Chapter 4: The Name on the Paper
The name at the bottom of the email stared back at me like a ghost.
I read it once.
Then again.
My hands became cold.
Because I knew that name.
I knew it better than anyone.
“Dad?”” Jasmine whispered.
I looked at her.
She was watching my face, waiting for me to explain.
But I couldn’t.
Not yet.
The email was from Rachel’s older brother, Thomas.
My late wife’s brother.
The man who disappeared from our lives six years ago after Rachel’s funeral.
The man who had not called.
Had not visited.
Had not sent a birthday card.
Nothing.
I looked at Melissa.
Her face had lost all color.
“You knew about this?””
She didn’t answer.
That was enough.
I placed the paper on the table.
“Melissa.””
Her eyes moved toward me.
“What is this?””
She swallowed.
“David, I can explain.””
I hated those words.
Because every time someone said them, it meant the truth was about to become worse.
“You knew Thomas contacted you?””
Melissa looked away.
“Only recently.””
“Why?””
Silence.
“Why did my wife’s brother email you?””
Jasmine stood beside me.
Her hands were shaking.
“Dad, I found it by accident.””
I turned to her.
“Where?””
“In Melissa’s desk drawer.””
Melissa immediately stepped forward.
“You had no right to go through my things.””
Jasmine flinched.
I noticed.
That small movement made my chest hurt.
Even now, after everything, my daughter was still afraid of being blamed.
I looked at Melissa.
“Answer the question.””
She sat down slowly.
“I didn’t want you to know.””
“Why?””
She pressed her fingers against her forehead.
“Because I knew you would react like this.””
“Like what?””
“Like she was the only person who mattered.””
I stared at her.
Again.
Everything came back to that.
Jasmine.
Always Jasmine.
As if loving my daughter meant there was less love available for everyone else.
“What did Thomas say?””
Melissa didn’t respond.
I picked up the paper.
“Then I’ll read it myself.””
“David, wait.””
But I already had.
The email was short.
Thomas had written that he had been trying to contact me for months.
He said there was something Rachel wanted me to know before she died.
Something about Jasmine.
Something Melissa had hidden.
My heart started pounding.
I looked at the date.
The email was sent three months ago.
Three months.
Melissa had known for three months.
And she said nothing.
“What did Rachel want me to know?””
Melissa’s eyes filled with tears.
“I don’t know.””
I stared at her.
“That’s a lie.””
Her expression changed.
A guilty expression.
The same one I had seen when I asked about the rice.
“You know something.””
She stood up.
“I didn’t want to destroy our family.””
I laughed bitterly.
“Our family?””
I pointed toward the kitchen.
“You already hurt my daughter.””
“I was trying to protect us.””
“From what?””
Melissa looked toward Jasmine.
And that was when I realized something.
She wasn’t looking at her with anger.
She was looking at her with fear.
“What did Rachel leave behind?”” I asked.
Melissa’s voice became quiet.
“She left a letter.””
The room went silent.
Jasmine looked at me.
“A letter?””
Melissa nodded.
“Thomas found it after the funeral.””
“Why didn’t he give it to me?””
“Because…”
She stopped.
“Because what?””
Melissa looked down.
“Because Rachel wrote that she didn’t trust me.””
The words hit harder than I expected.
I felt like the air disappeared.
Jasmine covered her mouth.
“You knew?””
Melissa closed her eyes.
“I knew Rachel was worried.””
“About what?””
She didn’t answer.
I stepped closer.
“Melissa.””
She finally looked at me.
“She was worried about how you would treat Jasmine.””
Jasmine started crying.
Not loudly.
Just quietly.
Like she had become used to hiding pain.
I felt something break inside me.
My wife had known.
Rachel had known something was wrong.
And now I understood why Thomas had reached out.
But there was still a question.
Why had Melissa kept the letter hidden?
“What did the letter say?””
Melissa shook her head.
“I don’t have it.””
“Where is it?””
“I gave it away.””
“To who?””
She hesitated.
That hesitation was terrifying.
“To Thomas.””
I frowned.
“But he emailed you.””
“Yes.””
“Why would he email you if he had the letter?””
Melissa looked at the floor.
“Because he wanted to know if I had changed.””
I didn’t understand.
Then she said:
“He wanted to know if Jasmine was safe.””
The words stayed in the air.
Safe.
My daughter had never been unsafe in the way people usually imagined.
No broken bones.
No locked doors.
No obvious signs.
Just small cruelties.
Small enough for someone to ignore.
Big enough to destroy a person.
I turned toward Jasmine.
“Did you know about the letter?””
She shook her head.
“No.””
“Did you know your uncle was trying to contact us?””
“No.””
Her voice cracked.
“Dad, I thought he forgot about us.””
I walked toward her and held her shoulders.
“He didn’t forget.””
For the first time that night, I saw something different in Jasmine’s eyes.
Not fear.
Hope.
But before I could say anything else, my phone rang.
The screen showed an unknown number.
I answered.
“Hello?””
A man’s voice came through.
“David?””
I froze.
Because I recognized it.
“Thomas?””
There was a pause.
Then he said:
“I’m glad you finally found out.””
My grip tightened around the phone.
“What exactly am I supposed to know?””
Thomas took a deep breath.
“David, there’s something Rachel wrote that Melissa doesn’t want you to see.””
I looked at Melissa.
Her face went pale.
“What is it?””
May you like
Thomas’s voice lowered.
“It’s the reason Rachel was afraid to leave Jasmine alone with her.””
