Chapter 9: The Drawer Under the Floor
Marcus didn’t wait.
He left Daniel’s office immediately.
He didn’t care about the unanswered questions.
He didn’t care about the documents.
He only cared about one thing.
Caleb.
His nine-year-old son had discovered something hidden by Vanessa.
And he had been scared enough to contact Daniel.
That alone told Marcus everything he needed to know.
When he arrived home, the front door was unlocked.
“Caleb?””
No answer.
“Caleb!””
A small voice came from upstairs.
“Dad?””
Marcus ran.
He found Caleb sitting on the floor in the bedroom.
A wooden drawer had been pulled from beneath the closet floor.
Papers were scattered everywhere.
Caleb looked terrified.
“I didn’t mean to break it.””
Marcus immediately knelt beside him.
“Hey.””
The boy looked up.
“I was looking for my baseball.””
Marcus softened.
“You found this?””
Caleb nodded.
“I didn’t know it was there.””
Marcus looked at the drawer.
“What’s inside?””
Caleb pointed.
“I didn’t touch most of it.””
Marcus opened the first folder.
His breathing slowed.
Inside were photographs.
Not old ones.
Recent ones.
Nia at school.
Nia walking home.
Nia sitting outside the library.
Marcus felt a chill.
“Why does Mom have these?””
Caleb shook his head.
“I don’t know.””
The next folder contained printed messages.
Marcus read them.
His face changed.
They were conversations.
Between Vanessa and someone named “R.””
Most were short.
Most were vague.
But one message stopped him.
“Marcus is becoming suspicious. I need more time.””
Another:
“Daniel cannot find out what happened.””
Another:
“Nia must believe she has nowhere else to go.””
Marcus felt anger rise.
Not explosive.
Cold.
Controlled.
He looked at Caleb.
“Where is your mom?””
Caleb swallowed.
“I don’t know.””
“When did she leave?””
“This morning.””
“Did she say anything?””
Caleb shook his head.
“She hugged Ava.””
Marcus frowned.
“Only Ava?””
Caleb looked down.
“She didn’t say goodbye to Nia.””
That hurt more than Marcus expected.
Because Nia had been waiting her entire life for Vanessa to choose her.
And Vanessa had walked away.
Marcus continued searching.
At the bottom of the drawer was a small black notebook.
Different from Nia’s.
Older.
The first page contained a name.
Rachel.
Marcus turned the page.
The handwriting belonged to Vanessa.
But the words were not what he expected.
“Rachel knows everything.””
Marcus turned another page.
“Rachel helped me six years ago.””
Another.
“If Daniel returns, Rachel knows what to do.””
Marcus stopped.
Who was Rachel?
Then he saw the last entry.
Written only weeks earlier.
“If Marcus discovers the truth, Rachel will handle it.””
A noise came from behind him.
Marcus turned.
Nia stood in the doorway.
Her face was pale.
“What did you find?””
Marcus immediately closed the notebook.
“Nia.””
She stepped forward.
“Is it about me?””
He hated that she asked that.
Because children should not have to ask whether adults’ secrets were about them.
“Come here.””
She didn’t move.
“Dad.””
Her voice shook.
“Is everyone trying to get rid of me?””
Marcus felt his heart break.
“No.””
“Then why does everyone keep secrets about me?””
He had no answer.
So he gave her the only thing he knew was true.
“Because adults make selfish choices.””
Nia looked at him.
“But I’m the one who gets hurt.””
Marcus swallowed.
“Yes.””
He didn’t lie.
“Yes, you are.””
A few minutes later, Marcus found a phone number hidden inside the notebook.
Rachel.
He called.
The phone rang once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then a woman answered.
“Hello?””
“Is this Rachel?””
Silence.
Then:
“Who is this?””
“My name is Marcus Bennett.””
Another pause.
Longer.
More frightened.
“Why do you have this number?””
Marcus looked at the notebook.
“Because Vanessa wrote your name.””
The woman stopped breathing.
Then she whispered,
“She told me this day would come.””
Marcus tightened his grip on the phone.
“What day?””
The woman’s voice trembled.
“The day someone finally found out what Vanessa did.””
Marcus stood still.
“What did she do?””
Rachel didn’t answer immediately.
Then she said:
“Mr. Bennett… before you ask anything else, you need to know something.””
“What?””
A long pause.
Then Rachel whispered:
“Vanessa wasn’t the person who took Nia away from her mother.””
Marcus felt the room spin.
“Then who was?””
Rachel’s answer came quietly.
May you like
And it changed everything.
“Emily was trying to protect Nia from someone else.””
