Chapter 6: The Voice From The Past
My grandmother answered the phone on the first ring.
That was the first thing that scared me.
I had expected hesitation.
Surprise.
Some kind of confusion.
Instead, she simply said:
“I was wondering when you would call.””
I froze.
My mother, sitting beside me, heard it through the speaker.
Daniel looked up from the documents.
Nobody moved.
“Grandma,” I said slowly.
“Yes, sweetheart.””
Her voice sounded exactly the same.
Warm.
Gentle.
Like the woman who baked cookies for me every Sunday.
Like the woman who held me while I cried after my mother’s funeral.
“How long have you known my mother was alive?””
Silence.
Not confusion.
Not shock.
Calculation.
Finally, she answered.
“Longer than I wanted to.””
My eyes filled with tears.
“Why?””
She sighed.
“Because your mother made mistakes.””
My mother stood immediately.
“Don’t you dare.””
My grandmother went quiet.
Hearing my mother’s voice seemed to shake her.
“You’re there?””
“Yes,” my mother said.
“And you’re going to tell Lena the truth.””
A long pause followed.
Then my grandmother said something that broke my heart.
“I was trying to protect her.””
I laughed bitterly.
“Protect me?””
My voice shook.
“You let me hate my mother.””
“I thought hatred was safer than grief.””
I stared at the phone.
“What does that even mean?””
My grandmother sighed.
“Your father was becoming dangerous.””
My mother looked at me.
“She knew.””
My grandmother continued.
“Marcus changed after he started working with Vanessa. He became obsessed with money. Control. His image.””
“Then why help him?”” I asked.
The question came out like a scream.
“I didn’t.””
Her answer was immediate.
“I helped your mother escape.””
Nobody spoke.
My mother looked confused.
“What?””
My grandmother continued.
“The night of the accident, I found out Marcus planned something. I confronted him.””
My fingers tightened around the phone.
“Then why did you lie?””
“Because I was too late.””
Her voice broke.
“Your mother survived, but Marcus knew she was alive. He had people watching hospitals. He knew she would come back for you.””
My mother covered her mouth.
“I tried to get you both out.””
My grandmother paused.
“But then Marcus discovered my plan.””
The room felt colder.
“What did he do?””
“He threatened Lena.””
My breathing stopped.
“He said if I helped your mother, he would make sure you disappeared too.””
I closed my eyes.
The truth hurt more than the lies.
Because my father hadn’t just tried to destroy my mother.
He had used me as a weapon.
My grandmother continued.
“I made the worst choice of my life.””
“What choice?””
“I stayed quiet.””
The words hung there.
My mother turned away.
For years, she had been alone.
For years, she thought everyone abandoned her.
But someone had known.
Someone had watched.
And someone had been afraid.
“Where are you now?”” I asked.
My grandmother didn’t answer.
“Grandma?””
A strange sound came through the phone.
Like she was crying.
Then she whispered:
“Lena, you need to leave that house.””
My blood went cold.
“What?””
“Right now.””
The fear in her voice was real.
“Why?””
A crash sounded in the background.
My grandmother gasped.
“Because he knows I told you.””
The call went silent.
“Grandma?””
Nothing.
“Grandma!””
I grabbed the phone.
Then a message appeared on the screen.
Unknown number.
One sentence.
*You should have stopped digging.*
My mother saw it.
Her face turned pale.
Daniel stood up.
“What happened?””
I showed him the message.
He read it.
Then slowly looked toward the window.
“Everyone thought Marcus was the only threat.””
He swallowed.
“But someone else has been watching this entire time.””
Outside the school building, a black car sat parked across the street.
The engine was running.
May you like
And inside the windshield…
someone was watching us.
