Chapter 1
The dining room was completely silent,
and nobody dared to move a muscle.
Rowan stood firmly by the wooden table,
and his eyes were filled with pure anger.
Elise stared at the gray folder,
and her face turned a sickly shade of white.
My father opened his mouth to speak,
but no sound came out of his throat.
My mother stared at the spilled coffee,
and her hands were shaking uncontrollably.
Rowan placed his hand on the paper,
and he looked directly at my sister.
He said her name in a soft voice,
and the sound was as cold as winter ice.
Elise tried to force a fake smile,
but her lips were trembling too much.
The gray folder sat in the center,
and it held all the terrible secrets.
The unknown woman waited by the door,
and she did not blink or look away.
I sat on the hard dining room floor,
and my broken hip was burning with pain.
Rowan knelt down gently beside me,
and he touched my shoulder with care.
He asked if I was feeling okay,
and I nodded my head very slowly.
He helped me sit up straight,
and he handed me my wooden cane.
The walker was still lying on the floor,
and Elise was staring at it in horror.
My grandmother crossed the large room,
and she stood right next to Rowan.
She looked at my father with disgust,
and her face was full of deep disappointment.
The white roses looked completely dead,
and the coffee continued to drip down.
Rowan opened the thick gray folder,
and he pulled out a glossy photograph.
It was a picture of a damaged car,
and the car was painted dark green.
The front bumper was completely shattered,
and the right headlight was missing entirely.
Elise gasped for air in the quiet room,
and she grabbed the edge of the table.
My father stood up quickly from his chair,
and he pointed his finger angrily at Rowan.
He told Rowan to leave the house immediately,
and he said this was a private family dinner.
Rowan did not move a single inch,
and he did not lower his steady voice.
He said the police were already on their way,
and he said the detectives knew absolutely everything.
My mother let out a loud and painful cry,
and she covered her pale face with her hands.
The dark truth was finally out in the open,
and the web of lies was falling apart.
I looked at the photograph of the broken car,
and I remembered that terrible rainy night.
I remembered the blinding bright light,
and I remembered the sound of breaking plastic.
I remembered the feeling of the wet road,
and I remembered the metallic taste of blood.
The driver had left me there to die alone,
and the driver was my own flesh and blood.
My body ran completely cold with fear,
and my heart pounded wildly in my chest.
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Rowan held my hand very tightly,
and he told me I was finally safe now.
