Chapter 11: The Abandoned House
The address led me twenty minutes outside town.
An old farmhouse.
Broken windows.
Overgrown grass.
The kind of place people forgot existed.
The kind of place secrets survived.
Mark sat beside me in the passenger seat.
“You shouldn’t go alone.””
“I’m not.””
I looked at him.
“You know more than you told me.””
He looked down.
“I was hoping I was wrong.””
“About what?””
He didn’t answer.
That scared me more.
When we arrived, the front door was open.
I stepped out.
“Emma!””
No answer.
Mark followed.
“Daniel, be careful.””
I entered the house.
Dust covered everything.
Old furniture.
Peeling walls.
A broken clock stopped at 3:17.
Then I heard something.
A child humming.
My heart stopped.
“Emma?””
A small voice answered.
“Daddy?””
I ran toward the sound.
Emma was sitting in an old bedroom.
Vanessa was beside her.
But she wasn’t hurting her.
She was holding her.
Crying.
For a second, I saw something I never expected.
Not a monster.
A broken person.
Then I remembered Emma’s empty plate.
Her red cheek.
Her fear.
And I stopped myself from feeling sorry.
“Let her go.””
Vanessa looked up.
“Daniel.””
“Now.””
She slowly released Emma.
My daughter ran to me.
I lifted her into my arms.
“Are you okay?””
She nodded.
“Mommy was telling me about Ava.””
I looked at Vanessa.
“Who is Ava?””
Vanessa wiped her tears.
“My daughter.””
Mark stepped forward.
“Your daughter who you said died.””
Vanessa looked at him.
“I made mistakes.””
“Fifteen years of mistakes?””
She closed her eyes.
“I was young.””
“You were a mother.””
The words hurt her.
But they were true.
I looked at Vanessa.
“Start talking.””
She sat down.
“I had a baby girl.””
“Ava?””
“Yes.””
“What happened?””
Vanessa stared at the floor.
“She was sick.””
Mark’s face changed.
“She wasn’t sick.””
Vanessa ignored him.
“She cried constantly. She wouldn’t sleep. I was exhausted.””
Her voice shook.
“I thought something was wrong with me.””
I held Emma tighter.
“Where was Mark?””
“He worked all the time.””
Mark looked away.
“I was trying to provide.””
“And I was drowning.””
Vanessa looked at me.
“Rachel was the only person who helped.””
I frowned.
“She became my friend.””
“Yes.””
“Then why did you hurt her?””
Vanessa’s face changed.
“I didn’t.””
“Then explain.””
She looked toward Emma.
“Because Rachel took something from me.””
My body went cold.
“What?””
Vanessa whispered:
“She took Ava.””
Mark stepped forward.
“That’s a lie.””
“She convinced everyone I was unstable.””
“Because you were!””
Vanessa screamed:
“Because nobody listened to me!””
The room went silent.
Emma buried her face against me.
I lowered my voice.
“Where is Ava?””
Vanessa looked at me.
“I don’t know.””
“Don’t lie.””
“I DON’T KNOW!””
Her scream echoed through the house.
Then she started crying.
“I spent fifteen years looking for her.””
Mark looked shocked.
“You never looked.””
“I did.””
“Then why did Rachel have proof?””
Vanessa froze.
“What proof?””
I looked at Mark.
Then back at Vanessa.
“Rachel knew where Ava was.””
The color drained from Vanessa’s face.
“No.””
“Yes.””
“She would have told me.””
“She didn’t trust you.””
Vanessa looked broken.
Then she whispered:
“Where is it?””
“What?””
“The proof.””
I stared at her.
“You’re not getting anything.””
She looked at me.
And for the first time, she looked truly desperate.
“Daniel…”
A noise interrupted us.
Footsteps.
Someone else was inside the house.
Mark turned.
“Who is that?””
A shadow moved across the doorway.
Then a woman stepped into the room.
Older.
Tired.
But familiar.
Vanessa stared at her.
And whispered:
“No.””
The woman looked at me.
“I’m sorry, Daniel.””
Then she looked at Vanessa.
“It’s time you knew what happened to Ava.””
Vanessa’s face went completely white.
May you like
Because the woman standing there was Rachel’s sister.
Claire.
