Chapter 4: The Envelope That Should Never Have Existed
Darius stared at the envelope in Evelyn's trembling hands.
For several seconds, he couldn't bring himself to take it.
His late wife's name was written across the front in familiar handwriting.
*Renee Mitchell.*
He recognized the handwriting immediately.
It was the same handwriting that appeared on birthday cards, grocery lists, and the little notes Renee used to leave inside his briefcase.
But Renee had been dead for two years.
“Where did you find this?”” Darius asked.
Evelyn looked toward Brittany.
“In the bottom drawer of her dressing room, sir. Beneath a stack of old photographs.””
Brittany stepped forward.
“Give that to me.””
Darius raised one hand.
“Don't move.””
“Darius, that envelope is private.””
He looked at her.
“My dead wife's name is on it. Explain how something belonging to her ended up in your drawer.””
Brittany's jaw tightened.
“It doesn't belong to her.””
“Then why is her name on it?””
“Because I put it there.””
The admission silenced everyone.
Darius slowly turned the envelope over.
The flap had been opened and resealed.
Someone had written a date beneath Renee's name.
October 14.
Darius recognized that date too.
It was the day Renee had been admitted to the hospital for the final time.
His fingers began trembling.
“What's inside?””
Brittany crossed her arms.
“Nothing important.””
Evelyn shook her head.
“Sir, I think you should read it.””
Darius carefully opened the envelope.
Inside were three folded sheets of paper, an old photograph, and a small silver key.
He removed the photograph first.
It showed Renee standing outside the Mitchell family home, holding a newborn Kayla.
But something was different.
Standing beside her was Brittany.
Darius frowned.
He looked closer.
The photograph appeared to have been taken years before he had met Brittany.
He turned it over.
A handwritten message appeared on the back.
You promised you would never come near my daughter again.
Darius felt the room tilt.
He looked at Brittany.
“What is this?””
For the first time, she had no immediate answer.
Evelyn stepped closer.
“Sir, I didn't know what the photograph meant. I only recognized Mrs. Mitchell.””
Darius unfolded the first sheet.
The handwriting was Renee's.
His eyes moved across the page.
If you're reading this, something has happened that I desperately hoped would never happen. I need you to understand that Brittany Collins is not a stranger to our family.
Darius stopped.
He read the sentence again.
Then he continued.
She knew about Kayla long before you met her. She knew about me. And she knew things about our family that I never wanted her to know.
Darius looked up.
“Brittany?””
She stared at the floor.
“Keep reading,” she muttered.
He looked back at the letter.
I once trusted her. I made the mistake of believing that she cared about me. But when I discovered what she had done, I ended our friendship. I thought she had disappeared from our lives for good.
Darius swallowed.
“An old friend?””
Brittany remained silent.
He continued reading.
Darius, if she ever comes back into our lives, please don't dismiss what I'm telling you. She has a way of making people believe that she is the victim. She will smile, apologize, and make you feel guilty for questioning her.
The paper shook in his hand.
Most importantly, protect Kayla.
Darius lowered the letter.
His eyes were burning.
“What did you do to Renee?””
Brittany looked up.
“Nothing.””
“Then explain this!””
“She was confused.””
Darius stared at her.
“My wife wrote this before she died.””
“Renee was sick, Darius. You know that.””
“Don't use her illness to explain away her words.””
Brittany's face hardened.
“She always hated me.””
Evelyn spoke quietly.
“Perhaps she had a reason.””
Brittany spun around.
“Shut up!””
Darius lifted the second sheet.
It was a printed document.
A hospital visitor log.
The date was October 14.
The day Renee had been admitted.
Darius scanned the names.
Then he saw it.
Brittany Collins.
His stomach dropped.
“You visited Renee?””
Brittany said nothing.
“You visited my wife while she was dying?””
“I wanted to talk to her.””
“About what?””
“It's none of your business.””
Darius laughed bitterly.
“My wife was dying, and you thought it was appropriate to visit her without telling me?””
Brittany's eyes flashed.
“She asked to see me.””
Evelyn covered her mouth.
Darius stared at her.
“What?””
Brittany looked away.
“She wanted to settle something before she died.””
“What did she want to settle?””
Brittany's lips parted.
But before she could answer, Darius noticed a line near the bottom of the document.
It was a handwritten note.
Visitor requested to discuss a matter concerning the child's guardianship.
Darius looked at the paper again.
Then he looked at Brittany.
“Guardianship?””
The memory came back suddenly.
Two years earlier, Darius had been sitting beside Renee's hospital bed.
Her skin had become pale.
Her voice was weak.
Yet she had insisted on speaking about Kayla.
“Promise me something,” she had whispered.
Darius had taken her hand.
“Anything.””
“Don't let anyone make Kayla feel like she has to earn love.””
He had kissed her fingers.
“She'll never have to.””
Renee had looked toward the window.
“And if someone tries to take her away from you, fight for her.””
Darius had assumed Renee was frightened.
He had promised her.
He had never imagined that her warning would become so painfully relevant.
Now, standing in his own hallway, he looked at Brittany.
“Did you try to get custody of my daughter?””
Brittany immediately shook her head.
“No.””
“Then what does this mean?””
“It's an old document.””
“Answer me!””
She flinched.
“I wanted to be included in decisions concerning Kayla.””
“You hadn't even met me!””
Brittany's expression changed.
Darius noticed.
“You knew who I was before we met, didn't you?””
She didn't answer.
He took a step closer.
“How long have you known about me?””
Brittany looked toward the front door.
“I don't have to stand here and be interrogated.””
“You do when you have my wife's private documents hidden in your room.””
He held up the photograph.
“Why were you standing beside Renee?””
Brittany finally spoke.
“Because we were friends.””
“Renee said you betrayed her.””
“She was angry.””
“What happened?””
Brittany pressed her lips together.
Then she said something that made Evelyn take a step backward.
“Ask your wife why she stopped trusting me.””
Darius's expression went cold.
“She's dead, Brittany.””
“And maybe that's why she never got to tell you the whole story.””
A phone vibrated.
Darius glanced down.
His attorney had arrived at the front entrance.
He ignored the call.
Instead, he opened the third sheet.
Unlike the first letter, this one was not handwritten.
It was a copy of a legal agreement.
At the top were the words:
*TEMPORARY CARE AND GUARDIANSHIP ARRANGEMENT.*
Darius read the first paragraph.
Then the second.
His breathing changed.
The document appeared to concern Kayla's care in the event that Renee became unable to look after her.
But there was something strange.
A name appeared under the proposed temporary guardian section.
Brittany Collins.
Darius looked up.
“You were supposed to become Kayla's guardian?””
Brittany shook her head quickly.
“That was never finalized.””
“Why?””
“Because Renee changed her mind.””
“Why would she choose you in the first place?””
Brittany's expression hardened.
“Because she trusted me once.””
Darius looked at the photograph again.
A terrible possibility began forming in his mind.
He turned toward Evelyn.
“Is there anything else?””
Evelyn nodded.
“Something else was inside the drawer.””
“What?””
“A small black notebook. I didn't bring it downstairs because I wasn't sure whether it belonged to Brittany.””
Brittany suddenly moved.
“Where is it?””
Evelyn stepped backward.
Darius looked at her.
“You know about the notebook?””
Brittany's face went pale.
“It's personal.””
Darius handed the envelope to Evelyn.
“Go get it.””
Brittany lunged forward.
“No!””
Darius caught her arm.
“Don't you dare.””
Evelyn hurried upstairs.
Brittany watched her disappear.
Then she turned toward Darius.
“You have no idea what you're getting yourself into.””
He released her arm.
“I think I'm beginning to understand.””
A moment later, Evelyn returned.
She held a small black notebook.
Darius opened it.
The first page contained a date.
And beneath it, a sentence written in Renee's handwriting.
The day Brittany came to see Kayla without telling me.
Darius slowly turned the page.
There were several entries.
But one sentence made his blood run cold.
Brittany says she has a right to my daughter because of what happened before Kayla was born.
He looked up.
“Brittany…”
She was already backing away.
“What happened before Kayla was born?””
May you like
Brittany stared at him.
And for the first time, she looked genuinely afraid of the answer.
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