Chapter 5: The Message He Left Behind
The message was only three lines long.
But those three lines changed the entire situation.
Tara held the phone tightly.
My dad stepped closer.
I stayed where I was.
I wasn’t sure I wanted to see it.
Because some part of me already knew whatever was on that screen would hurt.
My dad read it first.
His face hardened.
Then he handed the phone to me.
The message was from Lucas.
*“I know how to get Emma to leave. Just trust me.””*
My hands went cold.
I read it again.
And again.
The words didn’t change.
Just trust me.
Get Emma to leave.
I looked up at Tara.
“You knew about this?””
She looked ashamed.
“I didn’t know what he meant.””
“You didn’t know?””
My voice rose.
“He literally wrote that he wanted me gone.””
“I thought he was talking about helping you move on.””
I stared at her.
“Helping me?””
My laugh came out bitter.
“He wanted to remove me from my own home.””
My dad took the phone from me.
“When did he send this?””
Tara looked down.
“Three days ago.””
My dad’s expression changed.
“And you didn’t tell me?””
“I was scared.””
“Scared of what?””
She didn’t answer.
Because the answer was obvious.
She was scared of admitting she had made a mistake.
Again.
I walked into the living room and sat down.
My mind was racing.
Lucas had always been manipulative.
But this was different.
This was planned.
He wasn’t trying to apologize.
He wasn’t trying to fix anything.
He was trying to get close enough to hurt me.
My dad sat across from me.
“Emma, I’m sorry.””
I looked at him.
“For what?””
“For not seeing what was happening.””
I wanted to say it wasn’t his fault.
But part of me was still angry.
Because if Tara had succeeded, I would have been thrown out.
Based on a lie.
A lie created by someone from my past.
A few hours later, my dad called Lucas.
I sat nearby while the phone rang.
One ring.
Two.
Three.
Then he answered.
“Michael?””
The confidence in Lucas’s voice made my skin crawl.
My dad put the phone on speaker.
“Why have you been contacting Tara?””
A pause.
Then Lucas laughed.
“Wow. She told you?””
My dad’s eyes narrowed.
“Told me what?””
Another pause.
“I guess there’s no point pretending anymore.””
I felt my stomach twist.
My dad stood.
“What are you doing?””
Lucas sounded calm.
Too calm.
“I’m helping Emma.””
I almost laughed.
“Helping me?””
My dad looked at me.
“Lucas, stay away from my daughter.””
There was silence.
Then Lucas said something that made the room go completely still.
“I was trying to protect her.””
My dad frowned.
“From what?””
Lucas sighed.
“From the truth about Tara.””
Everyone looked at Tara.
Her face changed instantly.
“What truth?”” my dad asked.
Lucas didn’t answer right away.
Instead, he said:
“You really think she lost fifty dollars by accident?””
My heartbeat quickened.
My dad looked confused.
“What are you talking about?””
Lucas continued.
“Ask her where the rest of the money went.””
The call ended.
Just like that.
No goodbye.
No explanation.
Only silence.
I looked at Tara.
She looked terrified.
Not angry.
Not defensive.
Terrified.
My dad slowly turned toward her.
“Tara.””
She didn’t move.
“Is there something else you haven’t told me?””
Her lips parted.
But no words came out.
Then her phone buzzed.
Everyone looked down.
A new message appeared.
From Lucas.
May you like
And this time, it wasn’t a warning.
It was a photograph.
