TRUTH IN THE LIGHT
It was on every news channel.
"WOMAN ARRESTED FOR DECADES-LONG FRAUD RING. Real Name: Anna Grace Holloway."
Emma watched the screen in numb silence as journalists dissected her mother's face like it was a crime scene.
"Known in Ravenshade as Grace Clarke, philanthropist and socialite," the anchor said. "But behind the image was a history of lies, stolen identities, and mysterious disappearances dating back to the 1980s."
The clip cut to Emma, blurry and hunched in a hoodie, being swarmed by reporters outside the courthouse.
She muted the TV.
She hadn't asked for this.
But now she couldn't look away.
⸻
The First Meeting with the Prosecutors
Caroline Dorsey sat beside her in a quiet government office, leafing through the thick case file.
"You're the key, Emma," Caroline said. "Your testimony, combined with Marianne's, connects all the dots. We can establish a pattern—identity theft, manipulation, financial fraud."
Emma looked at her hands. "But what if she spins it?"
Caroline smiled grimly. "She will. She'll say she was protecting herself. That she was escaping abuse. That everything was consensual."
Emma sighed. "What if some of it was true?"
Caroline paused. "Then the jury will decide. But no truth excuses what she did to you. Or to Marianne. Or to Daniel."
Emma nodded slowly.
She would testify.
Even if it meant tearing down the last illusions of her childhood.
⸻
Daniel Returns
That evening, Emma stood outside her flat, phone in hand, unsure whether to press "call."
She hadn't seen him since the quarry confrontation. Since she'd told him she needed space.
Before she could decide, headlights appeared at the end of the street.
Daniel.
He stepped out of the car, same coat, same quiet sadness in his eyes.
"I heard," he said softly. "The news. Your mum—Grace—she's… wow."
Emma nodded. "She always said I was too curious for my own good."
"I guess curiosity saved your life."
Emma gave a sad smile. "It didn't save hers."
Daniel paused. "You okay?"
"No," she said honestly. "But I'm getting okay."
He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out something small: the old matchbook from Lindale.
"You dropped this," he said. "Back at the inn."
Emma took it with trembling hands.
"Thank you," she whispered.
⸻
Letters from Prison
Two days later, Emma received a letter. No return address. Just her name in a careful, familiar hand.
Inside:
Emma,
You think you know who I am now. You think truth is so clean.
But truth bends in the hands of people like us.
I made you strong.
I made you ruthless.
You'll need that when this town turns its back on you—because they will. They loved the version of me you destroyed.
I was a mother. I did my best with what I had.
Forgiveness is power.
Use it or lose it.
– Grace
Emma read it twice, then tore it in half.
She didn't need her mother's words anymore.
⸻
Final Scene – Marianne Prepares to Speak
At a quiet witness prep session in Caroline's office, Marianne sat opposite Emma.
She looked nervous, older under the fluorescent lights, but steady.
"I never imagined I'd be sitting in a courtroom again," Marianne said.
Emma nodded. "I don't think Grace ever imagined we'd fight back."
Marianne smiled, tight but sincere. "Then let's surprise her again."
They were no longer victims.
They were testifying.
And the world would finally learn:
Who Grace Clarke really was—
And who Emma refused to become.