Chapter 2: The Recording No One Expected
Chapter 2: The Recording No One Expected
The hallway was silent.
Even the music drifting up from the ballroom seemed to disappear.
Adrian slowly knelt in front of his son.
His voice trembled.
"Buddy... did she ever lock you in your room before?"
The little boy nodded.
"A lot."
"She said I had to practice being invisible."
A sharp gasp escaped one of the housemaids gathered near the staircase.
The bride quickly stepped forward.
"He's confused."
"He's grieving."
"He doesn't understand what he's saying."
Lena held the boy protectively behind her.
"No."
"He understands perfectly."
She reached into the pocket of her apron.
With shaking fingers, she pulled out a small digital voice recorder.
"I bought this because no one believed him."
The bride's face instantly lost its color.
"Lena..."
"Don't."
But it was too late.
Lena pressed play.
The hallway filled with the bride's unmistakable voice.
"Stop crying."
"Your father only stays with you because he feels guilty."
A few seconds later...
Another recording.
"If you tell Daddy what happens upstairs..."
"...I'll make sure he sends you away."
Then...
The final clip.
The sound of a key turning.
A child crying behind a locked door.
And the bride whispering,
"Good boys stay quiet."
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Adrian closed his eyes.
Every excuse he had ever made for her shattered at once.
