Echoes

Chapter 28

The dining room buzzed with the warmth of Thanksgiving, but beneath the surface, tension simmered. Emily's mother, Elizabeth, sat at one end of the table, her sharp eyes scrutinizing everything. Sean's parents, in contrast, were warm and inviting, chatting easily with their son.

"This is just wonderful, Emily," Sean's mother said, taking another bite of turkey. "You've made this holiday so special."

"Thank you," Emily replied, forcing a smile. But her thoughts were elsewhere, swirling around the unease she couldn't quite shake.

Elizabeth leaned forward, her eyes narrowing slightly. "So, Sean, what exactly do you do for a living? You've mentioned your private practice, but what did you do before?"

Sean's parents exchanged a quick, almost imperceptible glance. "He's always been dedicated to his work," his father started, but Elizabeth wasn't satisfied.

"Yes, but what was it?" she pressed, her tone cool. "Emily deserves to know."

Sean stiffened, a hint of discomfort flashing across his face. Before he could respond, his mother quickly added, "It was in a different field, something he's put behind him now."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. Emily's heart pounded as she watched the exchange, suspicion gnawing at her. She could feel the walls closing in around her, the same feeling she'd had when Charlie's words echoed in her mind at the grocery store.

But then, Sean stood abruptly, cutting through the tension with a broad smile. "Actually, there's something we'd like to share with everyone."

The room fell silent, all eyes on him.

Sean reached for Emily's hand, pulling her to her feet beside him. "Emily and I have an announcement... we're getting married!"

A chorus of congratulations erupted around the table. Sean's parents beamed with pride, and even Elizabeth managed a stiff smile as she offered her congratulations.

"That's wonderful news," Elizabeth said, though her tone lacked warmth. She reached over to give Emily a pat on the hand, but it felt more like a formality than genuine affection.

As the excitement spread, Emily forced herself to smile, but her mind was elsewhere. The happiness in the room felt distant, like it was happening to someone else. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was still off, especially with Sean's evasiveness about his past. The unanswered questions lingered, casting a shadow over the joy of their engagement.

While everyone else was celebrating, Emily's suspicion deepened, the unease growing stronger. She wondered again what Sean was hiding, and why his parents seemed so eager to deflect any probing questions.
Emily tossed and turned in bed, unable to quiet her thoughts. The house was still, with Sean sound asleep beside her, but her mind was racing. She couldn't shake the suspicion that had been eating away at her since dinner. Sean's evasiveness about his past, the way he had steered the conversation away from his previous work... it all felt wrong.

Finally, she slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Sean, and made her way to his office. The door creaked as she pushed it open, and she paused, listening for any sign that Sean had stirred. When she heard nothing, she stepped inside, closing the door behind her.

The room was neat, almost too neat, with everything in its place. She approached the desk, her heart pounding in her chest. She pulled open the top drawer and started sifting through the papers, finding nothing out of the ordinary at first—just documents related to his current practice. But then, her fingers brushed against something solid, tucked away at the very back of the drawer.

She pulled it out—a leather badge case, eerily familiar. Her breath caught in her throat as she flipped it open, revealing a badge identical to the one Charlie had carried. She remembered burning Charlie's badge after Jason's death, watching the leather casing turn to ashes, the metal sinking to the bottom of the lake. But here it was, another badge, identical, yet it couldn't be the same.

Panic surged through her as she shoved the badge aside and continued digging through the drawer. Her hands shook as she pulled out a file folder, thick with papers. She opened it, and her blood ran cold. Inside were notes, detailed and precise, written in Sean's handwriting.

They were profiles—of Evan King and Jensen King. She flipped through the pages, her heart thudding painfully in her chest. The photographs attached to the profiles were unmistakable: Evan King was Charlie, and Jensen King was Jason. Her stomach dropped as she realized the truth—Sean had known who they were all along.

"Emily."

She jumped, the folder slipping from her fingers and scattering papers across the floor. She turned to see Sean standing in the doorway, his expression unreadable.

"I—I didn't mean to—" she stammered, her voice barely a whisper.

"It's okay," Sean said softly, stepping into the room. He crouched down, gathering the scattered papers. "You were going to find out eventually."

"What is this?" she asked, her voice shaking as she pointed at the file. "Why do you have this?"

Sean sighed, setting the papers back on the desk. "Jason called me. He never left the case, even after Evan—I mean, Charlie's—passing. Things were getting hot up there, and he wanted to protect you. So he sent you here."

Emily's mind raced, trying to make sense of everything. "But why didn't you tell me? Why keep this a secret?"

Sean looked at her, his eyes filled with a mixture of regret and something else she couldn't quite place. "Because I didn't want to drag you back into that world. I didn't want you to go through more pain. I wanted to protect you, Emily, even if it meant lying to you."

She backed away, her mind spinning. "Protect me? You've been lying to me this whole time?"

"Emily, I—" He reached out, but she stepped back further, shaking her head.

"I can't—I can't do this right now," she whispered, feeling the walls closing in around her. She turned and fled the room, leaving Sean standing alone, the truth hanging heavy between them.