Chapter 3: The Woman On The Phone
Cole stared at his phone like it had become something dangerous.
“Who is it?”” I asked.
He didn’t answer.
That made me walk closer.
“Cole.””
His fingers tightened around the device.
The ringing stopped.
Then immediately started again.
I saw the name.
And my heart sank.
*Rachel.*
My mother’s younger sister.
My aunt.
The woman who had helped organize this entire baby shower.
The woman who had spent the morning arranging flowers while telling everyone how lucky I was to have such a loving family.
“What does my aunt have to do with this?””
Cole put the phone away.
“Emily, don’t make this worse.””
I stared at him.
“You don’t get to tell me what makes this worse.””
Darla sat down at the kitchen table.
She looked exhausted.
Like she had been carrying a secret that was crushing her.
“Rachel knows.””
My head turned.
“What?””
Darla looked at the floor.
“She found out.””
“When?””
“A month ago.””
A cold feeling spread through my chest.
“So everyone knew except me?””
“No,” Cole said quickly.
I looked at him.
“Everyone?””
He immediately realized what he had said.
I laughed softly.
“Wow.””
I pressed a hand against my stomach.
“My own family had meetings about my marriage.””
“Emily—”
“No.””
I walked toward the window.
Outside, my neighbors’ cars lined the street.
Inside, my daughter’s baby shower continued.
The worst part was that everyone was happy.
Someone had just started opening gifts.
I could hear applause.
I could hear my friends cheering over tiny blankets and stuffed animals.
Nobody knew.
Nobody knew the man they were celebrating as a future father had destroyed everything.
My phone buzzed again.
The same unknown number.
This time, there was a message.
*Ask him where he was the night your father died.*
I stopped breathing.
My father.
He had died three years earlier.
A heart attack.
That was what everyone told me.
I looked at Cole.
His face changed when he saw my expression.
“What did they send you?””
I didn’t answer.
“Emily.””
“Did you know?””
His silence was immediate.
Too immediate.
My hands started shaking.
“Did you know something about my father’s death?””
Cole looked at Darla.
That was the moment I understood.
There were secrets inside secrets.
Darla stood.
“Emily, your father’s death was not because of us.””
I stared at her.
“I didn’t ask that.””
She looked terrified.
I walked toward Cole.
“Answer me.””
He swallowed.
“I knew your father had been sick.””
“That’s not an answer.””
“Emily—”
“Were you there that night?””
His face went pale.
And I knew.
I knew before he spoke.
“I stopped by.””
The room went silent.
“You stopped by my parents’ house the night my father died?””
“I was checking on your mother.””
I turned to Darla.
“Why?””
Neither of them answered.
My breathing became shallow.
“You were already together.””
Darla started crying.
“No.””
But it sounded like a lie.
“You were already together,” I repeated.
Cole looked desperate.
“Emily, it wasn’t like that.””
“Then what was it like?””
He had no answer.
A knock came from the kitchen doorway.
Sarah stood there.
Her smile was gone.
“Emily?””
I quickly wiped my face.
“Sarah…”
She looked between the three of us.
“What happened?””
Nobody spoke.
Then my aunt Rachel appeared behind her.
And the expression on her face told me everything.
She wasn’t surprised.
She wasn’t confused.
She already knew.
She looked directly at Cole.
Then she looked at my mother.
May you like
And said quietly:
“You promised me she would never find out this way.””
