could disappear if he looked away.
“Where did you get that?””
I looked at the message.
“I don’t know.””
“Who sent it?””
“Unknown number.””
He reached for my phone.
I pulled it back.
“No.””
His eyes met mine.
“Camille.””
“No.””
My voice was calm.
Too calm.
“You don’t get access to the evidence anymore.””
That hurt him.
I could see it.
But I needed that distance.
Because every time I trusted him with information, I discovered another lie.
He sat down slowly.
“Rachel is dead.””
“Then explain the picture.””
He had no answer.
For once.
No excuse.
No explanation.
Just silence.
The next morning, I went to the address attached to the number.
I didn’t tell Damon.
I didn’t trust him enough.
The address led me to a small coffee shop across town.
I waited near the window.
Ten minutes later, a woman walked in.
She looked around nervously.
Then she saw me.
“Camille?””
I stood.
“Yes.””
She approached slowly.
“I’m sorry.””
I frowned.
“Who are you?””
“My name is Lauren.””
She sat down.
“I was Rachel’s friend.””
I felt my heart tighten.
“Rachel is dead.””
“Yes.””
“Then why did you send me that picture?””
Lauren looked down.
“Because I think someone wants you to believe she isn’t.””
“What does that mean?””
She opened her purse and removed an envelope.
“I found this after Rachel died.””
I didn’t touch it.
“What is it?””
“A letter.””
“From Rachel?””
Lauren nodded.
“To Damon.””
I stared at the envelope.
“Why do you have it?””
“Because she asked me not to give it to him unless I knew he had told the truth.””
My stomach tightened.
“And you think he hasn’t.””
Lauren looked at me.
“No.””
The answer was immediate.
“No, he hasn’t.””
I opened the envelope.
Inside was a handwritten letter.
The handwriting was neat.
Careful.
Like someone choosing every word.
Damon,
If you are reading this, I hope it means you finally chose honesty.
I stopped.
My throat tightened.
I continued.
I know you will want to hide. You always do when you’re afraid. But hiding does not protect people. It only transfers the pain to someone else.
I looked up.
Lauren was watching me.
“What else does she say?””
I kept reading.
I know about the diagnosis. I know about the person you were with. But I also know something you don’t.
I froze.
Something you don’t.
The letter continued.
The test result was not the beginning of the truth. It was only the beginning of understanding.
My hands shook.
“What does that mean?””
Lauren sighed.
“I don’t know.””
I kept reading.
There is someone else who knows what happened. Someone who has been watching from a distance.
Someone who has information about the night everything changed.
I stopped.
The night everything changed.
The same phrase again.
The same mystery.
I folded the letter.
“Did Rachel know who it was?””
Lauren nodded.
“Yes.””
“Who?””
“She never told me.””
“Why?””
“Because she was afraid.””
That surprised me.
“Rachel was afraid?””
Lauren looked toward the window.
“Rachel was not afraid for herself.””
A chill moved through me.
“She was afraid for you.””
I looked at her.
“For me?””
“She knew Damon was going to marry you.””
My breath caught.
“Rachel knew about me?””
“Yes.””
“How?””
Lauren hesitated.
“Because she met him after you two started dating.””
I felt the room spin.
“Rachel met Damon after he met me?””
“Yes.””
“But Damon told me she died before we met.””
Lauren looked confused.
“She did.””
“Then how?””
The answer came slowly.
“Because Damon wasn’t telling you about Rachel.””
I stared.
“What?””
“He was telling you about the version of Rachel he wanted you to know.””
My skin went cold.
I looked back at the letter.
The impossible picture.
The hidden marriage.
The missing years.
“What are you saying?””
Lauren leaned forward.
“Rachel died.””
A pause.
“But before she died, she hired someone to investigate Damon.””
My heart raced.
“Why?””
“Because she believed he was hiding something bigger than the affair.””
I looked at the letter again.
The words blurred.
Someone had been investigating Damon.
Someone had been searching for answers.
And now that person had found me.
My phone buzzed.
Another message.
This time from the same unknown number.
I opened it.
A video file.
No caption.
No explanation.
I pressed play.
The screen showed Damon.
But younger.
Sitting in a room I didn’t recognize.
And across from him…
Was Rachel.
Alive.
My breath caught.
Then I heard Rachel’s voice.
“Damon, if you marry Camille without telling her the truth, I will make sure she finds out.””
The video froze.
My hands went numb.
May you like
Because the date on the recording was clear.
It was taken six months after Damon told me Rachel had died.