Chapter 4: The Person I Never Suspected
For almost a full minute, I couldn’t move.
I stared at the picture on my phone, hoping my eyes were playing tricks on me.
Hoping I had misunderstood.
But I hadn’t.
The person standing beside Vanessa in the photo was unmistakable.
Madison.
My stepsister.
The girl who had rolled her eyes at me.
The girl who had mocked me.
The girl who had accidentally revealed secrets she probably never meant to reveal.
My first thought was that Dad was wrong.
He had to be wrong.
Because Madison was seventeen.
She was just a kid.
She couldn’t be involved in whatever was happening.
Could she?
I looked closer at the photo.
Dad had taken it from a distance.
Vanessa and Madison were standing in the kitchen.
Between them was a blue folder.
The same blue folder Dad had warned me about.
Madison wasn’t just nearby.
She was holding it.
My fingers tightened around my phone.
The person I thought was just being cruel was actually hiding something.
I reread Dad’s message.
*“Don’t trust your sister.””*
Not “your stepsister.””
My sister.
That hurt more than I expected.
Because for a moment, I had almost felt sorry for her.
When Vanessa ordered her around.
When Madison looked afraid.
I thought maybe we were both trapped.
Maybe we were both victims of Vanessa.
Apparently, I was wrong.
A noise came from the hallway.
I quickly locked my phone and slipped it under my pillow.
The door opened.
Madison stood there.
Her hair was messy, and she looked like she hadn’t slept either.
“What are you doing awake?””
I sat up.
“What are you doing in my room?””
She froze.
Then she looked away.
“I heard your phone.””
“Funny.””
“What?””
“You usually don’t care about anything that happens in here.””
Her face tightened.
“I’m not here to fight.””
“Then why are you here?””
She hesitated.
That hesitation told me more than words could.
“Emily…”
“No.””
I stood up.
“No more secrets.””
She looked at me.
For once, she didn’t look confident.
“I didn’t want this to happen.””
I laughed quietly.
“Really?””
“Yes.””
“You helped your mother throw me out of my room.””
“I didn’t.””
“You took pictures of my room.””
“I was joking.””
“You knew about the blue folder.””
Silence.
Her face changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
I stepped closer.
“How long?””
Madison swallowed.
“How long what?””
“How long have you known?””
She looked toward the door.
Then back at me.
“Lower your voice.””
That answer made my anger rise.
“You’re worried about someone hearing?””
“Emily.””
“No. Answer me.””
She closed her eyes.
Then whispered:
“Since last month.””
My chest tightened.
“Last month?””
She nodded.
“What happened last month?””
Madison sat on the edge of my desk.
The same desk she wanted to replace.
“I heard Mom and Dad arguing.””
“About what?””
“I don’t know everything.””
“Try.””
She looked at her hands.
“Dad found out Mom had been moving money.””
I went still.
“What money?””
“I don’t know.””
“You’re lying.””
“I’m not!””
Her voice rose.
Then she quickly lowered it.
“I swear. I only heard pieces.””
I watched her carefully.
She looked scared.
Not guilty.
Scared.
“What did you hear?””
Madison took a breath.
“Mom said Dad would never forgive her if he found out.””
“And?””
“And Dad said he had proof.””
The room felt colder.
“The blue folder.””
She nodded.
“Yes.””
I looked away.
My thoughts were moving too fast.
“So why did you help her?””
Madison looked hurt.
“I didn’t.””
“You’re in the picture holding the folder.””
Her face went pale.
“You saw that?””
I froze.
How did she know?
Then she realized.
Her mistake.
“You sent something to Dad?””
“No.””
“Yes, you did.””
She stood.
“Emily, listen to me.””
“No.””
I stepped back.
“I trusted you for five seconds tonight. I thought maybe you were different from her.””
Her expression broke.
“I am different.””
“Then prove it.””
She looked at me.
“I was trying to get the folder away from Mom.””
I stared.
“What?””
“She found out Dad hid it somewhere. She was searching the house.””
“Then why were you holding it?””
“Because I took it first.””
The room went silent.
I didn’t know what to believe.
“You took the folder?””
“Yes.””
“Where is it?””
Her face changed.
Fear.
Real fear.
“I don’t have it anymore.””
“What do you mean?””
“She took it.””
“Your mother?””
Madison nodded.
“When?””
“Tonight.””
My heart dropped.
“But Dad said not to let her get it.””
“I know.””
“Then why did you?””
Her eyes filled with frustration.
“Because I wasn’t fast enough!””
The anger in her voice surprised me.
Madison wiped her face quickly.
“I thought I could fix it.””
“Why would you help me?””
She looked at me.
And for the first time, I saw something I had never seen from her.
Regret.
“Because Dad was always kind to me too.””
I said nothing.
She continued.
“He never treated me like a replacement for anything. He never made me feel like I was just Mom’s daughter.””
My anger softened slightly.
Not disappeared.
But softened.
“Then why did you act like you hated me?””
She looked down.
“Because Mom wanted me to.””
The answer hurt.
“She told me if I became your friend, you would trust me.””
My stomach dropped.
“So you were pretending?””
“At first.””
The honesty hurt.
“But then…”
She stopped.
“Then what?””
She looked around my room.
“At first, I thought you were spoiled.””
I raised an eyebrow.
“Thanks.””
“I was wrong.””
She swallowed.
“You weren’t spoiled. You were just the only person in this house who still believed Dad was coming back.””
That sentence hit me harder than I expected.
Because she was right.
I had been holding onto normal.
Even when everything was falling apart.
I sat down slowly.
“Where is Dad?””
Madison looked at the floor.
“I don’t know.””
“Don’t lie.””
“I’m not.””
“Then what do you know?””
She hesitated.
“Mom knows.””
My heart stopped.
“What?””
“She knows where he is.””
“How?””
“Because she was the last person with him before he left.””
I stood again.
“What does that mean?””
Madison looked toward the hallway.
“Emily…”
“What?””
“I think Dad didn’t leave.””
The words made my blood run cold.
“What are you saying?””
She lowered her voice.
“I think someone made him leave.””
Before I could respond, a loud crash came from downstairs.
Both of us froze.
Madison’s eyes widened.
“She’s awake.””
“Your mom?””
She nodded.
We moved toward the door.
Then we heard Vanessa’s voice.
Not angry.
Not cold.
Panicked.
“Where is it?””
Another voice answered.
A man’s voice.
My entire body froze.
A man was downstairs.
A stranger.
“Vanessa, you promised me this would be handled.””
I looked at Madison.
She looked terrified.
Because she recognized the voice.
“Who is that?”” I whispered.
She didn’t answer.
The man spoke again.
“You have until tomorrow morning. If Emily finds those documents first, everything falls apart.””
My heart stopped.
He knew my name.
I slowly reached for the phone in my pocket.
Then Vanessa spoke.
“She won’t find anything.””
The man laughed.
“You’re underestimating her.””
A pause.
Then he said something that made Madison cover her mouth.
“She’s more like her father than you realize.””
I looked at Madison.
Her eyes were full of fear.
Because whatever was happening downstairs…
She knew it was bigger than a bedroom.
Bigger than a folder.
Bigger than Vanessa.
I grabbed the door handle.
Madison immediately grabbed my arm.
“No.””
I looked at her.
“We need to hear more.””
She shook her head.
“Emily, don’t.””
“Why?””
Her voice trembled.
“Because if he knows you’re listening…”
The floorboard beneath us creaked.
The voices downstairs stopped.
A long silence followed.
Then the man said:
“Someone is upstairs.””
My blood turned cold.
Vanessa answered immediately.
“It’s Emily.””
A second later, footsteps began climbing the stairs.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Coming closer.
Madison tightened her grip on my arm.
And whispered the one thing I never expected to hear from her.
May you like
“Hide.””
The bedroom door handle slowly began to turn.
