Chapter 8: The Secret Behind Ava’s Recording
I drove home faster than I ever had before.
Not recklessly.
Not dangerously.
Just with one thought repeating in my mind.
Who helped Ava?
When I walked through the front door, Ava was sitting at the kitchen table drawing.
She looked up.
“Dad?””
I sat beside her.
“Sweetheart, I need to ask you something.””
Her expression changed.
“Okay.””
“Did anyone help you record those videos?””
Her pencil stopped moving.
For a few seconds, she didn’t say anything.
Then she looked toward Nia.
My heart sank.
“Nia?””
Ava shook her head.
“She told me not to tell.””
I looked at both of them.
“Tell me what?””
Ava’s eyes filled with tears.
“I didn’t want you to think we were spying.””
I reached for her hand.
“You were protecting your sister.””
She nodded.
Then she whispered:
“Mrs. Karen helped me.””
I froze.
“Karen?””
The woman who had called me.
The woman who told me about Olivia.
“How?””
Ava looked down.
“She noticed Nia crying at school.””
I listened carefully.
“She asked why Nia always looked scared when people talked about home.””
My chest tightened.
“So she knew?””
Ava nodded.
“She told me I should save proof because sometimes people don’t believe kids.””
Everything suddenly connected.
Karen wasn’t just someone from Brenda’s past.
She had been watching.
She had recognized the signs.
I called Karen immediately.
She answered quickly.
“Did you find out?””
“Yes.””
I looked at Ava.
“You helped my daughter record everything?””
Karen was silent.
Then she said:
“Yes.””
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
“Because Brenda was already suspicious.””
I frowned.
“What does that mean?””
Karen sighed.
“After I left working with her, I learned something.””
“What?””
“She keeps track of people who know the truth.””
I looked around the house.
“What are you saying?””
“I’m saying Brenda doesn’t like losing control.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“She came to my daughter’s school.””
Karen became quiet.
“She did?””
“Yes.””
There was a pause.
Then Karen said:
“Daniel, you need to be careful.””
“Why?””
“Because Brenda doesn’t apologize when she loses.””
I looked toward the window.
The curtains moved slightly.
A strange feeling came over me.
“Karen, is there something else you haven’t told me?””
She hesitated.
“Yes.””
“What?””
“She has been contacting your father-in-law.””
I stood still.
“My father-in-law?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
Karen’s voice lowered.
“Because she believes he can make you change your mind.””
I remembered the photograph.
Brenda beside my wife’s father.
A connection I never understood.
Then my phone buzzed.
A message appeared.
I looked down.
It was from my father-in-law.
“Daniel, we need to talk about Brenda.””
I stared at the screen.
Then another message came.
“Before you make any decisions, you need to hear her side.””
My jaw tightened.
Her side.
That was always the phrase people used before asking victims to forgive.
I looked at Nia.
Then Ava.
Then the letters from their mother sitting on the table.
I knew one thing.
I was done letting Brenda control the story.
I called my father-in-law.
He answered after one ring.
“Daniel.””
“Why are you defending Brenda?””
Silence.
Then he said:
“I’m not.””
“Then why do you want me to hear her side?””
Another pause.
Finally, he whispered:
“Because there’s something about Brenda you don’t know.””
I looked at the photograph sitting nearby.
“What?””
His voice became shaky.
“Brenda was never trying to replace Nia’s mother.””
I frowned.
“Then what was she trying to do?””
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My father-in-law took a deep breath.
“She was trying to replace someone else.””
