Chapter 4: The Missing Page
The moment Jayla said, “The name of the person who started all of this,” the room went completely silent.
I looked at the letter sitting on the table.
The same letter my daughter had hidden for months.
The same letter she had written because she was afraid I wouldn’t believe her.
And now someone was telling us it was incomplete.
“Jayla,” I whispered, “what happened to that page?””
She wrapped her arms around herself.
“I don’t know.””
“You don’t know?””
She shook her head quickly.
“I wrote everything down. Every detail. Every person. Every time they told me not to speak.””
Rachel stepped closer.
“Jayla, did you give anyone this letter before today?””
“No.””
“Did anyone know you had it?””
Jayla hesitated.
That hesitation scared me more than anything.
“Sweetheart?””
She looked at me.
“Michael knew I was keeping something.””
My stomach twisted.
“How?””
“He saw me writing.””
“When?””
“Months ago.””
I sat down slowly.
The room felt like it was shrinking.
“He saw you writing a letter about what happened, and he didn’t stop you?””
Jayla looked down.
“He said I was just being dramatic.””
My hands curled into fists.
That sentence sounded exactly like him.
The way he dismissed things.
The way he made people question themselves.
Ms. Collins, the lawyer, leaned forward.
“Jayla, think carefully. Did Michael ever touch the envelope?””
Jayla’s face changed.
“Yes.””
“When?””
“The night before I was supposed to give it to Mommy.””
Everyone froze.
“What happened that night?”” I asked.
Jayla swallowed.
“I left it on my desk. I went to take a shower. When I came back, Michael was in my room.””
My heart dropped.
“He was in your room?””
She nodded.
“He said he was looking for a charger.””
“And the letter?””
“He was holding it.””
I felt a wave of anger move through me.
“What did you do?””
“I grabbed it from him.””
“Did you check it afterward?””
Jayla looked away.
“No.””
“Why?””
Her voice cracked.
“Because I was scared he knew.””
Nobody spoke.
Because we all understood.
She wasn’t just afraid of what he might do.
She was afraid of what would happen if she was right.
Ms. Collins carefully picked up the envelope.
“Where did you keep this after that?””
“In my backpack.””
“Always?””
Jayla nodded.
“Until today.””
Rachel looked at me.
“Emily, if someone removed a page, they had access.””
I already knew where her thoughts were going.
Home.
The place I had shared with Michael.
The place where Jayla had slept.
The place I had believed was safe.
My phone buzzed.
I looked down.
A photo had been sent from an unknown number.
My heart stopped.
It was a picture of my house.
Taken from outside.
A timestamp showed it was taken ten minutes earlier.
Below the image were four words.
“Stop digging, Emily.””
Rachel immediately stepped beside me.
“Call the police.””
I couldn’t move.
Because beneath that message was another one.
A second photo.
This time, it was of Jayla’s bedroom window.
The curtains were visible.
The small stuffed animal she kept on the shelf.
Someone had been close enough to see inside.
Jayla saw the screen.
Her face went white.
“He knows where we are.””
Ms. Collins stood.
“Everyone stays together. No one leaves alone.””
For years, I had thought danger looked obvious.
A stranger following you.
A stranger breaking into your home.
A stranger threatening your family.
I never imagined danger could wear a wedding ring.
Could sit across from me at dinner.
Could tell my daughter he loved her.
That evening, police officers came to Rachel’s house.
They took statements.
They documented the messages.
They asked Jayla questions gently.
But every question made her shrink further into herself.
Finally, one officer asked:
“Jayla, is there anyone else who knew about the pregnancy before your mother?””
Jayla stared at the floor.
Then she whispered:
“Yes.””
My heart sank.
“Who?””
She looked at me.
“I told Michael first.””
The room went still.
“Why?””
“Because he found the test.””
I felt dizzy.
“When?””
“Three weeks ago.””
“Three weeks?””
She nodded.
“I thought he would help me.””
That sentence hurt.
Because my daughter had trusted him.
Not me.
Not because she loved him more.
Because she thought he was safer.
“What did he say?”” I asked.
Jayla wiped her eyes.
“He said he could fix it.””
My voice became cold.
“Fix it how?””
She hesitated.
Then she said:
“He said there were ways to make the problem disappear.””
I felt sick.
The officer exchanged a glance with his partner.
“What happened next?””
Jayla whispered:
“I told him I wanted to tell Mommy.””
“And?””
“He told me if I did, everyone would know what I had done.””
I moved closer to her.
“Baby, you didn’t do anything wrong.””
But Jayla looked terrified.
Because someone had spent months convincing her otherwise.
After the police left, I sat beside her on the couch.
She fell asleep against my shoulder.
For the first time in weeks, she looked like my little girl again.
But I couldn’t sleep.
I sat awake, staring at the ceiling.
Thinking about Michael.
Thinking about Daniel.
Thinking about the missing page.
At 3:17 in the morning, my phone lit up.
A new message.
From Michael.
Only three words.
“Ask your brother.””
I stared at the screen.
Then another message arrived.
“You have no idea what Jayla really knows.””
My blood ran cold.
Because I suddenly realized something.
May you like
Michael wasn’t trying to hide the truth anymore.
He was trying to make me afraid of it.
