Chapter 6: The Person She Tried To Hide
I didn’t speak.
I couldn’t.
The words sat in the room like something physical.
My wife had an ex-husband.
And she had never told me.
I looked at Emma.
“How long were you planning to keep this from me?””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“It wasn’t like that.””
“Then what was it like?””
She opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
That was becoming her answer too often.
Silence.
Avoidance.
Secrets.
David stepped back.
“I should go.””
I looked at him.
“No.””
He stopped.
“I need to know everything.””
He nodded slowly.
“Then you need to hear it from her.””
He left.
The door closed.
And suddenly it was just me and Emma.
The same house.
The same walls.
But now there was another person between us.
A person I had never known existed.
“His name was Ryan,” Emma said.
I sat down.
“Your ex-husband?””
She nodded.
“We were married when I was twenty-three.””
“How long?””
“Two years.””
“And you never mentioned him?””
Her eyes dropped.
“No.””
“Why?””
“Because I wanted that part of my life gone.””
I stared at her.
“People don’t disappear because you stop saying their name.””
She wiped her tears.
“He was controlling.””
I listened.
“He changed after we got married. At first, he was charming. Everyone loved him.””
Her hands trembled.
“Then he started telling me who I could talk to. Where I could go. What I could wear.””
I looked at her.
“Did he hurt you?””
She didn’t answer immediately.
Then she whispered:
“Yes.””
The room went quiet.
I felt anger.
Not at her.
At the man I had never met.
“What happened?””
“He threatened me when I left.””
“When?””
“Years before I met you.””
I shook my head.
“Then why is he part of this?””
Emma looked toward the window.
“Because he found me.””
My stomach tightened.
“When?””
“During my pregnancy.””
The silence afterward felt endless.
“What did he want?””
She looked at me.
“He said he knew I was having a baby.””
I stood.
“What?””
“He said he had been watching my life.””
A cold feeling moved through my body.
“Did he threaten Noah?””
Emma’s eyes filled with fear.
“He said something worse.””
“What?””
She grabbed her phone.
Her fingers shook as she unlocked it.
“There was one message.””
She handed it to me.
The message was from an unknown number.
One sentence.
*You think you escaped me, but now you have something I can take away.*
I stared at the screen.
Suddenly, the bathroom.
The crying.
The choice.
Everything felt different.
“Emma…”
She looked at me.
“I thought if I told you, you would leave.””
“And instead?””
She looked down.
“And instead I pushed you away anyway.””
My phone suddenly rang.
Unknown number.
Both of us froze.
I answered.
“Hello?””
At first, there was only breathing.
Then a man spoke.
“Is this Daniel Carter?””
My grip tightened.
“Yes.””
A pause.
Then:
“You have my son.””
I felt the blood drain from my face.
I looked at Emma.
She covered her mouth.
Because she knew exactly who was calling.
May you like
The voice continued:
“And I want him back.””
