Chapter 6 - The Secret Safe
I ran down the stairs,
my feet flying over the concrete,
my phone clutched tightly in my hand.
I could hear his footsteps behind me,
heavy,
fast,
and closing the distance.
"Emma, stop!"
he yelled,
his voice echoing in the stairwell.
I didn't look back.
I burst through the exit doors,
into the bright lobby,
rushing straight to the daycare center.
I grabbed Noah,
who was holding a toy truck,
and pulled him into my arms.
"We have to go, sweetie,"
I gasped,
running out to the parking lot.
I threw him into his car seat,
slammed the door,
and jumped into the driver's seat.
Just as I started the engine,
Ethan slammed his hands against my window.
His face was twisted with rage.
"Give me the phone!"
he screamed,
trying to shatter the glass.
I put the car in reverse,
slammed on the gas,
and tires screeched as I backed out.
He chased the car for a few yards,
before falling behind,
panting in the cold night air.
I drove away,
my heart beating so fast,
I thought it would burst.
I had the video.
I had the proof that they were lying.
But I needed more.
I remembered the old house,
the one Ethan's grandfather left him,
located deep in the countryside.
Ethan used it as a storage space,
but he always kept a private safe there.
If there was cash,
or foreign bank documents,
they would be in that safe.
It was a risk,
a massive risk,
but I had no choice.
We arrived at the cabin at 3:00 a.m.
It was dark,
surrounded by dense woods,
the wind howling through the pines.
I carried Noah inside,
laying him on an old couch,
wrapping him in a dusty blanket.
I found the safe in the floorboards,
beneath a loose piece of rug,
just where he said it would never be.
The code.
What was the code?
I tried our wedding anniversary.
Error.
I tried Noah's birthday.
Error.
I tried Claire's birthday.
Click.
The safe opened.
My jaw tightened in anger.
Inside,
lay neat stacks of hundred-dollar bills.
At least fifty thousand dollars.
And beside the money,
a black ledger,
filled with names and numbers.
I opened it,
and the first name I saw,
made my blood run cold.
It was my father's name.
Beside it,
the words:
"Paid in full."
My father was involved.
May you like
The betrayal went deeper,
than I ever could have imagined.
