Chapter 8: The Woman Behind The Mask
Rachel didn’t look surprised.
That was the first thing I noticed.
She didn’t look shocked that I had found the letter.
She looked annoyed.
Like I had discovered something she thought would stay buried.
For a few seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then she stepped into the attic.
“You weren’t supposed to find that.””
My grip tightened around the paper.
“You knew about it?””
Rachel sighed.
“I knew your mother was dramatic.””
My entire body went still.
“Don’t.””
She looked at me.
“Emma—”
“Don’t talk about her like that.””
Rachel crossed her arms.
“You don’t understand what happened.””
“No.””
I stood up.
“I understand exactly what happened.””
She shook her head.
“You have no idea.””
“Then explain.””
She looked away.
For once, she seemed unsure.
Then she said:
“Your mother hated me.””
I laughed.
“No. She saw you.””
Rachel’s expression changed.
“You think she was perfect?””
I didn’t answer.
Because I knew where this was going.
She wanted to make my mother the villain.
The same way she made me the villain.
“She pushed David away,” Rachel said.
“She made him feel guilty all the time.””
I stared at her.
“And you were there waiting.””
Rachel’s jaw tightened.
“That’s not fair.””
“Isn’t it?””
She stepped closer.
“You think I wanted this?””
I looked at her.
“You married my dad.””
“Yes.””
“You moved into my house.””
“Yes.””
“You made me feel like I was unwanted.””
Her face softened slightly.
“I never meant—”
“But you did.””
The silence afterward was heavy.
Then Rachel whispered:
“Tyler was never supposed to become like this.””
That surprised me.
For the first time, she sounded like a mother.
A scared one.
“What does that mean?””
She looked down.
“I thought I was helping him.””
“By teaching him to lie?””
“No.””
She shook her head.
“I thought if he was stronger, people wouldn’t hurt him.””
I stared at her.
“And you thought making me the enemy would make him stronger?””
She didn’t answer.
That was enough.
I walked past her.
But before I left, she said something that stopped me.
“Your mother was right about one thing.””
I turned around.
“What?””
Rachel looked at the letter.
“I was afraid.””
“Of what?””
She looked at me.
“Of you.””
I frowned.
“Why?””
“Because you reminded David of her.””
The answer shocked me.
Rachel continued.
“Every time he looked at you, he remembered the life he lost.””
My heart hurt.
“And that bothered you?””
“Yes.””
She said it quietly.
Then she looked away.
“At first.””
I waited.
“Then I started believing something.””
“What?””
“That if you weren’t there, he could finally move on.””
I felt cold.
Not because she admitted it.
Because she said it like it was logical.
Like removing me from the picture was a solution.
I walked downstairs without another word.
That evening, my dad called everyone into the living room.
Tyler had returned.
I didn’t know where he had been.
I didn’t ask.
He stood near the window.
Different from before.
Less confident.
More nervous.
My dad held the letter.
“We need to talk.””
Tyler looked at me.
Then at Rachel.
“About what?””
My dad stared at him.
“About everything.””
Tyler laughed.
“You’re seriously doing this?””
My dad nodded.
“Yes.””
Tyler looked at Rachel.
“Mom?””
But Rachel didn’t defend him.
Not this time.
That scared him.
My dad placed the papers on the table.
“The police are reviewing everything.””
Tyler’s face changed.
“What?””
“The recordings. The documents. Everything.””
Tyler stepped forward.
“You wouldn’t.””
My dad looked at him.
“I should have done this a long time ago.””
Tyler’s eyes moved to me.
“This is what you wanted?””
I looked at him.
“No.””
He laughed.
“Yes, it is.””
“No.””
My voice was calm.
“I wanted you to tell the truth.””
Tyler looked away.
Then suddenly, he smiled.
A strange smile.
One that made my stomach drop.
“You still don’t know everything.””
My dad frowned.
“What does that mean?””
Tyler reached into his pocket.
He pulled out a small USB drive.
“I found this before I left.””
Nobody moved.
Tyler held it up.
“This proves Emma isn’t the innocent one.””
My heart stopped.
“What?””
He smiled.
“Maybe you should watch this before you decide who the victim is.””
My dad took a step forward.
“Give me that.””
Tyler stepped back.
“No.””
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Then he said something that changed everything.
“Because this video is from the day Mom died.””