Chapter 3 – The Letter Hidden Beneath the Headstone
Emily hesitated before speaking again.
"There's something else."
She carefully reached beneath the bouquet resting beside the gravestone.
Hidden under a loose stone was a waterproof envelope.
"He buried this here weeks before the accident."
The grieving mother stared.
"My son came here before he died?"
Emily nodded.
"He said if anything ever happened to him... I should bring this to you."
With shaking hands, the mother opened the envelope.
Inside was a handwritten letter.
"Mom,"
"If you're reading this, then I wasn't able to protect the two people I love most."
"Please don't blame Emily. I kept her secret because I was trying to protect both of you."
"Someone has been threatening me for months."
"I discovered financial fraud inside the company where I worked. Powerful people wanted me to stay quiet."
"If I exposed them, they promised my family would suffer."
"That's why I never introduced Emily or our baby."
"I thought keeping them hidden would keep them alive."
The mother's tears blurred every word.
Emily quietly added,
"The police ruled his death an accident."
She paused.
May you like
"But he told me... if anything happened to him, it probably wouldn't be."
The cemetery suddenly felt colder than ever.
