Chapter 7: The Night My Mother Died
I stared at Derek for what felt like an hour.
But it was only a few seconds.
A few seconds where my entire childhood shifted.
The person who taught me how to ride a bike.
The person who stood beside me when our mother died.
The person who had driven across town without hesitation when Noah called.
The person I trusted more than anyone.
Now he was standing in front of me with a piece of paper accusing him of lying.
“Derek.””
My voice sounded unfamiliar.
He didn’t answer.
“Look at me.””
Slowly, he did.
His eyes were already full of regret.
And that scared me more than anger would have.
Because anger could be defended.
Regret meant there was something to confess.
“What happened that night?””
He looked away.
“Ethan…”
I hated hearing my name from him like that.
Like he was trying to calm me down.
Like I was still the little brother who needed protecting.
“No.””
I shook my head.
“Don’t do that.””
“Do what?””
“Protect me.””
His jaw tightened.
“I was trying to.””
“By lying?””
Silence.
That was the answer.
I stepped back.
“How long?””
Derek looked confused.
“What?””
“How long have you known?””
He swallowed.
“About what?””
I held up the note.
“About this.””
He closed his eyes.
A long breath escaped him.
“Since the night she died.””
The words hit me harder than I expected.
My chest tightened.
“You knew?””
“Yes.””
“And you never told me?””
“I was seventeen.””
“I was twenty-one.””
“You were barely holding yourself together.””
I laughed quietly.
“You don’t get to decide what I can handle.””
“I know.””
“Then why?””
Derek looked down.
“Because Mom made me promise.””
I froze.
“What?””
He walked toward the box.
“She made me promise before she died.””
I stared at him.
“My mother talked to you?””
“Yes.””
“When?””
“The night before.””
The room felt colder.
“Why didn’t I know this?””
“Because she asked me not to tell you.””
I shook my head.
“No.””
“She knew you.””
I looked at him.
“She knew you would chase answers.””
“And?””
“And she knew whoever was after her would come after you.””
I looked at the box.
“And she was right.””
Derek nodded.
“Yes.””
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then I asked the question I had been afraid to ask.
“Did Travis kill her?””
Derek’s face changed.
“No.””
The answer came quickly.
Too quickly.
“You’re sure?””
“Yes.””
“How?””
“Because Mom told me who she was afraid of.””
I stepped closer.
“Who?””
Derek looked at the box.
“Someone inside the family.””
My stomach tightened.
“Dad?””
He shook his head.
“I don’t know.””
The honesty bothered me.
Because it meant even Derek didn’t have all the answers.
I opened the box.
Inside were dozens of documents.
Photos.
A small notebook.
A flash drive.
And a sealed envelope.
My mother’s handwriting was on it.
*For Ethan.*
My hands trembled.
I opened it carefully.
The letter inside was short.
Too short.
Like she had written it quickly.
My son,
If you are reading this, then someone from my past has finally found our family.
I stopped.
Derek read silently beside me.
I wanted to tell you everything. I wanted to explain why I made the choices I made.
But the truth is dangerous when the wrong people want it buried.
I swallowed.
Do not trust appearances. The person closest to you may be the one who knows the most.
My eyes moved down the page.
Then I froze.
Derek protected me because I asked him to.
I looked at him.
He looked away.
The letter continued.
But Derek does not know everything.
My heart stopped.
I kept reading.
There is one person who knows the full truth.
The final line made my blood run cold.
Your father has been lying to both of you.
I lowered the paper.
Neither of us spoke.
Because now we were trapped between two impossible truths.
Derek had hidden something.
My father had hidden something.
And my mother had known both would happen.
My phone buzzed.
A message.
Unknown number.
Again.
This time there was a video.
I pressed play.
The screen showed my mother.
Alive.
Sitting at a table.
My breath caught.
Derek stepped closer.
“That’s impossible.””
The video was shaky.
Old.
But it was her.
My mother.
Her voice was quiet.
“If you are watching this, then I’m gone.””
My eyes filled instantly.
I hadn’t heard her voice in seven years.
Not like this.
Not like she was speaking directly to me.
“I’m sorry.””
She looked down.
“I’m sorry I left you with questions.””
The video continued.
“Ethan, there are things about our family that you deserve to know.””
She paused.
Then she said:
“Your father was not honest with me.””
I looked at Derek.
He looked just as shocked as I was.
My mother continued.
“Daniel made a mistake years ago.””
A pause.
“A mistake that put our family in danger.””
The video glitched.
Then returned.
“And when he realized what he had done…”
She looked directly into the camera.
“He tried to fix it.””
My heart raced.
“What mistake?”” I whispered.
The video continued.
“I found evidence.””
My mother reached off-screen.
She placed a document on the table.
“This proves what happened.””
The camera moved closer.
The image became blurry.
But I could still see a name.
A company.
A signature.
Then my mother said:
“The person who betrayed us is not the person you think.””
The video froze.
A loading symbol appeared.
Then disappeared.
The screen went black.
Derek immediately grabbed the phone.
“Where did this come from?””
I looked at the number.
Unknown.
“No idea.””
He checked the video details.
His face changed.
“What?””
“It was sent from inside the house.””
I looked around.
“What?””
He turned the phone toward me.
“The location data.””
My heart started pounding.
The video was recorded from this house.
Today.
Not seven years ago.
Someone had been here.
Someone had entered this room.
Someone had placed that message exactly when we found the box.
A floorboard creaked downstairs.
Both of us froze.
Derek whispered:
“Someone’s here.””
I grabbed the flash drive from the box.
“Call the police.””
He nodded.
We stepped into the hallway.
Another sound.
A door closing.
Not upstairs.
Downstairs.
Derek moved first.
I followed.
We reached the staircase.
Then we saw him.
A man standing in the living room.
Tall.
Dark jacket.
His back facing us.
For one second, I thought it was Travis.
Then he turned around.
And I recognized him.
Not because I knew him.
Because I had seen his face before.
In the old family photos.
Standing beside my mother.
My breathing stopped.
Derek whispered:
“No…”
The man looked at us.
Then smiled.
“You two took longer than I expected.””
I stared.
“Who are you?””
He looked at the box in my hand.
Then answered calmly:
“Someone your mother trusted.””
A pause.
May you like
Then he said:
“And someone your father spent seven years trying to forget.””
