Chapter 12 — The House

The person helping him… …was already inside the house. For a moment, neither of us moved. I could hear my own breathing. Too loud. Too fast. Adrian slowly lowered his phone. “Stay behind me.” I didn't argue this time. Another floorboard creaked downstairs. Adrian looked toward the door. Then toward the staircase. His hand disappeared beneath his jacket. I swallowed. “Does he have a gun?” “I don't know.” “You said he was dangerous.” “He is.” “That wasn't my question.” Adrian glanced at me. “I don't know what he brought.” A cold feeling crawled down my spine. Someone was downstairs. Someone who knew about my father. Someone who knew about my mother. Someone who knew I'd opened the safe. And somehow, they had gotten inside without us noticing. Adrian stepped toward the hallway. I followed. He stopped immediately. I nearly walked into him. “What?” He held up one finger. Listen. I did. Nothing. Then— A soft metallic sound came from downstairs. Click. My heart jumped. Adrian's expression hardened. “Stay here.” He started walking. I grabbed his sleeve. “Don't.” He looked back at me. “If you go down there alone—” “I won't be alone.” “You don't know who's down there.” “Neither do you.” His jaw tightened. “Exactly.” He gently pulled my hand away. “Lock the door behind me.” “And then what?” “Don't open it for anyone.” “Even you?” “Especially if you don't know it's me.” I stared at him. “How am I supposed to know?” He paused. Then he said quietly, “I'll knock three times.” He turned. I watched him disappear down the stairs. One step. Two. Three. Then nothing. I stood there alone. The silence felt different now. It wasn't peaceful. It was waiting. I looked at the photograph still clutched in my hand. He isn't alone anymore. My mother's handwriting. Four words that had somehow turned the entire house into a trap. I walked back into the room and locked the door. Click. I stepped away. My phone vibrated. I nearly dropped it. Unknown number. I stared at the screen. A message. Don't trust him. I froze. Another message appeared. He didn't tell you everything. My fingers went cold. I typed. Who are you? The message showed as delivered. No reply. I waited. Nothing. Then— Look behind you. My blood ran cold. I slowly turned around. Nothing. The room was empty. I let out a shaky breath. Then I noticed the window. It was open. I was certain I'd closed it earlier. I moved toward it. The curtains shifted slightly. “Adrian?” No answer. I took another step. Something was sitting on the windowsill. A small black object. I picked it up. A USB drive. My stomach dropped. I knew it immediately. It was identical to the one I'd found in the safe. Except this one had something written across it. My name. FOR YOU. I stared at it. Someone had placed it there. Recently. Which meant— They had been in this room. With me. I backed away from the window. My phone vibrated again. Play it. I didn't. Another message. You want the truth, don't you? I stared at the screen. Then another. Your mother lied about who your father was. My breathing stopped. No. That couldn't be right. I'd just spent the last hour learning that my father wasn't dead. That he'd hurt my mother. That he'd disappeared. That he'd been looking for me. What else could possibly be a lie? I looked at the USB in my hand. Then toward the locked door. Adrian was still downstairs. I could hear nothing. No footsteps. No voices. Nothing. I connected the USB to my laptop. One file appeared. <a class="tc-blue external-link" href="https://DONTWATCH.mp" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DONTWATCH.mp </a>4 I stared at the name. “Seriously?” My hands were shaking. I clicked it. The screen went black. Then the video began. My mother appeared. But this time, she wasn't sitting in the same room as before. She was standing. And she looked terrified. I leaned closer. “If you're watching this,” she whispered, “then something has gone wrong.” I swallowed. She looked behind her. Then back at the camera. “There is something I never told you about your father.” My heart started pounding. “He wasn't the man you think he was.” I frowned. I almost laughed. Of course. She continued. “And neither was I.” I stopped breathing. The video flickered. For half a second, another person appeared behind her. A man. I paused the video. My blood turned cold. I knew that face. I'd seen it before. Not in a photograph. Not in the house. Somewhere else. I rewound the video. Played it again. There he was. Standing behind my mother. Watching her. Watching the camera. Watching me. I whispered, “No…” The door handle moved. I froze. Once. Twice. Then three times. Knock. Knock. Knock. I stared at the door. Adrian. He'd said three knocks. I reached for the lock. Then stopped. My eyes moved back to the laptop. To the frozen image of the man behind my mother. I knew him. I finally remembered where I'd seen him. My stomach dropped. He was the man who had been standing beside my mother in the photograph. The man I thought was my father. Except— He wasn't. The door knocked again. Three times. “It's me,” Adrian said from the other side. I stared at the door. Then at the photograph. Then at the man on the screen. And for the first time, I wondered if Adrian had been telling me the truth at all.

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