Chapter 4: The Message From the Past
Dad read the mysterious message three more times.
I watched his face change with every second.
A few weeks earlier, I had seen him angry, confused, and hurt.
But I had never seen him afraid.
“Who sent that?”” I asked.
Dad locked his phone.
“I don’t know.””
“Is it about Vanessa?””
He didn’t answer right away.
That scared me more than anything.
“Dad?””
He sat down beside me.
“Ethan, I need you to understand something. Adults sometimes hide things because they think they’re protecting children.””
I frowned.
“Like you did with the cameras?””
He gave a small, sad smile.
“Exactly like that.””
I looked at the message again.
“You think you know what Vanessa did. You have no idea.””
The words felt like a warning.
Not just about money.
Something else had happened.
Something Dad didn’t want to tell me.
That night, I heard him walking around downstairs long after I went to bed.
The floor creaked.
The kitchen light stayed on.
I quietly opened my bedroom door and looked down the stairs.
Dad was sitting at the table with a stack of papers.
He held one photograph in his hand.
A photograph of my mother.
My heart stopped.
I had never seen that picture before.
The next morning, I found him making coffee.
“Dad?””
He turned.
“Morning, buddy.””
I looked at the photograph sitting near his wallet.
“Who sent the message?””
He became quiet.
Then he pulled out a chair.
“Sit down.””
I hated those words.
Whenever adults said “sit down,” it usually meant something bad was coming.
Dad placed his hands together.
“Before Vanessa married me, she had a different life.””
“Okay.””
“She had financial problems.””
I waited.
“She also had someone helping her.””
“Who?””
Dad looked toward the window.
“Your mother knew about him.””
My stomach tightened.
“Mom?””
He nodded.
“Your mother was the one who warned me.””
I stared at him.
“About Vanessa?””
“Yes.””
The room suddenly felt different.
All those years, I thought Vanessa just didn’t like me.
But maybe there was something bigger.
“What did Mom say?””
Dad took a deep breath.
“She told me Vanessa was not the person she pretended to be.””
I looked down.
“Why didn’t you listen?””
His eyes filled with regret.
“Because I loved Vanessa. And because I thought your mother was just worried about you adjusting to a new family.””
I swallowed.
“So Mom was right?””
Dad didn’t answer.
That was answer enough.
Later that afternoon, Dad received another message.
This time, it included a photo.
He opened it.
His face immediately changed.
“What is it?”” I asked.
He turned the phone toward himself.
Then quickly put it away.
“Nothing.””
I knew he was lying.
“You said you’d stop hiding things.””
He looked at me.
And I could tell he knew I was right.
He showed me the screen.
It was a picture of Vanessa talking to a man outside a restaurant.
A man I had never seen before.
Under the picture was a message.
*“Ask your wife why she was meeting him while your son was being blamed.””*
Dad stood up.
“I need to make a call.””
“Who?””
“Someone who knew Vanessa before I did.””
That evening, Dad drove me to my grandmother’s house.
I didn’t understand why.
“Why are we here?””
“Because I need to find the truth.””
Grandma opened the door and immediately looked worried when she saw Dad’s expression.
“What happened?””
Dad handed her the photo.
The second she saw it, her face went pale.
“Oh no.””
I looked between them.
“You know him?””
Grandma slowly nodded.
“Yes.””
“Who is he?””
She looked at Dad.
Then at me.
And whispered something that made my entire body freeze.
“That’s Vanessa’s first husband.””
I blinked.
“First husband?””
Dad looked confused.
“She told me she was never married before.””
Grandma shook her head.
“She lied.””
The room went silent.
Then Grandma walked to an old cabinet.
She pulled out a small box covered in dust.
“I hoped I would never have to show you this.””
Dad opened the box.
Inside were old documents.
Old photographs.
And one newspaper clipping.
He picked it up.
His eyes moved across the headline.
Then he slowly handed it to me.
I was too young to understand everything written there.
But I understood one word.
The name.
Vanessa.
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And below it was a headline that changed everything:
*“Woman Investigated After Husband’s Disappearance.””*
