The Silent Mirror and the Lies That Broke My Family
I remembered the last week of her life.
She had spent hours in this room, standing in front of this mirror.
I stepped closer to it.
My reflection was pale, my eyes sunken and dark.
I reached out and touched the cold silver frame.
Something about the way it hung seemed off.
It was tilted slightly to the left, just a fraction of an inch.
Emily was meticulous about things being straight.
I gripped the sides of the heavy frame and lifted it off the iron hook.
The weight of it surprised me, pulling at my sore shoulder.
I turned the mirror over in my arms.
The back was covered in dark brown paper.
In the center of the paper, a small square of black electrical tape was stuck near the top.
I ran my thumb over the tape.
There was a hard, rectangular lump underneath it.
My heart ran faster.
I peeled the tape back carefully, trying not to tear the paper.
A tiny plastic case slid out into my palm.
Inside was a micro SD card, identical to the one I had found in her car.