Chapter 10: The Child Hidden From Us
I read the sentence again.
Then again.
But the words did not change.
*You found Emily. Now find the child you never knew existed.*
My fingers went numb.
Emily looked at me.
“Michael…”
I could barely hear her.
“What does that mean?””
She shook her head.
“I don’t know.””
But her face told me something.
She was afraid.
Not confused.
Afraid.
Detective Harris took the envelope from my hand and examined it.
“Whoever left this wanted you to find it.””
I looked toward the driveway.
The car was already gone.
“Can you trace it?””
One of the officers shook his head.
“No cameras caught the vehicle leaving.””
I almost laughed.
Of course.
Everyone involved knew how to hide.
Everyone except me.
I looked at Emily.
“Did someone ever mention a child?””
She hesitated.
That hesitation destroyed me.
“Emily.””
She looked down.
“Not like this.””
“What does that mean?””
She sat beside Lily and held her hand.
“When I was trapped, Richard kept asking me questions.””
“About what?””
“About a child.””
My heart stopped.
“What child?””
Emily looked at me.
“I thought he was trying to scare me.””
A cold feeling moved through my body.
“What did he say?””
She swallowed.
“He said your father had hidden something from everyone.””
Detective Harris stepped closer.
“Your father?””
Emily nodded.
“He said there was a secret your family buried.””
I looked at the letter again.
My father.
The hidden room.
The warning.
The child.
Everything connected.
But I didn’t understand how.
“My father died six years ago.””
Emily touched my arm.
“Maybe that’s why he left the message.””
I looked at Lily.
She was quietly drawing on a piece of paper an officer had given her.
A picture of our family.
Me.
Emily.
Lily.
Then she added someone else.
A small figure standing beside us.
I crouched down.
“Sweetheart, who is that?””
She looked at me.
“The boy.””
My heart skipped.
“What boy?””
“The boy who was crying.””
The room went silent.
Emily leaned closer.
“Lily, when did you see him?””
She shrugged.
“Before Mommy came back.””
My stomach tightened.
“Where?””
She pointed upstairs.
“In the old guest room.””
I looked at Emily.
“That room has been locked for years.””
Lily nodded.
“He told me not to tell anyone.””
A chill ran through me.
“Why?””
“He said people would take him away.””
Detective Harris immediately stood.
“Show us the room.””
We moved upstairs.
The old guest room was at the end of the hallway.
The door was still locked.
I had not opened it in years.
My father used it for storage.
The officer unlocked it.
The room smelled old.
Dust covered everything.
But then I saw something.
A small blanket on the bed.
A child’s blanket.
I stepped closer.
My heart pounded.
Because I knew that blanket.
Emily did too.
She covered her mouth.
“Michael…”
It was the same pattern as the blanket my mother bought before she died.
A blanket meant for a baby.
A baby we never had.
Detective Harris searched the room.
Then he found something hidden behind a drawer.
A small wooden box.
Inside was a photograph.
A baby.
A little boy.
On the back was a date.
The date was nineteen years ago.
And below it was a name.
*Ethan Carter.*
I stared at it.
“That’s impossible.””
Detective Harris looked at me.
“Why?””
I couldn’t answer.
Because I knew my family history.
I was an only child.
My parents had never mentioned another baby.
Never.
Emily looked at the photograph.
“Michael…”
I looked at her.
“What?””
Her face had lost all color.
“I’ve seen him before.””
The room went cold.
“Where?””
She pointed at the picture.
“Richard showed me this photo the night I disappeared.””
My breathing stopped.
“Why?””
Emily whispered:
“Because he told me Ethan was still alive.””
Before I could respond, my phone rang.
Everyone looked at it.
The number was blocked.
I answered.
“Hello?””
For several seconds, there was only breathing.
Then a child’s voice spoke.
May you like
A boy’s voice.
“Are you my brother?””
