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A month later, we placed a memorial marker where the accident had happened. After that, I avoided that road completely—until recently.
She stood beside my bed, clutching her old teddy bear, trembling.
“Lucy? What’s wrong?” I asked.
She handed me a folded piece of paper.
At first, I thought she might be imagining things—she had been asking more questions about her father and brothers lately, and it was hard for me to talk about it.
When I unfolded the note and saw Ben’s handwriting, my hands started shaking.
I read it again and again, my heart racing.
She glanced behind me, and I followed her gaze.
Aaron was asleep in my bed.
That night, I didn’t sleep at all.
By morning, I knew what I had to do.
The drive to the cabin felt longer than ever. When I passed the memorial cross, my chest tightened painfully.
The air was stale, the furniture untouched—but something felt off.
There wasn’t enough dust.
Someone had been there.
My stomach dropped.
I pulled back the rug and noticed a loose floorboard. When I lifted it, I found a hidden compartment containing a recording device sealed in a plastic bag.
My hands shook as I turned it on.
Then Ben’s voice filled the room.
“If you’re hearing this, something went wrong. I didn’t want to bring this up at home, not around the kids. Aaron is in serious trouble… worse than he admits. I discovered he altered a case report last year. If it comes out, his career is finished… maybe more.”
At first, I didn’t understand what this had to do with Ben’s death.
Then his voice continued, strained with fear:
“I told him if he didn’t come clean, I would report it. I think… that was a mistake.”
The recording ended.
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