Chapter 10: The Secret Inside My Family
The phone slipped from my hand.
It hit the wooden floor with a quiet crack.
But nobody moved.
Everyone was staring at my parents.
My mother looked like she had stopped breathing.
My father’s face had gone completely pale.
James noticed it too.
“Claire.””
His voice was low.
“Ask them.””
I looked at my parents.
My entire life, they had been the people I trusted most.
The people who taught me what family meant.
But now every memory felt different.
Every missing piece.
Every strange silence.
Every time someone said, We’re only trying to help.
“Dad,” I whispered.
He didn’t answer.
“Mom.””
My mother started crying.
That was enough.
I felt my heart sink.
“You knew.””
My mother shook her head quickly.
“Not everything.””
“Not everything?””
My voice rose.
“How much did you know?””
Dad sat down heavily.
“I knew someone was asking questions.””
James stepped forward.
“When?””
Dad looked at him.
“Before Emma was born.””
My chest tightened.
“And you said nothing?””
“I thought I handled it.””
“You handled it?””
I laughed bitterly.
“By hiding it from me?””
Dad looked ashamed.
“I was afraid.””
I stared at him.
“Afraid of what?””
His answer came quietly.
“That you would stop trusting us.””
The honesty hurt more than a lie.
Because he was right.
I didn’t know if I trusted them anymore.
James stood beside me.
“You don’t get to protect someone by leaving the person at risk in the dark.””
Dad nodded.
“I know.””
My mother wiped her tears.
“Claire, please listen.””
I looked at her.
“Why did you talk to that woman?””
She looked down.
“I thought she was helping.””
“Who?””
“Evelyn.””
Lauren immediately looked up.
“You spoke to Evelyn?””
My mother nodded.
“She called me.””
Lauren’s face changed.
“When?””
“Months ago.””
Lauren stood.
“Mom, she was never trying to help.””
“I didn’t know.””
“You should have asked me.””
My mother looked at her.
“You were acting strangely too.””
The sentence silenced everyone.
Lauren looked hurt.
But she didn’t argue.
Because it was true.
She had hidden things.
She had written letters.
She had tried to interfere.
Everyone in that room had secrets.
Everyone except me.
I looked at the ceiling.
“How long has this been happening?””
Nobody answered.
Then my father quietly said:
“Since before Emma was born.””
I felt my stomach drop.
James looked at him.
“What are you saying?””
Dad hesitated.
Then he walked to the cabinet again.
This time, he pulled out a folder.
A thick one.
My hands went cold.
“What is that?””
Dad placed it on the table.
“Everything I collected.””
I stared.
“Collected?””
“Names. Messages. Dates.””
James opened it.
Inside were printed emails.
Phone records.
Notes.
I looked at my father.
“You investigated this?””
“I tried to understand who was behind it.””
“And?””
His expression darkened.
“I found something.””
“What?””
Dad pulled out a single page.
It was a list of names.
At the bottom was one name circled.
I looked closer.
My breath caught.
Because I knew the name.
Everyone knew the name.
Lauren whispered:
“No…”
Dad nodded.
“Yes.””
James looked confused.
“Who is it?””
I stared at the paper.
A person who had been around my family for years.
A person who had always seemed harmless.
A person who had attended my baby shower.
My father’s voice was barely audible.
“Your uncle David.””
The room exploded into silence.
I shook my head.
“No.””
Dad looked at me.
“I didn’t want to believe it either.””
“My uncle?””
The man who brought Emma a stuffed rabbit.
The man who kissed her forehead.
The man who said she was the greatest gift our family had received.
“That doesn’t make sense.””
James took the paper.
“Why would he do this?””
Dad didn’t answer.
Because he didn’t know.
But Lauren did.
She looked terrified.
“Because of Michael.””
I turned toward her.
“What does Michael have to do with Uncle David?””
May you like
Lauren looked at the floor.
“Everything.””
