And somehow…
that silence was louder than any confession.
Then something unexpected happened.
A phone rang.
Everyone looked around.
It was Derek’s phone.
He ignored it.
It rang again.
And again.
Finally, Allison stepped forward.
“Answer it.”
Derek glared at her.
“Mind your own business.”
She smiled sadly.
“No.”
“Your wife’s life became everyone’s business the moment you dragged her across this yard.”
The phone rang again.
Derek looked at the screen.
And his face completely changed.
Because the caller wasn’t a friend.
It wasn’t family.
It was someone from his past.
Someone who could destroy everything.
He answered.
“Hello?”
A few seconds passed.
Then his expression turned to fear.
“What?”
Silence.
“What do you mean you found it?”
Everyone watched him.
Then I heard the sentence that made my blood run cold.
“Derek…”
The voice on the phone was loud enough for some people nearby to hear.
“We found the original accident report.”
My heart stopped.
The person continued:
“The one you paid someone to hide.”
Derek dropped his phone.
For the first time…
the man who had spent years making me feel powerless…
looked powerless himself.
Allison looked at me.
“There’s more.”
I stared at her.
“What?”
She took a deep breath.
“The accident wasn’t just about hurting you.”
“Derek needed you unable to speak.”
“Because you found something.”
My mind raced.
“What did I find?”
Allison looked toward the house.
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