Chapter 5: The Person Who Protected Her
For a moment, I thought I had heard Daniel wrong.
“My mother?””
The words came out as a whisper.
Daniel nodded.
“Your mother was there.””
I looked at Vanessa.
She looked terrified.
Not surprised.
Not confused.
Terrified.
And that told me everything.
“You knew,” I said.
Vanessa’s eyes filled with tears.
“Emily…”
“You knew Mom saw the accident.””
She looked down.
“I knew she saw something.””
“Something?””
My voice rose.
“She saw everything, didn’t she?””
Vanessa didn’t answer.
She didn’t have to.
The silence was louder than any confession.
I grabbed my phone and called my mother.
Once.
Twice.
No answer.
Vanessa moved closer.
“Emily, please.””
I turned toward her.
“Don’t.””
She stopped.
“Do not say please to me right now.””
Her face fell.
“I know you’re angry.””
“Angry?””
I laughed.
Again.
That same broken laugh.
“I don’t even know what I am anymore.””
Because anger was too simple.
Anger was what you felt when someone disappointed you.
This was something else.
This was realizing that the people who were supposed to stand beside you had quietly agreed to let you suffer.
Daniel sat down across from me.
His voice softened.
“I’m sorry you had to find out like this.””
I looked at him.
“How did you find out?””
He glanced at Vanessa.
“I started asking questions after the party.””
Vanessa looked away.
“Daniel—”
“No.””
His tone stopped her.
“No more.””
She swallowed.
He continued.
“After I saw you push Emily, something didn’t feel right.””
I looked down.
“I thought you were just cruel.””
Vanessa flinched.
“But then I remembered something.””
“What?””
Daniel looked at me.
“You told everyone your accident was a random crash.””
I nodded slowly.
“That’s what I was told.””
“But Vanessa reacted strangely when I mentioned it.””
My eyebrows pulled together.
“What do you mean?””
“She always changed the subject.””
Vanessa crossed her arms.
“That doesn’t prove anything.””
“No,” Daniel said.
“But then I found something else.””
He pulled out his phone.
He opened a photo.
A screenshot.
I leaned closer.
It was a text message.
From my mother.
To Vanessa.
The date was two days after my accident.
My heart started beating faster.
The message was short.
“Your secret is safe with me. We will figure this out.””
I stared.
The words looked impossible.
“We will figure this out?””
I looked at Vanessa.
“You and Mom.””
She didn’t speak.
“What were you figuring out?””
Her eyes moved toward the floor.
“Emily…”
“No.””
I stood.
“What were you figuring out?””
Vanessa wiped her face.
“The police were asking questions.””
“Because there was an accident.””
“Because Marcus left the scene.””
I froze.
“He left?””
She nodded slightly.
I felt sick.
“He left me there?””
Vanessa closed her eyes.
“Yes.””
The room became silent.
I imagined it.
The twisted metal.
The broken glass.
My body trapped inside the car.
And the man responsible walking away.
“You knew he left.””
“Yes.””
“And you still protected him.””
“I was scared.””
“There it is again.””
I shook my head.
“That’s all you have.””
Vanessa looked hurt.
But I didn’t care anymore.
Because every time she said those words, she made herself the victim.
“What happened after the crash?””
She hesitated.
Then finally answered.
“I called Mom.””
“Not emergency services?””
Her face changed.
“I called Mom first.””
My stomach dropped.
“Why?””
“Because I didn’t know what to do.””
“You knew exactly what to do.””
“I panicked.””
I stepped closer.
“You panicked while I was unconscious.””
Her eyes filled.
“I thought you were dead.””
The sentence hit me.
For one second, everything stopped.
Because despite everything...
She was still my sister.
And hearing that she thought I was gone hurt.
But then another thought followed.
If she thought I was dead...
Why did she hide the truth?
“What happened after you called Mom?””
Vanessa looked at Daniel.
Then back at me.
“She came.””
“Before the ambulance?””
“Yes.””
My hands started shaking.
“So Mom knew.””
Vanessa nodded.
“She saw Marcus.””
“Where was he?””
“He ran.””
“Where?””
“I don’t know.””
I stared at her.
“You’re lying.””
“No.””
“You know where he went.””
She looked away.
That was enough.
I grabbed the phone from the table.
“I’m calling Mom again.””
Vanessa stepped forward.
“Emily.””
“No.””
“Please don’t do this.””
I looked at her.
“Do what?””
“Destroy our family.””
I felt my chest tighten.
“Our family?””
“Yes.””
“You destroyed it.””
“No, I made one mistake.””
I stared at her.
“One mistake?””
Her voice broke.
“I know it was a big one.””
“A big one?””
I pointed at my shoulder.
“This wasn’t a mistake, Vanessa.””
She went quiet.
“This was a choice.””
The words landed.
And for once, she had no argument.
I called my mother again.
This time, she answered.
“Emily?””
Her voice sounded nervous.
Like she already knew why I was calling.
“Mom.””
A pause.
“Where are you?””
“That doesn’t matter.””
“Emily—”
“Did you see the accident?””
Silence.
A long, painful silence.
I closed my eyes.
“Mom.””
When she finally spoke, her voice was barely audible.
“Yes.””
I felt my knees weaken.
“You saw everything.””
“Yes.””
“And you let me believe it was a stranger.””
“I was trying to protect you.””
“No.””
My voice shook.
“You were protecting Vanessa.””
My mother started crying.
“I didn’t know what else to do.””
I looked at Vanessa.
She was crying too.
But I didn’t know if either of them understood what they had taken from me.
The truth.
My right to know what happened to my own life.
“Mom, why?””
“She was pregnant.””
I froze.
The same words.
The same excuse.
Everyone had a reason.
Everyone had something they were protecting.
Everyone except me.
“What does that have to do with anything?””
“She was terrified.””
“So was I.””
“I know.””
“No, you don’t.””
My voice broke.
“You weren’t the one who woke up after surgery wondering why your life changed.””
My mother sobbed.
“I’m sorry.””
I looked at the ceiling.
Sorry.
Everyone was sorry after the damage was done.
“I need to know something.””
“What?””
“Did you help Vanessa lie?””
Another silence.
Then:
“Yes.””
I closed my eyes.
The honesty hurt more than another lie.
“How?””
My mother hesitated.
“She asked me to tell the police you were driving.””
I felt dizzy.
“And you agreed?””
“I thought it would protect her.””
“Protect her?””
“She was scared Marcus would go to prison.””
I almost couldn’t believe it.
“So you protected the man who caused the crash.””
“No.””
“Yes.””
I looked at Vanessa.
She was staring at the floor.
“You protected everyone except me.””
Nobody spoke.
Then my mother whispered:
“Emily, there’s something else you don’t know.””
I looked at the phone.
“What?””
Another pause.
And somehow, I knew whatever came next would change everything again.
“Marcus didn’t leave because he was afraid.””
My heart raced.
“Then why did he leave?””
My mother’s voice trembled.
“Because Vanessa told him to.””
I looked at my sister.
Vanessa’s face went white.
“No,” she whispered.
But my mother continued.
“She told Marcus to run.””
The room felt frozen.
I couldn’t move.
I couldn’t speak.
Because that meant the accident wasn’t just something Vanessa hid.
It wasn’t just something she covered up.
It was something she helped create.
I lowered the phone slowly.
Vanessa took a step toward me.
“Emily, listen to me.””
I looked at her.
And for the first time in my life...
I was afraid of my own sister.
Because I finally understood the truth.
She hadn’t just been hiding a secret.
She had been protecting the person who almost destroyed me.
And when Daniel’s phone suddenly rang, all of us turned.
He looked at the screen.
His expression changed.
“What?””
He answered.
Then his face became completely serious.
“Where?””
A pause.
Then:
“Don’t let him leave.””
I stood.
“Who is it?””
Daniel looked at me.
May you like
And the name he said next made Vanessa collapse into the chair.
“Marcus.””
