Chapter 2: The Video I Was Never Supposed To See
I stared at the screen.
Nobody spoke.
The entire hallway felt frozen in time.
The new video file blinked in the corner of the security monitor.
*MIA’S ROOM — PRIVATE RECORDING*
My heart started pounding.
I looked at Victoria.
She wasn’t crying anymore.
She wasn’t angry.
She was terrified.
“Arthur,” she said quietly.
I didn’t answer.
“What is that?””
Her voice was barely a whisper.
I stepped closer to the monitor.
“I was hoping you could tell me.””
Victoria shook her head.
“No. I don’t know why that’s there.””
But she said it too quickly.
Too perfectly.
Mia moved closer to me.
“Daddy…”
I looked down.
Her eyes were fixed on Victoria.
Like she had been waiting for this moment.
“Did something happen before?”” I asked softly.
Mia didn’t answer.
That scared me more than anything.
My daughter was usually full of questions.
Full of stories.
Full of energy.
But now she looked like a child carrying a secret too heavy for her small shoulders.
I pressed the file.
The video opened.
The screen went black for a few seconds.
Then the image appeared.
It was Mia’s bedroom.
Three months earlier.
The camera angle was different.
It was small.
Hidden.
I immediately felt uncomfortable.
“Why is there a camera in my daughter’s room?”” I asked.
Victoria stepped forward.
“I have no idea.””
But her eyes never left the screen.
The video showed Mia sitting on her bed, holding a stuffed rabbit.
Then Victoria walked in.
My jaw tightened.
I remembered that day.
Victoria had told me Mia was being difficult.
She said their conversation was private.
She said everything was fine.
But the video showed something different.
“Mia,” Victoria said on the recording.
The little girl looked up.
“Yes?””
Victoria stood near the door.
“Do you know what happens to children who don’t listen?””
Mia hugged the rabbit.
“I listen.””
“Then why do you keep making your father upset?””
My fists clenched.
Because I remembered that week.
I remembered Mia apologizing to me for things she didn’t do.
At the time, I thought she was just going through a difficult phase.
The video continued.
Victoria sat beside her.
“You know your father loves me, right?””
Mia nodded slowly.
“Yes.””
“And he believes me.””
The little girl looked confused.
“What?””
Victoria smiled.
“He trusts me more than he trusts your little stories.””
I felt something break inside me.
Mia on the floor beside me whispered:
“Daddy…”
I turned away from the screen for a second.
I couldn’t look at her face.
Because I already knew.
I had missed it.
I had been so busy working.
So busy believing everything was normal.
I had ignored the small signs.
The silence.
The fear.
The way Mia always watched Victoria’s expression before speaking.
On the screen, Victoria continued.
“So if you tell him things that aren’t true, he’ll only get upset with you.””
Mia’s voice became small.
“But I don’t lie.””
Victoria smiled.
“Everyone says that.””
I stood up.
“Stop.””
Nobody moved.
The security employee standing near the monitor looked at me.
“Sir?””
“Find out who installed that camera.””
Victoria immediately reacted.
“Arthur, this is going too far.””
I turned toward her.
“Too far?””
“Yes.””
She pointed at the screen.
“You’re twisting everything.””
I laughed once.
A cold, empty sound.
“Twisting?””
I pointed at the video.
“You told my daughter I wouldn’t believe her.””
Victoria’s face hardened.
“She was becoming spoiled.””
“She was eight years old.””
“She needed discipline.””
“No.””
I stepped closer.
“She needed safety.””
The room became quiet again.
Then the security employee spoke.
“Mr. Hayes…”
I looked at him.
“What?””
He hesitated.
“The camera wasn’t part of the original security system.””
My eyes narrowed.
“What does that mean?””
“It was installed separately.””
“By who?””
He looked uncomfortable.
“I checked the device information.””
Everyone waited.
The employee swallowed.
“The camera was registered under Mrs. Hayes’ personal account.””
Victoria immediately turned pale.
“That’s impossible.””
I stared at her.
“You installed a hidden camera in my daughter’s room?””
“No!””
Her voice cracked.
“I installed it because I was worried about her!””
“Worried?””
“Yes!””
“Then why hide it?””
Victoria opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Mia suddenly spoke.
“Daddy…”
I turned.
She was holding the torn dress.
“There are more things.””
My heart stopped.
“What things?””
She looked at Victoria.
Then at me.
“I tried to tell you before.””
The hallway became silent.
“What did you try to tell me?””
Mia’s eyes filled with tears.
“About what she did when you weren’t home.””
Victoria stepped forward.
“Mia, don’t.””
I looked at my wife.
“Don’t what?””
Victoria’s expression changed.
“Mia doesn’t understand what she’s saying.””
My daughter shook her head.
“I do.””
Then she reached into her small backpack.
She pulled out a folded piece of paper.
“Daddy, I wrote everything down because I thought you wouldn’t believe me.””
I took the paper.
My hands were shaking.
There were childish words written in uneven handwriting.
But one sentence made my entire body go cold.
*The day Daddy leaves for work, Victoria says I am not really his daughter anymore.*
I looked up.
Victoria was crying.
But this time, I didn’t know if it was guilt.
Or fear.
Because underneath Mia’s handwriting was another message.
One I hadn’t noticed before.
Written in darker pencil.
A name.
A name that didn’t belong in my house.
May you like
A name that changed everything.
*Daniel.*
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