CHAPTER 42: CHAPTER 42 – LETTERS FROM THE DEAD

🔁 Recap

The house Aaron once called home is no longer his. After James uncovered Aaron’s relationship with his stepmother, Elena, everything came crashing down. James, heartbroken and furious, demanded Aaron leave immediately. Milo, shocked and disgusted, turned his back on his older brother, unsure who he could trust anymore. Elena, torn between the husband she failed and the man she had fallen for, was left to pick up the pieces in silence.

Aaron left with only a bag and guilt heavier than anything he’d ever carried. His only connection to Elena came in the form of a message: "Are you okay?" He didn’t respond, unsure if forgiveness — or even clarity — was possible.

But as Aaron tried to rebuild his life from scratch, Milo discovered something strange hidden in one of Aaron’s old books — a letter Aaron had written to his late mother. The contents were shocking: Aaron didn’t believe his mother died. He believed she vanished — and that Elena was somehow involved.

James was blindsided. Elena had always claimed Aaron’s mother died in an accident. But now, with the discovery of a forged obituary and a letter pointing to long-buried secrets, it’s clear there’s more to her story.

And Aaron? He just met a woman who claims his mother is not only not dead — but was possibly taken.

📖 Main Story

The garage was cold, despite the late morning sun peeking through the window. James stared at the letter like it might catch fire in his hands. The handwriting was unmistakably Aaron’s — rough, inconsistent, scribbled in bursts like someone writing faster than their conscience could keep up.

Milo stood nearby, arms folded, eyes locked on his father. "What does it mean?"

James read the letter again, slower this time.

"If you’re reading this, I probably never had the guts to tell you face to face... but I always knew you didn’t die the way they said. You disappeared. And I think Elena knew why..."

James’s hands trembled. "Your mother. She didn’t just vanish... Elena told me she died in a car crash. She even showed me the obituary."

"Yeah," Milo said, voice low. "But I checked. That obituary? It was for someone else."

James’s heart stopped for half a beat. "What?"

"I reverse-searched the photo from the article. Different woman. Different state. It was fake."

James looked up. "Why would she lie?"

"I don’t know. But Aaron thought she did." Milo leaned against the wall, exhaling. "And if he was right... that changes everything."

In the apartment, Aaron sat at the small kitchenette, stirring cheap coffee with a plastic spoon that had started to bend from the heat. The night hadn’t brought peace, just exhaustion.

The message from Elena still lingered on his screen: "Are you okay?"

He hadn’t replied. Couldn’t. Every time he looked at her name, it felt like guilt and longing were arm-wrestling inside his chest.

There was a knock at the door. Three sharp taps.

Aaron stood, confused. Nico usually texted first, and he didn’t know anyone else in the city. Warily, he opened the door a crack.

A woman stood there. Late thirties. Wavy dark hair. Olive skin. Tired eyes. She wore a tan coat and held a red folder.

"Are you Aaron?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Depends."

She smiled tightly. "I’m Dr. Cassie Rahn. I worked with your mother. Your biological mother."

Aaron’s breath caught. "That’s impossible. She’s—"

"Dead? No. She’s missing. Presumed dead. But that was a lie."

He opened the door fully, stepping aside without a word.

Cassie walked in, her eyes scanning the room with quiet judgment. "She worked for a clinic that treated vulnerable women. Domestic abuse, trafficking, the works. She disappeared two years before you moved in with James."

Aaron sank into the chair. "Why are you here now?"

"Because I saw your name in a report this morning," she said. "It triggered a flag. Your mother left a sealed letter with me in case anything ever happened to her... or if you started asking questions."

She handed him the folder.

Inside was a single page. Handwritten. Familiar.

His mother’s writing.

"If you’ve found this, I’m likely gone. Not by choice. I uncovered something... something involving Elena. She wasn’t just part of our family. She was part of the reason it broke. If she’s still near you, be careful. She doesn’t just lie. She erases."

Aaron’s hand shook.

He couldn’t breathe.

Aaron sat in silence long after Dr. Cassie Rahn left. The air in the apartment had turned thick, oppressive, like it was holding its breath along with him.

His hands trembled as he held the letter. His mother’s handwriting was as vivid as he remembered—looped L’s, hurried punctuation, always leaving extra space at the bottom of the page like she expected to add more. She never did.

He read the note again.

"...If she’s still near you, be careful. She doesn’t just lie. She erases."

That line gnawed at his stomach like acid. Elena — the woman he had kissed, touched, loved — had been near him for years. She wasn’t just a maternal figure. She had become the sun in his warped orbit. Had she been lying the entire time?

Was any of it real?

He opened his contacts and hovered over her name. Still no response to his last message. Not even a read receipt.

Maybe she was protecting him.

Maybe she had been using him.

Maybe, horrifyingly... both were true.

He stood abruptly, knocking over the stool he was sitting on. The letter fluttered to the floor.

He couldn’t stay in that room. Not one more second.

He needed answers.

Aaron found himself outside, walking without a destination. His boots slapped the wet concrete, his hoodie soaked from a light drizzle. Neon signs buzzed overhead in the gray daylight, blinking over laundromats, pawn shops, and silent diners where no one made eye contact.

He walked to clear his head but only managed to stir the mud deeper.

The years spun backward in his mind like film in rewind — flashes of Elena teaching him how to cook, pressing a hand to his fevered forehead, laughing at his awful impressions of James, sneaking him extra cash for school trips.

Was that love?

Or control?

And then there were the nights.

The night she touched his hand across the kitchen table. The night they shared wine and confessions. The night she kissed him first — because he knew now, she did.

He’d always thought it was him who initiated everything.

But what if she’d been guiding him the entire time?

His phone buzzed.

This time, it wasn’t Elena.

It was Milo.

"Call me. Found something else. Urgent."

Aaron blinked. Milo hadn’t spoken to him since the fallout. He almost didn’t believe it. Was it a trap?

His thumb hovered.

He tapped "Call."

Milo answered on the first ring. His voice was sharp. Anxious. "You still have that letter from Mom?"

Aaron hesitated. "Yeah. Why?"

"There’s more. I found another one. In Dad’s old tax files, of all places. Looks like she wrote two—one for you, one for him."

"What does it say?"

"It mentions someone named Grayson. Elena used to work for him. Dad doesn’t know the name, but I Googled it. Dude’s a real estate mogul from back in the day. But there are rumors... like dark stuff. Abuse settlements. Missing assistants. The works."

Aaron’s stomach twisted. "Why would Mom mention him?"

"Because she said Elena was with him. And she was afraid for her life."

Aaron leaned against the side of a bodega. His pulse thundered in his ears. "So you’re telling me Elena didn’t just break up our family... she helped destroy it?"

"I don’t know yet," Milo said. "But I think it’s time you came back. Just for one day. Just to read it yourself."

Aaron hung up.

For the first time in days, he didn’t feel powerless.

He felt angry.

Back at the house, Elena stood in the backyard, staring at the burned remnants of the fire pit. She used to find peace here — with a glass of wine, her husband nearby, laughter echoing from the boys.

Now it felt like a crime scene.

James walked out, letter in hand.

"I found this," he said, voice flat.

Elena didn’t look. "Then you know."

"I don’t know anything. I only have a hundred new questions."

She finally turned. "And you came here to accuse me?"

"No," James said. "I came here to ask you. Because if you lie to me again, I’ll never believe another word."

She closed her eyes, then opened them slowly. "I knew Aaron’s mother. Before you. Before Milo. She was a patient. She was being watched. She asked for help... and I couldn’t give it. I didn’t think it would cost her life."

"You faked her death?"

"No. But I let someone else do it. Because it made things easier."

James stared at her like he didn’t recognize her.

Because in that moment, he didn’t.

🔮 Preview – Chapter 43: The Woman Who Disappeared

Aaron has the letter. Elena’s lies are finally unraveling. But the truth doesn’t bring peace — it brings danger.

As Aaron investigates what really happened to his mother, he discovers a connection between Elena and a powerful man from her past... someone who made women disappear like smoke. And now that Aaron’s digging?

He might be next.

📣 Author’s Note & CTA

This is no longer just about a forbidden relationship. It’s about truth, lies, and survival.

Aaron’s life was built on a lie. Elena might not just be a woman who broke hearts — she might be a woman who buried someone else’s life.

💬 What do you think?

Can Aaron forgive Elena if she’s tied to his mother’s disappearance?

Do you think James will let Elena stay?

Is Milo the key to uncovering the truth?

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We’re in the thick of it now. No turning back.