Noah Kept Saying Someone Had Been Inside His Room — Then Ethan Played the Security Recording and Rachel Recognized Him
Chapter 9 — Rachel Finally Calls Lucas Her Brother
The new evidence could not rewrite every official conclusion from twelve years earlier.
The fire scene was long gone.
Samuel was gone.
Some records had disappeared.
But the documents changed one thing completely.
There was no reasonable basis for the family to keep blaming Lucas.
Rachel asked him to come to the house.
He hesitated.
“Does Noah want me there?”
Rachel appreciated that he asked.
“Only if you apologize to him first.”
Lucas nodded.
When he arrived, Noah remained close to Ethan.
Lucas crouched several feet away.
“I’m sorry I came into your room.”
Noah watched him.
“You scared me.”
“I know.”
“You said you were my uncle.”
Lucas glanced toward Rachel.
“I am.”
Noah looked at his mother.
“Why didn’t I know?”
Rachel sat beside him.
“Because I was angry with him for a long time.”
“Did he do something bad?”
Rachel struggled with the answer.
Then she chose honesty.
“He made some mistakes.”
Lucas nodded.
“Like going into your room without asking.”
Rachel continued.
“But I also blamed him for something I didn’t actually know he caused.”
Noah thought about that.
“Like when you thought I made up the man in my room?”
Rachel’s expression fell.
“Yes.”
Exactly like that.
Noah had been telling the truth.
And years earlier, Lucas had been telling a truth nobody in his family was willing to hear.
