Chapter 5: The Hidden Message
I froze.
Amanda stood at the end of the hallway.
The black device rested in her hand.
She wasn’t angry.
That scared me more.
She looked calm.
Like she had been waiting.
“Ethan,” she said softly, “do you know what happens when children don’t listen?””
I stared at the device.
“Give it back.””
Amanda smiled.
“Your father taught you to be suspicious.””
“No.””
“Yes, he did.””
She walked closer.
“He made you believe I was someone you needed protection from.””
I didn’t answer.
Because deep down, I knew something.
People who were innocent didn’t need to explain so much.
Lily stepped forward.
“Mom, give it back.””
Amanda looked at her.
“Lily, go upstairs.””
“No.””
Her eyes widened.
“Excuse me?””
“I said no.””
It was the first time I had ever heard Lily talk back.
Amanda looked shocked.
“Where did you learn that attitude?””
“From Daddy.””
That sentence hurt Amanda.
I saw it.
For one second, the mask disappeared.
Then she grabbed the device tighter.
“You both need to understand something.””
She looked at me.
“Your father left this because he didn’t trust me.””
I swallowed.
“Why?””
Amanda didn’t answer.
That was the answer.
She turned and walked into her room.
The door closed.
A few seconds later, I heard the lock.
Lily grabbed my hand.
“Ethan.””
“What?””
“We need to get it back.””
I looked at her.
“How?””
She pointed toward the window.
“Mom keeps the spare key under the flower pot.””
I stared.
“You know that?””
She looked embarrassed.
“I’ve seen her hide things.””
We waited until the house became quiet.
Then Lily and I moved through the hallway.
Every sound felt huge.
The floor creaked.
The refrigerator hummed.
My heart sounded louder than everything.
We reached the kitchen.
Lily carefully lifted the flower pot.
The key was underneath.
She handed it to me.
“You do it.””
I looked at her.
“Why me?””
“Because Dad trusted you.””
That made me nervous.
I didn’t feel brave.
I felt like a scared kid sneaking around his own house.
But I unlocked the door.
Inside Amanda’s room, everything smelled like expensive perfume.
Everything was organized.
Too organized.
Like she wanted nobody to know what was hidden beneath the surface.
I found the device on her desk.
Beside it was a small memory card.
I picked it up.
“What’s that?””
Lily whispered.
I didn’t know.
Then I remembered.
Dad had shown me how the device worked.
It wasn’t just a button.
It had a recording function.
I put the memory card back into the device.
A small screen lit up.
There was only one saved recording.
The date was the day before Dad left.
I pressed play.
At first, there was only silence.
Then Dad’s voice filled the room.
“Ethan, if you’re hearing this, something happened.””
My eyes widened.
Lily covered her mouth.
Dad continued.
“I need you to remember something. This isn’t your fault.””
I felt tears forming.
I hadn’t heard his voice in days.
Then Dad said something that made my entire body freeze.
“Amanda knows about the money.””
I looked at Lily.
She looked confused.
“What money?””
I kept listening.
Dad’s voice became quieter.
“She thinks she can take everything I built. She thinks nobody will believe a seven-year-old boy.””
A noise came from the hallway.
We both turned.
Someone was outside the door.
Then Amanda spoke.
“Ethan.””
May you like
My blood ran cold.
“You really shouldn’t have listened to that.””
