Chapter 2: The Secret Button
Nobody moved.
The kitchen suddenly felt much smaller.
Amanda stared at the device in my hand like it was something dangerous.
I had never seen her afraid before.
Not once.
“Ethan,” she said slowly, “give that to me.””
I closed my fingers around it.
“Dad gave it to me.””
Her expression changed again.
Just for a second.
But I noticed.
Seven-year-old me didn’t understand many things.
But I understood fear.
And Amanda was scared.
“Your father gives you strange things because he doesn’t trust people,” she said.
I frowned.
“No. Dad said it was for emergencies.””
Amanda walked closer.
“Exactly. This is an emergency.””
She reached for my hand.
I stepped backward.
“Don’t touch it.””
The words came out before I could stop them.
Amanda stopped.
From the hallway, Lily watched with tears on her face.
“Ethan,” she whispered.
“What does it do?””
I looked at the device.
Dad had explained it once.
“It records things,” I said.
Amanda’s face went pale.
Lily looked confused.
“Records?””
I nodded.
“Dad said if something bad happens, I press the button.””
Amanda immediately grabbed her phone from the counter.
“No.””
Her voice was almost a whisper.
Then she forced a smile.
“No, no. Ethan misunderstood.””
I stared at her.
“You said I wasn’t your real son.””
The smile vanished.
Lily walked back into the kitchen.
“Mom, why did you say that?””
Amanda looked at her daughter.
“This is adult business.””
“But Ethan is family.””
Amanda’s jaw tightened.
I watched her carefully.
She wasn’t looking at Lily anymore.
She was looking at the device.
That was when I realized something.
She wasn’t angry because I had it.
She was angry because Dad wanted me to have it.
“Your father filled your head with nonsense,” Amanda said.
I shook my head.
“He didn’t.””
“He did.””
“No.””
Her eyes narrowed.
“Excuse me?””
I swallowed.
“Dad said people who love you don’t make you feel scared.””
The room went quiet.
Lily looked at Amanda.
Amanda looked at me.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Amanda laughed.
A small, cold laugh.
“You think you understand everything because your father tells you stories?””
I didn’t answer.
She walked back to the table and sat down.
“Fine.””
She picked up her fork.
“Keep your little toy.””
Lily looked relieved.
But I wasn’t.
Because Amanda wasn’t acting like someone who didn’t care.
She was acting like someone trying very hard not to panic.
That night, I stayed in my room.
My stomach hurt because I hadn’t eaten enough.
The hallway light slipped under my door.
I heard Amanda and Lily talking downstairs.
At first, their voices were quiet.
Then I heard my name.
“Ethan cannot keep that thing,” Amanda said.
My body went still.
Lily answered.
“Why?””
“Because it belongs to me.””
“No, Daddy gave it to Ethan.””
A pause.
Then Amanda said something that made my hands become cold.
“Your father should have never left that with him.””
I slowly got out of bed.
I moved toward the door.
“Mom,” Lily said.
“Are you scared?””
Silence.
Then Amanda replied.
“No.””
But her voice didn’t sound convincing.
I looked down at the black device in my hand.
The red light was still blinking.
Dad had told me never to press it unless I needed help.
I didn’t know if I needed help yet.
But I knew one thing.
Amanda knew exactly what this device was.
And she knew exactly why Dad gave it to me.
The next morning, I woke up to find something missing from my room.
The device was gone.
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And sitting on my desk was a handwritten note with only six words on it.
“Your father never told you everything.””
