Chapter 2 - The Secret My Children Were Hiding
Vanessa tried to recover quickly.
That was something she had always been good at.
Changing the story.
Making herself look like the victim.
She wiped a fake tear from her cheek.
“I cannot believe you’re looking at me like this.”
I stared at her.
“My children are covered in bruises.”
She shook her head.
“You’re misunderstanding everything.”
I laughed quietly.
But there was no humor in it.
“Am I?”
Vanessa stepped closer.
“I have been taking care of them every day.”
“I cook for them.”
“I clean this house.”
“I sacrifice everything.”
I looked at Lily.
Then Ethan.
Neither child looked at her.
They only looked at me.
That hurt more than anything.
Because children naturally run toward the person they trust.
And my children were running away from their mother.
I picked up Ethan.
Then I held Lily’s hand.
“We’re leaving.”
Vanessa’s expression changed.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
“You’re taking my children away because of one misunderstanding?”
“One misunderstanding?”
I pointed toward Ethan’s bruises.
“One?”
Vanessa became angry.
“You’re being dramatic.”
That sentence stayed with me.
Because she wasn’t worried.
She wasn’t crying.
She wasn’t apologizing.
She was angry that she had been caught.
I took my phone from my pocket.
“I’m calling a doctor.”
Vanessa suddenly stepped forward.
“No.”
I looked at her.
“No?”
She froze.
Then quickly changed her tone.
“I mean… they don’t need that.”
I knew something was wrong.
I called anyway.
While waiting for the doctor, I took my children upstairs.
Lily refused to let go of my hand.
Inside Ethan’s room, I closed the door.
“Buddy…”
I sat beside him.
“Can you tell Daddy what happened?”
He looked terrified.
“Mommy said I was bad.”
“Why?”
“Because I spilled juice.”
My jaw tightened.
“One cup of juice?”
He nodded.
“She got angry.”
“How angry?”
Ethan looked at the floor.
“She locked us in the laundry room.”
I felt sick.
“For how long?”
His small voice became quieter.
“Until you came home.”
I closed my eyes.
Trying to control myself.
Then Lily spoke.
“She does other things too.”
I looked at my daughter.
“What things?”
“She hides our toys.”
“She says we don’t deserve them.”
“She makes us stand in the corner.”
My hands curled into fists.
But I stayed calm.
Because my children needed their father.
Not my anger.
They needed safety.
Then Lily said something that made my blood freeze.
“She has a notebook.”
“A notebook?”
She nodded.
“She writes down all the things she says we did wrong.”
I frowned.
“Where is it?”
“In her bedroom.”
At that moment…
I knew I needed to find that notebook.
May you like
Because my wife had been keeping secrets.
And I was about to uncover every single one.
