Chapter 2: The Thing Hidden Below

I didn’t leave.

Not immediately.

I knew something was wrong, but I also knew walking out that door would leave Sophia alone with the two people she was afraid of.

So I smiled.

I played along.

“I just need some fresh air,” I said.

Daniel watched me carefully.

“You’re acting strange.””

I laughed lightly.

“Long drive. I’m tired.””

Vanessa crossed her arms.

“You always overthink everything.””

Maybe she was right.

Maybe I was jumping to conclusions.

Maybe there was an explanation.

But then Sophia looked at me.

Just once.

A tiny glance.

The kind only someone desperate would make.

I knew.

I waited until Daniel and Vanessa returned to the living room.

Then I walked back toward the dining room.

The Christmas lights reflected off the polished wooden table.

Sophia’s chair sat exactly where it had been.

I touched the back.

Nothing.

I looked underneath.

At first, I saw nothing unusual.

Then I noticed a small scratch on the floor.

The chair had been moved recently.

I pulled it away.

My heart started beating faster.

There was something taped underneath the seat.

A small plastic bag.

Inside was a folded piece of paper.

And something else.

A tiny audio recorder.

I stared at it.

Why would a five-year-old child hide a recorder under her chair?

I heard footsteps.

I quickly grabbed everything and stood up.

Daniel appeared in the doorway.

“What are you doing?””

I turned around.

“Looking for Sophia’s rabbit.””

His expression changed.

Just for a second.

But I saw it.

Fear.

Then it disappeared.

“You’re being weird, Michael.””

I smiled.

“So are you.””

The room went silent.

Daniel stepped closer.

“Excuse me?””

I held up my hands.

“Relax. I’m just tired.””

He stared at me.

Then walked away.

But his eyes never left mine.

Later that night, after everyone went to bed, I sat alone in my guest room.

I locked the door.

Then I opened the plastic bag.

The paper was covered with childlike handwriting.

Most of it was difficult to read.

But one sentence was clear.

“Daddy says nobody will believe me.””

My hands tightened around the paper.

Then I turned on the recorder.

At first, there was only silence.

Then a small voice.

Sophia.

“Mommy said I have to sit here.””

A few seconds passed.

Then another voice.

Daniel.

“Stop pretending.””

My blood went cold.

Sophia cried softly.

“My arm hurts.””

Daniel’s voice became harder.

“You always do this when people come over.””

Then Vanessa spoke.

“Daniel, don’t make her cry. Someone might hear.””

I stopped the recording.

I couldn’t listen anymore.

Not because I knew what happened.

Because I was starting to understand what they had been hiding.

But I needed proof.

Real proof.

The next morning, I went downstairs before anyone woke up.

I wanted to find out what was in the basement.

The door was locked.

I tried the handle.

Nothing.

Then I noticed something scratched into the wood.

A message.

Small letters.

Written by a child.

“Don’t open it when Daddy is home.””

I stepped back.

And behind me, someone spoke.

“Looking for something?””

I turned around.

Vanessa was standing in the hallway.

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Smiling.

But her eyes weren’t smiling.