Chapter 2: The Secret Derek Buried
Derek stood completely still.
For the first time since I walked in, he looked afraid.
Not angry.
Not defensive.
Afraid.
I picked up my phone and looked at the message again.
Ask him about Emma.
“Who is Emma?”” I asked.
Derek immediately looked away.
“No one.””
Ava was still holding my hand.
I could feel her trembling.
“Don’t lie to me,” I said.
Derek walked toward the kitchen.
“Aaliyah, you came home exhausted. You’re upset. You’re seeing things that aren’t there.””
I followed him.
“No. I’m seeing my daughter on the floor with a sign around her neck.””
His face tightened.
“That was one mistake.””
“One mistake?””
“Yes.””
I stared at him.
“You think this is about one mistake?””
Derek rubbed his forehead.
“You’re twisting everything.””
Behind me, Ava quietly spoke.
“Mommy…”
I turned around.
She looked down at the floor.
“What is it, baby?””
Her voice was barely audible.
“Derek told me not to tell you.””
My chest tightened.
“Tell me what?””
Ava looked toward Derek.
He immediately stepped forward.
“Ava.””
The way he said her name made her flinch.
I moved in front of her.
“Don’t.””
Derek stopped.
I had never seen my husband look at me like that before.
Like he was calculating what to say next.
“Aaliyah,” he said slowly, “children exaggerate.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“My daughter is scared of you.””
“She’s confused.””
“She’s nine.””
Derek looked frustrated.
“She doesn’t understand discipline.””
I almost laughed.
Because I finally understood.
He didn’t think he had done anything wrong.
He thought he was entitled to control her.
That was worse.
I walked back to my phone.
“Who sent this?””
Derek didn’t answer.
“Who is Emma?””
Silence.
Then he said:
“Someone from before.””
“Before what?””
He looked at me.
“Before you.””
The words hit harder than I expected.
I had known Derek for four years.
I knew his favorite foods.
His habits.
His dreams.
But suddenly, I wondered how much I really knew.
“Why would someone tell me to ask about her?””
Derek grabbed his jacket.
“I’m not doing this tonight.””
“You’re leaving?””
“I need space.””
“No.””
My voice surprised even me.
“You don’t get to walk away.””
He stopped at the door.
“You’re choosing this?””
I looked at Ava.
My daughter was standing behind me, holding the torn cardboard sign in her hands.
A sign she should have never worn.
A sign that somehow represented everything she had been too afraid to say.
“Yes,” I whispered.
“I’m choosing her.””
Derek stared at me.
Then his expression changed.
“You have no idea what you’re about to uncover.””
The words sent a cold feeling through me.
“What does that mean?””
He opened the door.
“You should ask Emma why she disappeared.””
Then he walked out.
I stood there frozen.
A few minutes later, after making sure Ava was safe in her room, I searched through old messages, photos, and files.
Nothing.
No Emma.
No clue.
Until I opened an old box from Derek’s previous apartment.
Inside was a folded document.
A photo.
And a name written across the top.
Emma Carter.
My hands started shaking.
Because standing beside Derek in the picture was a little girl.
A girl around Ava’s age.
And written on the back of the photo was one sentence:
“She knows what he did.””
I stared at those words for a long time.
Then my phone rang.
The caller ID showed a name I had never seen before.
Emma Carter.
I answered.
A woman’s frightened voice whispered through the phone.
“Aaliyah… you finally found me.””
I held my breath.
“Who are you?””
There was a long pause.
May you like
Then she said:
“I’m the reason Derek was never supposed to be around your daughter.””
