Chapter 3: The Truth in the Black Box

The hospital fell into an uneasy silence after Sean's death.

His body had been transferred to the morgue.

His death certificate was signed.

Yet no one in the Goodman family was ready to accept what had happened.

My mother remained outside the emergency department, staring blankly at the floor.

My father hadn't spoken a word in nearly half an hour.

Felix sat in a wheelchair nearby, his face pale.

Everyone seemed broken.

Everyone except Felix.

He kept his head lowered, but every now and then, his fingers tightened around his phone.

Then the nurse who had tried to save me approached the police officer stationed outside the emergency department.

"Officer," she said quietly.

"I think there was something wrong with the way this case was handled."

The officer immediately looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Sean's injuries were much more serious than Felix's."

"He needed emergency surgery immediately."

"But the surgical team was directed elsewhere."

"Who gave that order?"

The nurse hesitated.

"The hospital director."

The officer's expression became serious.

"Ms. Blanchard?"

"Yes."

"She ordered the available doctors to treat Felix."

"Why?"

"She believed Sean was exaggerating."

The officer looked toward my mother.

At that exact moment, another doctor approached.

"There is something else."

Everyone turned toward him.

"The police recovered the vehicle's data recorder."

"The accident investigation team is examining it now."

My father frowned.

"What could that possibly tell us?"

"The final seconds before the crash," the doctor explained.

"Speed."

"Braking."

"Steering movement."

"If there was mechanical interference, the recorder may show it."

My mother immediately interrupted.

"It was an accident."

"Sean was driving."

The doctor looked at her.

"We don't know that yet."

"The police should finish the investigation before anyone makes assumptions."

My mother said nothing.

Several hours later, the police released the first preliminary report.

The vehicle had been traveling at a normal speed.

The road was dry.

There was no evidence of sudden braking.

And strangely...

The steering system showed an abrupt correction immediately before impact.

"What does that mean?" my father asked.

The investigator pointed at the data.

"It means someone may have turned the wheel deliberately."

"Or there could have been a mechanical failure."

"We're not certain yet."

My mother immediately looked toward Felix.

"He was sitting beside Sean."

"Maybe Sean lost control."

The investigator frowned.

"We need to interview Felix."

Felix's face changed.

"Me?"

"Yes."

"I don't remember anything."

"That's alright," the investigator replied.

"We'll ask what you do remember."

Felix lowered his head.

"I remember Sean driving angrily."

"He was upset about the scholarship."

"He kept saying that everything should have been his."

My father immediately clenched his fists.

"See?"

"I knew Sean was angry."

But the nurse standing nearby suddenly spoke.

"That's not what Sean told us."

Everyone looked at her.

"Before surgery preparations began, Sean told me Felix was the one who had insisted on taking the car."

Felix's expression froze.

"That's not true."

"He said Sean was supposed to drive," Felix added quickly.

"Why would I lie about that?"

The nurse looked uncertain.

"I only heard what Sean said."

My mother immediately stepped between them.

"Enough."

"My sons have just been through a horrible accident."

"We aren't turning this into a family investigation."

The investigator looked at her carefully.

"With respect, ma'am..."

"One of your sons is dead."

"We have a responsibility to find out why."

My mother's face hardened.

"Do your job."

"But leave my family alone."

She walked away.

My soul followed her.

For the first time, I saw fear in her eyes.

Not grief.

Fear.

The following morning, the police contacted the family again.

The vehicle's black box had produced something unexpected.

A recording from the car's internal system had been recovered.

Most of the audio was damaged.

But several seconds remained intact.

The investigator played the recording in front of my parents.

Static filled the room.

Then two voices emerged.

Sean's voice.

"Felix, slow down."

Felix replied sharply.

"You should've let me drive."

"Stop acting like you own everything."

"Mom and Dad always choose you anyway."

Sean's voice became quiet.

"What are you talking about?"

Then Felix said something that made everyone in the room freeze.

"You think they're going to keep choosing you once they know what you've done?"

The recording ended.

Silence followed.

My father slowly turned toward Felix.

"What did he mean?"

Felix's face went pale.

"I don't know."

"It must have been taken out of context."

The investigator paused the recording.

"We also recovered fingerprints from the steering column."

Everyone looked toward him.

"The dominant fingerprints belong to Felix Goodman."

Felix immediately shook his head.

"Of course they do!"

"I was in the car!"

"That proves nothing!"

"Correct," the investigator replied.

"It doesn't prove anything by itself."

"But combined with the audio..."

My mother suddenly stood.

"That's enough."

"Felix is injured and exhausted."

"You're interrogating him like a criminal."

The investigator looked directly at her.

"We're investigating a death."

"Sean's death."

My mother went silent.

For the first time...

She had no answer.

Felix lowered his head.

But beneath the table, his fingers were trembling.

He knew something.

And the police were getting closer.

Later that afternoon, the investigator received another report.

A traffic camera from two streets away had captured the Goodman vehicle before the crash.

The footage showed something strange.

Felix was driving.

Sean was sitting in the passenger seat.

The timestamp was clear.

And the video was recorded only twelve minutes before the accident.

My father's face went white.

My mother stared at the screen.

"That's not possible," she whispered.

Felix slowly raised his head.

For the first time since Sean's death...

His perfect innocent expression disappeared.

The investigator paused the video.

"We have reason to believe the original story may have been fabricated."

"We need everyone to tell us the truth."

My soul stood silently beside my family.

The truth was finally beginning to surface.

But none of them knew yet...

That the biggest betrayal had not even been revealed.