Chapter 10: The Last Thing Daniel Wanted Me to Know
The voice on the phone disappeared.
But I didn’t.
I stood there frozen, staring at the screen as if Robert might call back and somehow explain everything.
But he didn’t.
Nobody did.
The backyard was silent.
The same backyard where I had started the day believing my biggest problem was a ruined birthday cake.
How innocent that felt now.
A cake.
A party.
A family gathering.
I had thought Sloan destroyed my birthday.
I was wrong.
She had only exposed the cracks that were already there.
“Mom?””
Harrison’s voice pulled me back.
I looked at him.
For the first time all night, I didn’t see a child.
I saw a man carrying years of secrets.
A man who had made mistakes.
A man who was finally standing in the truth.
“What did Uncle Robert say?””
I took a breath.
“He said Daniel left a final message.””
Harrison’s face changed.
“What kind of message?””
“I don’t know.””
“Where is it?””
“I don’t know.””
His frustration showed immediately.
“Mom—”
“No.””
I raised my hand.
“Listen.””
Everyone stopped.
“Your father spent his entire life trying to protect this family.””
I looked at the house.
“At some point, we have to stop protecting the people who hurt it.””
Nobody argued.
Not even Sloan.
The woman who had spent years making excuses was finally silent.
“Harrison,” I said.
“Yes?””
“Call your uncle.””
He immediately took out his phone.
The call went straight to voicemail.
Again.
And again.
Nothing.
Then Sloan spoke.
“There’s something I need to tell you.””
Nobody moved.
I looked at her.
“I’m listening.””
She swallowed.
“I lied about one thing.””
I almost smiled.
“One thing?””
She looked ashamed.
“I knew Daniel had the notebook.””
Harrison froze.
“What?””
“I saw it.””
“When?””
“The night he died.””
The words hit the air.
“What did you do with it?””
Sloan shook her head.
“Nothing.””
“Where is it?””
“I don’t know.””
“You saw it.””
“Yes.””
“Then how can you not know?””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Because Ethan took it.””
The name again.
Always Ethan.
“Why?””
“He thought it had information about the accounts.””
“And you let him take it?””
“No.””
“Then stop saying you didn’t know.””
Sloan looked at me.
“I tried to stop him.””
“Did you?””
“Yes.””
“Then what happened?””
She looked down.
“He pushed me.””
Harrison stepped forward.
“He hurt you?””
She nodded.
“He told me if I didn’t help him, he would ruin me.””
For the first time, I saw something different in Sloan.
Not innocence.
Not completely.
But fear.
Real fear.
And I hated that I could feel sympathy for someone who had caused so much damage.
Because that was always my weakness.
I saw broken people and wanted to fix them.
Even when they broke me.
“What happened after Ethan took the notebook?”” I asked.
Sloan wiped her face.
“He left.””
“And Daniel?””
She looked at me.
“I found him.””
The words were almost too quiet to hear.
“Alive?””
She nodded.
“What did he say?””
Her lips trembled.
“He asked me why.””
I closed my eyes.
“Why what?””
“Why I chose money over people who loved me.””
The sentence hurt.
Because Daniel would say that.
He wasn’t someone who cared about possessions.
He cared about loyalty.
Family.
Promises.
“What did you say?””
Sloan looked down.
“I told him I was sorry.””
“And?””
“He said sorry wasn’t enough.””
Nobody spoke.
Because it wasn’t.
An apology doesn’t erase damage.
It doesn’t return stolen time.
It doesn’t bring back trust.
“What happened next?”” Harrison asked.
Sloan looked at him.
“I called 911.””
I frowned.
“You said you found him.””
“Yes.””
“Then why did Harrison arrive before the ambulance?””
“Because he was already coming.””
I looked at Harrison.
He nodded.
“Dad called me before.””
“What did he say?””
Harrison’s eyes filled.
“He said, ‘Come home.’”
That broke something inside me.
Because Daniel had not called for help.
He had called his son.
His family.
The people he loved.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were there?”” I asked Harrison.
He looked down.
“Because Dad made me promise.””
“Another promise.””
“He said you would spend your life trying to forgive everyone.””
The words hurt because they sounded exactly like something Daniel would say.
“And he was right.””
Harrison looked at me.
I shook my head.
“I would have forgiven.””
I looked at Sloan.
“Maybe I would have forgiven her.””
Then I looked at Harrison.
“Maybe I would have forgiven you.””
My voice softened.
“But forgiveness doesn’t mean I should have been denied the truth.””
Harrison nodded.
“I know.””
A sound came from the driveway.
Everyone turned.
A car door closing.
My heart jumped.
Then a man stepped into view.
Older.
Tired.
Terrified.
Robert.
“Harrison.””
My brother looked like he hadn’t slept in days.
“You need to leave.””
Nobody moved.
“What?”” Harrison asked.
Robert looked around.
“At least now I know you all heard enough.””
I stared at him.
“You knew.””
His face fell.
“Yes.””
“You knew Daniel’s death wasn’t simple.””
“Yes.””
“You knew about Sloan.””
“Yes.””
“You knew about Ethan.””
“Yes.””
The answers came too easily.
Like he had carried them for years.
“Why?””
Robert looked at me.
“Because Daniel asked me to protect you.””
I laughed once.
A painful sound.
“Everyone keeps saying that.””
He looked ashamed.
“I failed.””
“Where is the notebook?””
Robert hesitated.
Then reached into his coat.
He pulled out a small black notebook.
My breath caught.
Daniel’s notebook.
The one I thought was gone.
The one everyone had been searching for.
He handed it to me.
“I kept it.””
“Why?””
“Because Daniel told me only you should read it.””
I looked at the notebook.
My hands shook.
“What does it say?””
Robert looked away.
“The truth.””
“That’s not an answer.””
“No.””
He swallowed.
“It’s worse.””
I opened the notebook.
The first pages were ordinary.
Notes.
Numbers.
Dates.
Then I reached the final page.
Daniel’s handwriting.
My heart broke before I even finished reading.
*Lorraine,*
*If you are reading this, then I failed to keep this from becoming your burden.*
**I need you to know something. Sloan was not the person who planned this. She made mistakes.
She hurt people. But Ethan was using her fear to control her.**
*The person who betrayed me was someone I trusted completely.*
My hands trembled.
I turned the page.
There was one more line.
*I was not afraid of losing money. I was afraid of losing my family.*
Then:
*The person helping Ethan was not a stranger. It was someone who knew exactly where to find every piece of our life.*
I looked up.
Everyone was silent.
Robert looked away.
Sloan was crying.
Harrison was pale.
Then I saw something.
A note tucked into the back cover.
A final sentence.
Only five words.
*Ask Brenda about the night.*
My heart stopped.
I looked toward my best friend.
Brenda.
The woman who had stood beside me for thirty years.
The woman who had helped me clean the broken cake.
The woman who had always told me she knew when people were lying.
Slowly…
Everyone turned toward her.
Brenda’s face changed.
Not confusion.
Not shock.
Fear.
“Brenda?”” I whispered.
She took a step back.
“I can explain.””
The words.
The same words.
Again.
My best friend looked at Daniel’s notebook.
Then at me.
And whispered:
“I never wanted you to find out.””
The backyard went silent.
And after everything I had learned that night…
I thought nothing could surprise me anymore.
I was wrong.
May you like
Because the final person who betrayed me…
was the person who had spent three years helping me survive it.
