Chapter 10: The Enemy Behind the Door
My mother didn’t scream.
That was the part that scared me the most.
A normal person would panic after receiving a message showing that someone had been inside their home.
They would call the police.
They would run outside.
They would demand answers.
But my mother just stared at the screen, completely still.
Like she had been waiting for this moment for twenty-three years.
“Mom,” I whispered.
She didn’t respond.
“Mom, who did this?””
Her fingers tightened around the phone.
“Richard.””
The certainty in her voice sent a chill through me.
“How do you know?””
“Because he always sends the same message.””
I frowned.
“What message?””
She looked at me.
“The one that says he knows where you are.””
I felt my stomach drop.
“You’ve received threats before?””
My mother looked away.
“Not like this.””
I picked up the notebook from the table.
“Then why didn’t you tell me?””
“Because you were a child.””
“I’m not a child anymore.””
She looked at me.
“No.””
Her eyes filled with fear.
“That’s exactly why I’m scared.””
Before I could answer, there was a knock at the door.
Both of us froze.
Three slow knocks.
Not a neighbor.
Not someone in a hurry.
Someone who wanted us to know they were there.
My mother immediately grabbed the notebook.
“Emily, go to your room.””
“No.””
“Please.””
I had never heard my mother sound like that.
Not angry.
Not worried.
Terrified.
The knocking came again.
This time louder.
“Sarah.””
The voice on the other side made my blood run cold.
Richard Mitchell.
My mother closed her eyes.
“He came himself.””
I moved closer to the door.
“Don’t open it.””
My mother looked at me.
“I know.””
For a few seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Richard said:
“I know you have the notebook.””
My mother looked at me.
He knew.
He knew exactly why he was here.
“Sarah,” Richard continued.
“You were always too stubborn.””
My mother stepped toward the door.
“Leave.””
Richard laughed softly.
“You still think this is about money.””
My mother’s hand shook.
“Then what is it about?””
A pause.
“The truth.””
I felt anger rising.
“The truth is exactly what you’re afraid of.””
Silence.
Then Richard replied:
“You don’t know what you’re dealing with.””
My mother looked at the door.
“No.””
Her voice became stronger.
“You don’t know who you’re dealing with anymore.””
A few seconds passed.
Then the footsteps disappeared.
We waited.
Ten seconds.
Twenty.
A full minute.
Finally, my mother unlocked the door slightly and looked outside.
The hallway was empty.
But something had been left on the floor.
An envelope.
She picked it up carefully.
Inside was a single photograph.
I recognized it immediately.
Mr. Ellis.
A younger Mr. Ellis.
Standing outside the school.
Beside him was another man.
Richard.
And between them was a child.
Daniel.
On the back of the photo was a handwritten sentence.
*You still don’t know what happened to Daniel’s mother.*
My mother dropped the photo.
“Mom?””
She looked like she had seen a ghost.
“What?””
Her voice was barely a whisper.
“Richard told everyone Daniel’s mother left.””
I stared.
“Was that a lie too?””
My mother didn’t answer.
And that silence was enough.
The next morning, I went straight to Westbrook.
I found Mr. Ellis in his office.
He looked exhausted.
When he saw my face, he knew something had happened.
“What did Richard do?””
I placed the photograph on his desk.
His hands froze.
“Where did you get this?””
“He left it at my house.””
Mr. Ellis looked at Daniel.
Then at Richard.
Then his expression changed.
“What is it?””
I asked.
Mr. Ellis sat down slowly.
“I thought this secret was gone forever.””
“Whose secret?””
He looked at me.
“Daniel’s mother.””
I waited.
Then he said:
“She didn’t leave us.””
May you like
The room felt silent.
“She disappeared.””
