Chapter 7: The Person Behind The Threat
For a moment, nobody moved.
The sentence hung in the air like smoke.
They were trying to make sure you never made it there alive.
I looked at Mia.
The same girl who had cut my dress.
The same girl who had spent years making me feel unwanted.
And now she was telling me she had been trying to protect me.
My mind couldn’t accept it.
“You expect me to believe that?”” I asked.
Mia flinched.
“I knew you wouldn’t.””
“Because you lied to me for years.””
Her eyes lowered.
“Yes.””
The honesty caught me off guard.
Not an excuse.
Not a defense.
Just an admission.
My father stepped closer.
“Start from the beginning.””
Mia looked at him.
“I told you I saw your mother arguing with my mom.””
She took a shaky breath.
“But that wasn’t the last time I saw your mother.””
My chest tightened.
“What do you mean?””
Mia looked at me.
“She came to our house later that night.””
The room became silent.
My father’s face changed.
“She came here?””
Mia nodded.
“She was looking for something.””
“What?””
“I don’t know.””
She rubbed her arms.
“She was upset. She kept asking my mom where something was.””
My father looked confused.
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?””
Mia laughed quietly.
A painful sound.
“Because my mother told me what would happen if I did.””
“What did she say?””
Mia looked toward the floor.
“She said if I ever talked about that night, she would make sure Dad hated me.””
My father froze.
“She said that?””
Mia nodded.
“And she was good at making people choose sides.””
I felt something shift.
Because I knew exactly what that felt like.
Lauren had never needed to scream.
She controlled rooms with guilt.
With silence.
With making people feel responsible for her emotions.
My father sat down.
His hands covered his face.
“How did I not see this?””
I looked at him.
“Dad.””
He shook his head.
“No.””
His voice cracked.
“I spent years thinking I was protecting my family.””
He looked at Mia.
“And I was protecting the person hurting it.””
Nobody spoke.
Then my phone buzzed.
All three of us looked at it.
Another unknown number.
This time, there was no picture.
Only a message.
Stop digging.
My blood ran cold.
A second message appeared.
You already lost one mother.
Don’t lose your father too.
My father grabbed the phone.
“We’re going to the police.””
Mia immediately stood.
“No.””
He looked at her.
“No?””
She shook her head.
“They won’t have enough.””
“We have threats.””
“We have messages from a fake number.””
She looked terrified.
“They’ll say it’s harassment. They won’t understand.””
I stared at her.
“How do you know?””
Mia went quiet.
Too quiet.
My father noticed too.
“What aren’t you telling us?””
Mia looked away.
Then whispered:
“I saw the person who sent them.””
The room stopped.
“When?””
“Yesterday.””
My eyes widened.
“After graduation.””
“Where?””
She hesitated.
“At the store.””
My father stood.
“Who was it?””
Mia’s face turned pale.
“I don’t know.””
“That’s impossible.””
“I saw the person’s face.””
“Then who?””
Mia looked at me.
And the answer in her eyes scared me before she even spoke.
“It was someone you trust.””
My stomach dropped.
“No.””
Mia nodded slowly.
“I know what I saw.””
My father stepped forward.
“Tell us.””
She swallowed.
Then said:
“It was someone who was at your graduation.””
My mind raced through faces.
Classmates.
Teachers.
Family.
Friends.
Then Mia reached into her pocket.
She pulled out her phone.
“I took a picture.””
My father grabbed it.
The image was blurry.
Taken from a distance.
But the person standing outside the store was visible.
My heart stopped.
Because I recognized the jacket.
The posture.
The watch on their wrist.
“No.””
My voice came out as a whisper.
My father looked at me.
“You know them?””
I couldn’t breathe.
Because the person in the photo was not a stranger.
It was someone who had hugged me that morning.
Someone who had told me they were proud of me.
Someone who had smiled while knowing what was coming.
I looked at my father.
“It’s impossible.””
“Who is it?””
My hands trembled.
May you like
Then I said the name.
“Uncle Richard.””
