Part 8: The Ally Who Was Never an Ally
Part 8: The Ally Who Was Never an Ally
The name stayed on the screen.
Lauren.
Elena couldn’t move.
Couldn’t breathe.
Couldn’t even process what she was seeing.
The woman who answered every call.
The woman who believed her.
The woman who told her she was brave when everyone else treated her like she was just a poor girl looking for a paycheck.
Lauren.
Her closest ally.
Her protector.
The person who helped her enter the Hawthorne estate.
The person who knew everything.
“Claire…”
Sophia’s voice pulled her back.
Elena blinked.
“She’s wrong.”
But even as she said it...
She knew.
The words sounded like a desperate hope.
Not a fact.
Evelyn looked at the screen.
Her face was pale.
“You know her?”
Elena swallowed.
“Yes.”
“How?”
“She helped me get this job.”
Silence.
Evelyn stared at her.
Then the pieces began connecting.
“The nanny position…”
She whispered.
“It wasn’t random.”
Elena looked at her.
“What?”
Evelyn pointed at the screen.
“Daniel’s file.”
The folder.
The application.
The timing.
Everything.
“You were sent here.”
Elena shook her head.
“No.”
But her voice lacked confidence.
“I found the advertisement myself.”
Sophia looked at the documents.
“Did you?”
Elena froze.
Because suddenly she remembered.
The advertisement.
The one that appeared on her computer.
The one with the unusually high salary.
The one she applied for.
She had never questioned it.
She was too desperate.
Too focused on saving her family.
But now…
Who had placed it?
Who made sure she saw it?
Her stomach dropped.
Elena called Lauren.
No answer.
Again.
No answer.
The third time...
Straight to voicemail.
That was when fear became reality.
Because Lauren always answered.
Always.
She opened their old messages.
The last conversation.
Lauren:
Trust me. This job will change your life.
At the time, Elena thought she meant financially.
Now...
The sentence felt different.
“Find her.”
Evelyn’s voice was firm.
Elena looked at her.
“You’re giving orders again?”
The older woman stopped.
Then lowered her eyes.
“You’re right.”
A pause.
“I spent years controlling everyone around me.”
She looked toward Noah.
“I thought it was protection.”
Her voice broke.
“But I was wrong.”
Elena said nothing.
Because forgiveness was complicated.
And trust was even harder.
But right now, they had a bigger problem.
Lauren was missing.
They searched everything.
Lauren’s office.
Her apartment.
Her records.
Nothing.
It was like she disappeared.
The woman who knew everyone’s secrets had vanished.
Then the investigator found something.
A payment.
A transfer from a private account.
Sent to Lauren.
Elena stared at the amount.
A number so large it made her sick.
“Who sent it?”
The investigator hesitated.
“That’s the problem.”
“What?”
“The account belongs to a company registered overseas.”
“Whose company?”
He looked at her.
“Unknown.”
A pause.
“But the company was created eight years ago.”
“Before Daniel died?”
“Yes.”
Elena looked at Sophia.
Then Evelyn.
Eight years.
This was bigger than Richard.
Bigger than the accident.
Bigger than the mansion.
That night, Elena couldn’t sleep.
She walked through the house.
The same halls that terrified her weeks ago.
Now they felt different.
Not safe.
But familiar.
She stopped outside the nursery.
The door was open.
No lock.
No secrets.
Noah was asleep.
Sophia sat beside him.
Watching.
“You should sleep.”
Sophia looked up.
“Neither should you.”
Elena smiled sadly.
“No.”
A pause.
“I keep thinking about Lauren.”
Sophia understood.
“She hurt you.”
“I don’t know that yet.”
Sophia looked surprised.
“After everything?”
Elena looked at Noah.
“I learned something.”
“What?”
“People can be both things.”
Sophia waited.
“People can do terrible things and still believe they’re doing the right thing.”
Sophia looked away.
Because she knew.
She had been one of those people.
At 3:17 a.m., Elena’s phone rang.
Unknown number.
She answered.
“Hello?”
Silence.
Then:
“Don’t trust Evelyn.”
Elena froze.
The voice was distorted.
“Who is this?”
No answer.
Only:
“She is closer to the truth than anyone.”
Elena stood.
“What does that mean?”
The caller continued:
“Ask her what happened the night Daniel died.”
Then the call ended.
Elena walked downstairs.
Straight to Evelyn’s room.
The older woman was awake.
Sitting in the dark.
Like she expected Elena.
“You heard.”
It wasn’t a question.
Elena stopped.
“Who called?”
Evelyn didn’t answer.
Instead:
“What did they tell you?”
Elena stared.
“That you’re hiding something about Daniel’s death.”
Evelyn closed her eyes.
For several seconds.
Then she said:
“They’re right.”
Elena’s heart sank.
“What?”
Evelyn looked at her.
“I lied.”
The words were quiet.
But they felt heavier than anything else.
“What did you lie about?”
Evelyn’s eyes filled.
“The night Daniel died…”
A pause.
“I was there.”
Elena froze.
“You said you weren’t.”
“I know.”
“Why?”
Evelyn looked broken.
“Because if I told the truth…”
She whispered:
“Everyone would believe I helped kill my own son.”
The room went silent.
Elena stepped closer.
“Did you?”
Evelyn looked up.
“No.”
Her voice cracked.
“But I could have stopped it.”
That was worse.
Somehow worse.
“What happened?”
Evelyn looked toward the window.
“I saw Daniel arguing with Richard.”
A pause.
“They were fighting.”
“About what?”
“The evidence.”
Elena listened.
“Daniel wanted to go to the police.”
Evelyn nodded.
“And Richard threatened him.”
A tear fell.
“I left them alone.”
Elena stared.
“You left?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Evelyn’s voice broke.
“Because I thought they would calm down.”
Silence.
“But when I came back…”
She couldn’t finish.
Elena already knew.
Daniel was dead.
Then Evelyn said something that changed everything.
“Before he died, Daniel called someone.”
Elena looked at her.
“Who?”
Evelyn hesitated.
Then:
“You.”
The room went still.
Elena stepped back.
“That’s impossible.”
“I didn’t know it was you.”
Evelyn reached for a drawer.
She pulled out an old phone.
“Richard destroyed most of the evidence.”
She handed it to Elena.
“But he missed this.”
Elena looked at the phone.
An old recording.
A voicemail.
From two years ago.
A call from Daniel.
To Elena.
Before she even knew him.
Her hands trembled as she pressed play.
Static.
Then Daniel’s weak voice.
“Hello?”
A pause.
“I don’t know who will hear this…”
His breathing was heavy.
“But if this reaches Elena Reyes…”
Elena’s blood froze.
Daniel continued:
“Please believe me.”
A pause.
“I didn’t choose you because you’re powerful.”
His voice cracked.
“I chose you because you’re the only person I found who still believes people can be saved.”
The recording ended.
Nobody spoke.
Because now Elena understood.
She was never an accident.
She was part of Daniel’s plan from the beginning.
But one question remained.
Why?
Why did Lauren help?
Why hide the truth?
And why was she suddenly running?
Then Elena’s phone buzzed.
A new message.
From Lauren.
May you like
Only four words.
Meet me alone. Come now.
