He stepped closer and slid the tablet across the desk toward her.
“Your suspicion was correct,” he added. “Mr. Harold Graves is indeed the same man.”
For a second, Emma didn’t move.
Then her eyes widened.
She quickly snatched the tablet from Lloyd’s hands, her fingers tightening around the edges.
Memories she had tried to bury clawed their way back to the surface.
“Thank you. You can leave now,” she said dismissively, not even looking at him. Her full attention was already locked on the screen.
Lloyd nodded, then quietly stepped out of the office.
The moment Sophia heard Harold’s name, her fingers froze over the keyboard.
She closed the laptop and stood up abruptly, the sudden movement drawing Emma’s attention for a split second.
“What are you talking about?” she asked.
Sophia moved around the desk and bent slightly beside Emma’s chair, bracing one hand against the edge of the desk as she leaned closer to the screen.
The video began to play.
The footage was grainy, slightly blurred by time. The colors were dull, almost washed out. It was clearly from years ago.
On the screen, a much younger Emma appeared—only seventeen. She was sitting on the steps of a house, her shoulders slumped, her face pale and tear-streaked.
Behind her, the background was chaotic.
People dressed in black moved in and out of the frame. Some were speaking in hushed tones. Some were wiping tears. White funeral flowers lined the entrance. The wind stirred the black ribbons tied to the gate.
Even without sound, the atmosphere was heavy.
Sophia frowned. “What is going on?” she asked quietly, her gaze shifting between Emma and the screen.
Emma lifted her hand slightly, not looking at her. “Wait,” she said softly.
Sophia fell silent.
On the screen, young Emma lowered her head into her hands.
Her shoulders were shaking.
Then—
A boy stepped into the frame. He hesitated for only a second before sitting beside Emma on the stairs.
He said something.
The video had no sound, but his lips moved carefully, slowly, as if choosing his words.
Young Emma looked at him—and then broke down completely.
The boy wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her gently toward him. He patted her back awkwardly but tenderly, saying something that the video couldn’t capture.
But even without audio, the familiarity of that face struck Sophia like lightning.
