Chapter 2: The Videos She Never Knew Existed
The first video lasted only forty-three seconds.
But it was enough to destroy every excuse I had made for Brenda.
I sat on the edge of Nia's bed, staring at the phone in Ava's trembling hands.
My daughter stood beside me, silent.
Too silent.
A child who had been hurt learns how to disappear.
I hated that I hadn't noticed sooner.
Ava pressed play.
The screen showed our dining room.
The angle was strange, low, almost hidden.
Then I realized where she had placed the phone.
Under the water glass.
Exactly where she had been sitting.
The video began with the sound of plates clattering.
Brenda's voice filled the room.
"You're eating in the kitchen tonight.""
My chest tightened.
I watched Nia's younger self freeze at the table.
The same expression I had seen earlier.
Confusion.
Fear.
A desperate attempt to understand what she had done wrong.
"Why?"" Nia asked in the recording.
Brenda didn't even look at her.
"Because I said so.""
I gripped the edge of the bed.
I had heard those words before.
But hearing them after seeing my daughter's face made them feel different.
Crueler.
The video continued.
Nia looked toward Ethan and Lily.
Their plates were overflowing.
Steam rose from the roasted chicken.
"Can't I have what they're having?"" Nia asked.
Her voice was so quiet that I almost missed it.
Brenda laughed.
Not loudly.
Not like a villain in a movie.
That would have been easier.
No.
It was a casual laugh.
The kind someone gives when they think they have complete control.
"You should be thankful you're eating at all.""
Ava covered her mouth.
I looked at her.
She had tears in her eyes.
"How long have you had this?"" I whispered.
She didn't answer.
Not yet.
The video played on.
Brenda lifted the serving platter.
"This is for my children.""
Nia stared at her.
"I’m his child too.""
Those words hit me harder than anything else.
Because they weren't angry.
They were desperate.
She wasn't fighting for chicken.
She was fighting to know she belonged.
Brenda looked directly at her.
"You aren't mine.""
The room went cold.
Even through the phone speaker, I could hear the silence afterward.
My daughter didn't cry.
She didn't argue.
She simply stood up and walked away.
That was the moment I broke.
I covered my mouth with my hand.
A sound escaped me before I could stop it.
Nia looked at me.
"Dad...""
I shook my head.
"No.""
My voice cracked.
"No, don't comfort me.""
She looked confused.
I reached for her hand.
"You should never have had to comfort me.""
The guilt in my chest felt unbearable.
Ava stopped the video.
"Dad...""
I looked at her.
"How many?""
Her face dropped.
"How many videos did you record?""
She looked down.
"Six.""
Six.
Six moments when my daughter needed someone.
Six moments when I wasn't there.
Six moments when Brenda believed nobody would ever know.
"Why didn't you show me sooner?"" I asked gently.
Ava's eyes filled with tears.
"Because she would know it was me.""
I frowned.
"What do you mean?""
Ava twisted her fingers together.
"Brenda checks everything.""
"Everything?""
"My room. My backpack. My phone.""
She swallowed.
"She says kids don't need privacy when they live under her roof.""
I felt anger rise through me.
But I forced myself to stay calm.
Because this wasn't about my anger.
It was about understanding.
"Why did you record it, Ava?""
She looked at Nia.
"Because I saw what she was doing.""
Ava's voice became smaller.
"And because Nia always cried after.""
Nia looked away.
"I didn't cry.""
Ava turned toward her.
"You cried in the bathroom.""
The room went silent.
Nia's face changed.
She had forgotten.
Or maybe she hoped everyone else had.
I stood up slowly.
"Show me the second video.""
Ava nodded.
She opened another file.
This one was darker.
It showed the hallway outside the kitchen.
Brenda was standing near the pantry.
Nia was holding a bowl.
"What are you doing?"" Brenda asked.
"I was still hungry.""
Brenda looked at the bowl.
Then at her.
"Didn't I already feed you?""
"You gave me bread.""
"And?""
Nia hesitated.
"I thought maybe I could have some more.""
Brenda stepped closer.
The camera shook slightly.
Ava must have been hiding nearby.
"You are becoming entitled.""
My jaw tightened.
"I’m not.""
"Yes, you are.""
Brenda pointed toward the dining room.
"Do you see how grateful my children are?""
Nia didn't answer.
"Do you see them complaining?""
"No.""
"Exactly.""
Brenda leaned closer.
"Maybe if your father spent more time raising you instead of chasing money, you wouldn't be like this.""
I felt my heart drop.
She was blaming me.
But worse—
She was making my daughter carry that blame.
The video ended.
I sat back down.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Nia whispered:
"She said that a lot.""
I turned toward her.
"What?""
"That you don't really want me.""
My breathing stopped.
"What?""
Nia stared at her hands.
"She said you travel because you don't like being home.""
I felt something inside me crack.
"Nia, look at me.""
She didn't.
"Look at me.""
Slowly, she lifted her eyes.
"I love you more than anything.""
A tear rolled down her cheek.
"I know.""
"Do you?""
She nodded.
"Now I do.""
That sentence hurt.
Because it meant there had been a time she wasn't sure.
I sat beside her.
"I need you to tell me everything.""
Her eyes widened.
"Everything?""
"Everything you remember.""
She looked nervous.
"What if you get mad?""
"I am mad.""
Her shoulders dropped.
"But not at you.""
I held her hand.
"Never at you.""
For the next few minutes, Nia told us small things.
Things I had ignored.
Things I had mistaken for normal childhood problems.
Brenda stopped buying her favorite cereal.
She told Nia she was "too old" for certain clothes.
She made her clean the entire house while Ethan and Lily played outside.
She hid birthday cards I sent during my trips.
That last one made me freeze.
"She did what?""
Nia looked down.
"When you sent me cards, she said they were too expensive to mail.""
I stared at her.
"I mailed them to the house.""
"I know.""
"Then where are they?""
She didn't answer.
She didn't have to.
Ava spoke quietly.
"I found them.""
I turned.
"Where?""
"In Brenda's closet.""
The room became silent again.
"Why didn't you tell me?""
Ava looked scared.
"Because I wasn't sure what would happen.""
I walked to the window.
Outside, the neighborhood looked peaceful.
Lights glowing.
Families inside their homes.
People laughing.
Nobody knew what was happening behind our front door.
My phone suddenly buzzed.
The sound made everyone jump.
I looked at the screen.
A message.
From Brenda.
*Where are you?*
I stared at it.
Then another message appeared.
*Nia has been acting strange since you came home. Be careful. She's trying to turn you against me.*
My blood ran cold.
She was already building her story.
Before I even confronted her.
I looked back at Ava.
"She knows something is wrong.""
Ava nodded.
"There is more.""
I turned.
"What do you mean?""
She hesitated.
Then she opened another folder.
Not videos.
Photos.
My eyebrows pulled together.
"What are these?""
Ava's face turned pale.
"I found them on Brenda's tablet.""
She tapped the screen.
The first image appeared.
It was a photo of a suitcase.
Nia's suitcase.
Already packed.
I stopped breathing.
"When was this taken?""
Ava looked at the date.
"Yesterday.""
I looked at Nia.
Her face had gone completely white.
"Why would she pack my suitcase?""
Nobody answered.
Then Ava opened the next photo.
This one showed a document.
A printed letter sitting on Brenda's desk.
I leaned closer.
And the first sentence made my stomach twist.
It was written about my daughter.
And it started with:
"Temporary relocation of minor child...""
I looked at Ava.
"What is this?""
Her voice shook.
"Dad...""
She zoomed in on the bottom of the page.
There was a name.
A signature.
And a date.
A date that was only three days away.
Then my phone buzzed again.
This time, it wasn't Brenda.
It was a message from an unknown number.
One sentence.
May you like
One sentence that made me realize Brenda's plan was much bigger than making Nia eat in the kitchen.
*You need to get your daughter out of that house before she disappears.*
