Chapter 2: The Stranger Who Knew Her Secret
For several seconds, I couldn’t breathe.
The man’s voice was unfamiliar.
Deep.
Calm.
Too calm.
Under the bed, I pressed my hand over my mouth.
Then I heard another sound.
A backpack dropping onto the floor.
Maya.
She was in the room.
But she wasn’t supposed to be.
“Where is it?”” the man asked.
“I told you, I don’t have it.””
My daughter’s voice sounded different.
Small.
Afraid.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Every instinct screamed at me to crawl out and protect her.
But something stopped me.
Fear.
Not for myself.
For Maya.
Because I needed to know what I was walking into.
The man sighed.
“You’re making this harder than it needs to be.””
“I said I don’t have it!””
Maya’s voice cracked.
A chair scraped across the floor.
“What happened to you?”” the man asked.
“What are you talking about?””
“You used to understand.””
My stomach twisted.
Used to?
How did this man know my daughter?
I slowly shifted my phone, preparing to record.
The man continued.
“You promised you wouldn’t tell anyone.””
Maya whispered, “I didn’t.””
“Your mother knows something.””
My entire body went cold.
“She only asked about school.””
“Then she’s suspicious.””
A silence followed.
Then Maya said something that made my heart break.
“I don’t want to do this anymore.””
The man laughed softly.
Not kindly.
“You don’t get to decide that.””
My fingers tightened around my phone.
I wanted to explode out from under that bed.
But I stayed.
Because I needed evidence.
Because I needed to understand.
The man walked closer to Maya.
“You know what happens if people find out.””
Maya didn’t answer.
“Maya.””
Her voice trembled.
“I’m scared.””
For the first time in thirteen years, I heard my daughter sound like a little girl.
Not a teenager.
Not someone growing up.
A child.
The man lowered his voice.
“Your mother can’t help you.””
That was it.
I moved.
I started crawling out.
But before my head appeared from under the bed, Maya spoke.
“No.””
The word stopped me.
“No?””
“You said you wouldn’t hurt her.””
The room became silent.
The man didn’t answer immediately.
Then he said:
“I never said that.””
My blood turned to ice.
I grabbed my phone and prepared to call 911.
But suddenly, the front door opened again.
Another person entered.
A woman’s voice echoed through the hallway.
“Maya?””
The man froze.
“Who is that?””
Maya gasped.
“My mom.””
The boots moved quickly.
The man grabbed something from the desk.
“What did you do?””
“I didn’t do anything!””
The bedroom door flew open.
And then I heard a voice I recognized.
A voice that made everything more confusing.
“Renee?””
I crawled out from under the bed.
Standing in the doorway was Mrs. Patterson.
My neighbor.
The woman who had warned me.
Her face went pale.
The man looked shocked.
And Maya burst into tears.
“Mom…”
I stood up slowly.
“What is going on?””
Nobody spoke.
Then Mrs. Patterson looked at Maya.
Then at the man.
And whispered:
“I thought you knew.””
“Knew what?”” I asked.
Her eyes filled with regret.
“That Maya wasn’t running away from school.””
May you like
She paused.
“She was running from him.””
