Chapter 4: The Voice In The Recording
I stared at the empty space on my desk where Dad’s device had been sitting.
For a few seconds, I couldn’t move.
My brain kept telling me there had to be a simple explanation.
Maybe I misplaced it.
Maybe Lily took it by accident.
Maybe Dad’s little black device wasn’t as important as I thought.
But then I saw the note again.
*Your father never told you everything.*
The handwriting wasn’t mine.
It wasn’t Dad’s either.
It belonged to Amanda.
I picked up the paper with shaking hands.
“Ethan?””
I turned around.
Lily stood at my bedroom door, holding her stuffed rabbit.
She looked worried.
“Did Mom take it?””
I didn’t answer.
That was enough.
Her face changed.
“She did, didn’t she?””
I nodded.
Lily hugged her rabbit tighter.
“Why would she take something Daddy gave you?””
I looked at the floor.
“Because she’s scared.””
Lily was quiet.
Then she whispered, “Mom gets scared when people find out the truth.””
I looked at her.
“What truth?””
Lily opened her mouth.
Then she closed it.
“I’m not supposed to say.””
“Who told you?””
She looked toward the hallway.
“Mom.””
A cold feeling moved through my chest.
Before I could ask anything else, Amanda’s voice came from downstairs.
“Ethan! Breakfast!””
Lily grabbed my arm.
“Don’t tell her I said anything.””
I nodded.
When we walked into the kitchen, everything looked normal.
That was the strangest part.
Amanda was making pancakes.
She was humming.
There were three plates on the table.
If someone had walked in at that moment, they would have thought we were a happy family.
But I knew better.
Because Amanda kept glancing at my empty pocket.
“Sleep well?”” she asked.
I sat down.
“Where’s my device?””
Amanda smiled.
“What device?””
“The one Dad gave me.””
She placed a pancake on my plate.
“Ethan, sometimes children imagine things.””
“I didn’t imagine it.””
Amanda sighed.
“Your father travels a lot. Maybe you misunderstood something.””
Lily looked up.
“No, he didn’t.””
Amanda immediately looked at her.
“Lily.””
“He gave it to Ethan.””
The room went silent.
Amanda’s smile disappeared.
“Go get your backpack.””
“But—”
“Now.””
Lily slowly stood.
Before she left, she looked at me.
Her eyes said everything.
She was scared too.
After breakfast, Amanda drove us to school.
The entire ride was quiet.
I watched houses pass by through the window.
Then Amanda’s phone rang.
She answered through the car speaker.
“Hello?””
A man’s voice came through.
“Did you find it?””
My heart jumped.
Amanda looked at me in the mirror.
Then she quickly turned off the speaker.
“I’m handling it.””
The man said something I couldn’t hear.
Amanda lowered her voice.
“No. He doesn’t know anything.””
I stared out the window.
But I was listening.
“He’s seven,” Amanda whispered.
“How much could he possibly understand?””
My hands curled into fists.
When we arrived at school, I waited until Amanda drove away.
Then I pulled Lily aside.
“Who was that man?””
She shook her head.
“I don’t know.””
“Lily.””
She looked down.
“His name is Mark.””
“Who is Mark?””
She whispered:
“He comes over when Dad is gone.””
I felt my stomach twist.
“Why?””
“I don’t know.””
“Have you seen him before?””
Lily nodded slowly.
“Mom tells me not to talk about him.””
The school bell rang.
Kids started running past us.
But I couldn’t move.
Because suddenly Dad’s warning made sense.
He wasn’t worried about a random emergency.
He was worried about something happening when he wasn’t there.
After school, Amanda picked us up.
She acted normal.
Too normal.
But when we got home, I noticed something.
Her bedroom door was slightly open.
I had never been allowed inside.
Not once.
But today, it was open.
And on the dresser was Dad’s black device.
I looked at Lily.
She looked back at me.
Neither of us spoke.
We knew we weren’t supposed to go in.
But we also knew we had to.
I slowly stepped toward the door.
My hand reached for the device.
May you like
Then I heard Amanda’s voice behind me.
“Looking for this?””
