Chapter 2: What She Kept Behind the Closet Door
Part 2 ⬇️
Nobody moved.
Daniel's eyes went straight to the photograph in Lily's hands.
Not to Lily.
Not to me.
To the photograph.
"Come here, sweetheart," I said softly.
I climbed the stairs slowly, the way you approach something fragile.
Lily didn't move.
She held the photo against her chest like she was protecting it.
"Where did you find that?" Daniel called up.
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
"Daniel." I turned around.
"Don't."
I sat beside Lily on the top step.
She let me look at the photo.
It was a birthday party.
A kitchen I didn't recognize.
Three men standing together, laughing.
Daniel was one of them.
"Who are the other men, Lily?"
She pointed to the one on the left.
"That one used to bring food." Then she pointed to the middle.
"That one had the key."
I looked at Daniel.
He was already standing at the bottom of the stairs.
"That photo is old," he said.
"That doesn't mean anything."
"Then why do you look so frightened?"
He opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Lily tugged my sleeve and whispered four words I will never forget.
"There's more in there."
She pointed to her bedroom closet.
My hand was shaking as I reached for the handle.
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What was hidden in that closet changed everything — and Daniel's reaction to it was something I never expected.
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