Chapter 11: The Missing Piece
I stayed hidden for almost ten minutes.
Ten minutes felt like an entire day.
My knees hurt.
My hands shook.
Lily held onto my sleeve.
Neither of us spoke.
Downstairs, Amanda and Mark continued arguing.
But their voices became quieter.
We couldn’t hear everything.
Only pieces.
“You betrayed him.””
“No, you did.””
“You were supposed to keep him safe.””
“I tried.””
“You tried to save yourself.””
I looked at Lily.
She looked terrified.
Then suddenly, we heard something crash.
A chair.
A table.
Something heavy.
Lily jumped.
“We need to help.””
I grabbed her hand.
“No.””
“But Mom—”
“We don’t know who to trust.””
She looked hurt.
“But she’s my mom.””
I understood.
Even after everything, Amanda was still her mother.
That was something I couldn’t take away.
Then I remembered Dad’s words.
*The person who hurt me is someone you trust.*
Someone you trust.
My mind kept returning to those words.
Not someone you hate.
Not someone obvious.
Someone you trust.
The bedroom door slowly opened.
Amanda stepped inside.
Her hair was messy.
There was a scratch on her arm.
“Ethan.””
I stood up.
“What happened?””
“Mark left.””
“Where did he go?””
She looked at the chip in my hand.
“He knows you have it.””
I stepped backward.
“How?””
Amanda didn’t answer.
That scared me.
Lily moved toward her.
“Mom, are you okay?””
Amanda hugged her.
For a moment, it looked real.
Like a mother comforting her daughter.
Then Amanda whispered:
“We need to leave.””
I looked at her.
“Leave?””
“Yes.””
“Where?””
“Somewhere Mark can’t find us.””
I didn’t move.
Because something felt wrong.
Amanda noticed.
“What?””
I looked at her.
“Why didn’t Dad leave you a message?””
Her face changed.
“What?””
“He made a video for me.””
Silence.
“Why not you?””
Amanda looked away.
“I don’t know.””
But she did.
I knew she did.
Then Lily pointed at the tablet.
“Wait.””
We all looked.
The video had disappeared.
Not closed.
Gone.
The file was no longer there.
Amanda walked closer.
“What happened?””
I shook my head.
“I don’t know.””
Then the tablet made a sound.
A new notification appeared.
A new file.
No name.
Just a date.
The day Dad disappeared.
I clicked it.
A recording started.
This time, Dad wasn’t alone.
He was sitting in his office.
And across from him…
Was Amanda.
My breath stopped.
The video began.
Dad looked angry.
“You need to tell Ethan the truth.””
Amanda crossed her arms.
“He’s a child.””
“He deserves to know.””
“After everything?””
“Yes.””
Amanda leaned forward.
“You don’t understand what will happen if people find out.””
Dad stared at her.
“They already know.””
Amanda became pale.
Then Dad said:
“Mark isn’t the only person involved.””
I froze.
Lily grabbed my arm.
Dad continued:
“There’s someone else.””
The video shook.
Like Dad moved the camera.
Then Amanda whispered:
“Who?””
Dad looked toward the office door.
And said a name.
A name that made Amanda cover her mouth.
A name that made me drop the tablet.
Because it was someone I knew.
Someone who had been in our house many times.
Someone Dad trusted.
The video ended before I could hear anything else.
May you like
On the screen appeared one final sentence.
*Play the second half at midnight.*
