Chapter 6 - The Enemy Inside The FamilyThe message remained on the table.
“Stop searching for the past, Emily.”
“Or I will make sure you lose your future.”
Everyone stared at it.
But this time…
I wasn’t afraid.
Not like before.
For years, I had stayed quiet because I wanted peace.
I ignored the insults.
I forgave the disrespect.
I accepted being treated like I was never enough.
But that woman had made one mistake.
She threatened my future.
And my future was no longer just me.
It was the truth I deserved.
Daniel looked at me.
“Emily…”
I didn’t answer.
Because I was still trying to understand one thing.
How many people had lied to me?
How many people had known who I really was?
And how many years had I lived inside someone else’s story?
Thomas picked up the message.
“This isn’t a random threat.”
Richard looked at him.
“You know who sent it.”
Thomas nodded.
“Yes.”
Everyone waited.
“Who?”
Thomas looked at me.
“Someone who was close to your parents.”
My heart tightened.
“Someone they trusted?”
“Yes.”
The answer made the room colder.
Because betrayal always hurt more when it came from someone you loved.
Victoria suddenly stood.
“That man is lying.”
Everyone looked at her.
“You expect us to believe some stranger who appears after years?”
Thomas looked at her.
“I’m not the one who hid Emily’s identity.”
Victoria’s expression changed.
Daniel looked at his mother.
“Mom.”
She avoided his eyes.
That was when I realized.
She wasn’t surprised.
She was scared.
“Victoria.”
I said her name.
She looked at me.
“How much do you know?”
Silence.
Then she answered.
“More than I should.”
Daniel stared.
“What does that mean?”
Victoria sat down slowly.
For the first time…
She didn’t look powerful.
She looked defeated.
“Your father and I knew your parents.”
I froze.
“My parents?”
She nodded.
“Before you were born.”
My chest tightened.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
She looked away.
“Because we were told not to.”
“By who?”
She didn’t answer.
Richard did.
“By the same person who threatened us.”
Everyone looked at him.
“You too?”
I whispered.
Richard looked ashamed.
“Yes.”
The room went silent.
The man who had saved me.
The man who had defended me.
He had also been afraid.
“What happened?”
I asked.
Richard took a deep breath.
“Your parents discovered a secret.”
“The document?”
He nodded.
“But it wasn’t just a document.”
“What was it?”
“A list.”
“A list of what?”
“Names.”
A pause.
“People who had been controlling businesses, stealing money, and destroying anyone who tried to expose them.”
My stomach turned.
“And my parents found it.”
“Yes.”
Thomas looked at me.
“They tried to reveal everything.”
“But someone stopped them.”
Silence.
“Who?”
Nobody answered.
Then Daniel’s phone rang again.
The same unknown number.
This time…
I answered.
Everyone looked surprised.
I held the phone to my ear.
“Who are you?”
A woman laughed softly.
“You sound braver than I expected.”
My fingers tightened.
“Tell me your name.”
A pause.
“You already know me.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
Her voice became colder.
“I was there the night your parents disappeared.”
My heart stopped.
“What?”
“I saw everything.”
The room became silent.
“Who are you?”
The woman whispered:
“The person your mother trusted most.”
I looked at Thomas.
Then Richard.
Then Victoria.
Everyone looked afraid.
The woman continued:
“Your parents didn’t die because they found the secret.”
A pause.
“They died because they found out who was behind it.”
My breathing became heavier.
“Who?”
The line was silent for several seconds.
Then she answered.
“Your own family.”
The call ended.
Nobody spoke.
Daniel looked at his father.
Richard looked at Victoria.
Victoria looked terrified.
And I realized something.
The enemy wasn’t outside this house.
The enemy had been invited inside.
Suddenly…
Thomas’s phone received a message.
He looked at it.
His face changed.
“What is it?”
I asked.
He turned the phone around.
A photograph.
A photograph taken only minutes ago.
It showed me.
Standing inside this house.
But behind me…
Someone was watching.
A woman.
I recognized her.
Because she had been sitting at this Christmas dinner table.
My face went pale.
“No…”
Daniel looked at the photo.
“Who is that?”
I couldn’t answer.
Because the woman behind me…
Was Victoria.
And written beneath the picture were four words:
“She knows everything.”
The room went silent.
May you like
Because the woman who had humiliated me all night…
May have been the only person who knew the truth.
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