Chapter 9: Someone Was Watching Me
I dropped my phone.
For a few seconds, I couldn’t move.
The photo was blurry.
Dark.
But there was no mistake.
It was my bedroom.
My bed.
My face.
Sleeping.
Someone had been inside my room.
I grabbed the phone again and ran downstairs.
“Dad!””
He immediately stood up.
“What happened?””
I handed him the phone.
The color drained from his face.
“When was this taken?””
“I don’t know.””
Tara looked over.
“What is it?””
My dad didn’t answer.
He just stared at her.
Then he looked around the room.
“Everyone stay here.””
He moved through the house quickly.
Checking doors.
Checking windows.
Checking locks.
I stood in the middle of the living room, shaking.
The fear wasn’t just about Lucas anymore.
It was about the possibility that someone had been close to me without me knowing.
Someone had seen things I never shared.
Someone had crossed a line.
My dad came back a few minutes later.
“Everything is locked.””
“That doesn’t make sense,” I said.
He looked at me.
“What?””
“If someone was inside my room, they didn’t break in.””
The silence that followed was terrifying.
Because everyone realized the same thing.
They had access.
Tara sat down slowly.
“Oh my God.””
My dad looked at her.
“What?””
She covered her mouth.
“Lucas knew the house.””
“How?””
She hesitated.
Then whispered:
“He said he had been here before.””
My dad’s expression changed.
“When?””
“I don’t know.””
“You don’t know?””
“He said he came by once when Emma wasn’t home.””
My hands curled into fists.
“So you let him into our lives, and you don’t even know when he was around?””
Tara looked devastated.
“I made a mistake.””
I shook my head.
“No. You made choices.””
The doorbell rang.
Everyone froze.
My dad moved toward the door.
“Don’t open it.””
But the doorbell rang again.
Then a voice came through the speaker.
“Michael.””
My dad looked at the screen.
And his face changed.
“Who is it?”” I asked.
He didn’t answer.
I walked closer.
The camera showed a man standing on the porch.
Older.
Tired.
Holding something in his hand.
Uncle Daniel.
My dad opened the door.
“What are you doing here?””
Daniel looked past him.
At me.
“I came because you need to know the truth.””
My dad stepped outside.
“You’ve done enough.””
“No.””
Daniel shook his head.
“I should have told you years ago.””
My heart started pounding.
“Told us what?””
Daniel looked at me.
Then at Tara.
And his expression became serious.
“The reason Lucas came back into your life wasn’t random.””
I stepped forward.
“What are you talking about?””
Daniel pulled a folder from his bag.
“I found this two weeks ago.””
My dad took it.
“What is it?””
Daniel looked at Tara.
“Records.””
Tara went pale.
“What records?””
Daniel didn’t answer her.
He looked at me.
“Your mother’s records.””
I froze.
My mother had died when I was young.
Anything connected to her was precious.
“What do they have to do with Lucas?””
Daniel’s voice lowered.
“Everything.””
My dad opened the folder.
The first page made him stop breathing.
I moved closer.
And I saw a name written across the top.
A name I never expected.
Not Lucas.
Not Tara.
Mine.
Daniel looked at me.
“Emma, there’s something about your mother’s inheritance that nobody ever told you.””
And then my dad turned the page.
His hands started shaking.
May you like
Because the truth wasn’t about missing money anymore.
It was about why someone wanted me out of this house.
