Chapter 14 - THE MEETING
The next morning I drove to the ruins of the old house. It stood on the edge of town, blackened and silent, overgrown with weeds.
I carried the music box in my hands.
Vanessa was already there. She stood in the center of what had once been the living room, staring at the empty space where everything had burned.
She turned when she heard me approach.
"You came alone."
"I keep my word."
I held out the music box. She reached for it eagerly, her hands trembling. She opened it, running her fingers over the velvet lining.
"She promised me this," Vanessa whispered. "She promised I would always have it."
"Why did she give it to Mia instead?"
"Because she was afraid I would come for it. Afraid I would find the letter." Vanessa looked up at me, her eyes bright with tears. "You think I am a monster. But I loved her first. I loved her when no one else did."
"Love does not hurt people. Love does not destroy."
"You do not understand the love we shared."
"I understand obsession. And yours nearly destroyed everyone."
Vanessa stood up slowly. She closed the music box and held it against her chest.
"I will leave," she said quietly. "I will go far away. And I will not return."
"Good."
"But before I go… there is one thing you should know."
She stepped closer.
"Grace did not die of poisoning. Not the way you think. I gave her medicine
that helped her. It eased the pain. That was all I did."
My blood ran cold.
"You gave her something that killed her."
"I gave her what she asked for! She was suffering! She could not bear another day! She begged me to help her end it!" Vanessa’s voice cracked. "Grace chose her own end. I only stayed with her while she did it. And then I stayed to protect you. To protect Mia."
I stared at her, stunned.
"That is a lie."
"Ask Clara. Ask anyone who knew her at the end. Grace was in agony. She told me she would not let her daughter watch her waste away." Vanessa wiped tears from her face. "I kept her secret. I carried the guilt. And I stayed because I thought… if I could be close enough… maybe one day Grace would come back to me."
"You hurt Mia. You cut her hair. You lied."
"I was jealous! I looked at her and I saw Grace! And I hated her for taking the woman I loved away from me!" Vanessa stepped back, clutching the music box. "I am leaving. I will never trouble you again. But remember this—Grace chose her own path. And she chose me to stand beside her at the end."
She turned and walked away. She did not look back. She climbed into a car parked at the edge of the road and vanished down the lane, taking the music box and the heaviest secret of all with her.
May you like
I stood among the blackened walls long after she was gone. Had Grace really asked for it? Had she chosen to end her pain rather than let us watch her suffer? And had she chosen Vanessa to help her do it?
I did not know. And perhaps I would never know. But one thing was certain—Vanessa was gone. And she had taken the truth with her.
