Chapter 2: The Door at the End of the Hall
Daniel carried Sophie upstairs while Ethan followed close behind.
Vanessa remained in the living room.
“Daniel, we need to talk,” she called.
“We will.””
“Not in front of the children.””
Daniel stopped on the staircase.
“Then you should have thought about that before you raised a strap against my son.””
Vanessa's face tightened.
“I was correcting his behavior.””
“You can explain that to the pediatrician.””
Her expression changed immediately.
“The pediatrician? That's ridiculous.””
Daniel continued upstairs.
He placed Sophie on the bed in the master bedroom and sat beside her. She refused to release his index finger.
Every time he shifted, her tiny fingers tightened.
“I'm not leaving, sweetheart.””
Ethan stood near the doorway.
Daniel patted the mattress.
“Come sit with me.””
The boy climbed onto the bed.
For a moment, the three of them stayed together in silence.
Then Daniel noticed something.
Ethan was watching the bedroom door.
Not casually.
He was listening for footsteps.
“Buddy, does Vanessa usually come upstairs when I'm away?””
Ethan nodded.
“She checks our room.””
“What does she check?””
“Our drawers. Our toys. Sometimes she takes things.””
“What things?””
Ethan hesitated.
“My dinosaur.””
Daniel frowned.
“Your green dinosaur?””
Ethan nodded.
“She said I didn't deserve it because I was bad.””
Daniel rubbed his forehead.
“And Sophie's toys?””
“She took Sophie's music bunny.””
Daniel remembered buying that stuffed rabbit shortly after Sophie was born. It played a soft lullaby when its belly was pressed.
“Why would she take that?””
Ethan looked down.
“Because Sophie cried when Vanessa locked her in the room.””
Daniel felt his stomach drop.
“Ethan, I need you to tell me exactly what happened.””
The boy glanced toward his sister.
Then he spoke in a whisper.
“Vanessa said Sophie was making too much noise. She carried her into the little room and shut the door.””
“How long?””
“I don't know.””
“Did you hear Sophie crying?””
Ethan nodded.
“I knocked. Vanessa told me to go away.””
Daniel's jaw tightened.
“What did you do?””
“I tried the handle.””
“And?””
“She pushed me.””
Ethan's voice became smaller.
“Then she said if I told you, she'd put Sophie in there again.””
Daniel pulled his son into a hug.
“You did the right thing by protecting your sister.””
Ethan's shoulders began to shake.
“I didn't want her to be alone.””
“You won't have to protect her by yourself anymore.””
A soft knock interrupted them.
Vanessa stood outside the bedroom.
“Daniel, dinner is ready.””
“Bring it up later.””
“It's getting cold.””
“I don't care.””
Her eyes moved toward Ethan.
“Ethan, go downstairs. I need to speak with your father.””
Daniel immediately shifted.
“He stays.””
Vanessa smiled tightly.
“Daniel, adults need privacy.””
“Not when the conversation concerns what happened to my children.””
Her smile disappeared.
“You're allowing him to manipulate you.””
Daniel took out his phone.
“I've already called someone.””
Vanessa's eyes narrowed.
“Who?””
“Our pediatrician. And I'm arranging for both children to be examined.””
“You cannot be serious.””
“I've never been more serious.””
Vanessa stepped inside and closed the bedroom door.
“Listen to me carefully. You have been away for four days. You have no idea what it's like managing two children alone.””
Daniel stared at her.
“You agreed to help care for them.””
“I agreed to be your wife, Daniel. Not your children's servant.””
The words hung in the room.
Ethan moved closer to his father.
Vanessa noticed.
Her voice softened artificially.
“Sweetheart, why don't you come downstairs? I'll make your favorite grilled cheese.””
Ethan shook his head.
“I don't want it.””
Vanessa's expression hardened.
“Don't be rude.””
Daniel stood.
“That's enough.””
He took his phone and stepped into the hallway, making arrangements for the children to be seen by a doctor and asking for someone he trusted to come over.
When he returned, Vanessa was standing beside the dresser.
She was holding Sophie's stuffed music bunny.
Daniel recognized it immediately.
“Where did you get that?””
“I found it in the storage room.””
“Why was it there?””
Vanessa shrugged.
“It's broken. I was going to throw it away.””
Sophie suddenly began crying.
She reached toward the rabbit, then buried her face against Daniel.
“It's okay,” he whispered.
He took the toy from Vanessa.
Something rattled inside it.
Daniel pressed the little button on its belly.
A soft melody began.
Then, unexpectedly, a second sound came from the toy.
A woman's voice.
Faint.
Distorted.
But unmistakable.
“Don't tell Daddy what you saw.””
Daniel stopped breathing.
He pressed the button again.
The melody played.
Then the recording continued.
“Your brother will get hurt if you tell him.””
Daniel slowly raised his eyes toward his wife.
Vanessa had gone completely pale.
“Where did you get that recording?”” he asked.
She took a step backward.
“Daniel, that's not what it sounds like.””
He pressed the button one more time.
This time, another voice came through.
A little girl's frightened cry.
And then Vanessa's voice again.
“Now, tell me what your daddy keeps in his office.””
Daniel stared at the toy.
His daughter wasn't simply afraid of punishment.
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Someone had been questioning a fifteen-month-old child about his private office.
But why?
