Chapter 2: The Room She Thought I Would Never Enter
For the next two days, I watched Claire carefully.
And once I stopped seeing her as my stepmother, I started seeing the things I had ignored.
She never cried.
Not once.
At the funeral, she held a tissue near her eyes, but there were no tears.
When people left, she immediately started making calls.
When Dad’s friends visited, she acted heartbroken.
When they were gone, she complained about how much work his death had created.
I noticed everything.
Especially the way she protected one room.
Her bedroom.
Dad’s old office had been cleared out almost immediately.
His paperwork was gone.
His laptop was gone.
His personal files were gone.
But Claire’s room stayed locked.
One afternoon, I saw her leave the house with a suitcase.
“I’m visiting my sister,” she said.
I looked at the suitcase.
“For how long?””
She smiled.
“Why?””
“No reason.””
Her smile disappeared.
“Ethan, you’re acting strange.””
I forced a laugh.
“I’m grieving.””
She stared at me.
Then she walked away.
The moment her car disappeared down the street, I went upstairs.
I knew what I was doing was wrong.
I knew searching someone’s room was a line I had never crossed before.
But my father was dead.
And someone was lying about what happened before he died.
I opened the bedroom door.
The room smelled like Claire’s perfume.
Everything was perfectly organized.
Too perfectly.
I searched drawers first.
Nothing.
Jewelry.
Receipts.
Old photographs.
Then I noticed something.
The bottom drawer of her nightstand was heavier than it should have been.
I pulled it open.
A stack of blankets sat inside.
I moved them.
Underneath was a folder.
My stomach tightened.
The folder was labeled:
*DANIEL HAYES — ESTATE DOCUMENTS*
I opened it.
The first page was not the will Claire showed me.
It was a property transfer agreement.
My father’s name was there.
But the date was wrong.
It had been signed six months before his death.
I kept flipping.
Bank statements.
Insurance documents.
A second legal document.
Then I found something that made my blood run cold.
A letter from Dad’s attorney.
The letter said:
*“As requested, the updated will shall remain confidential until Mr. Hayes personally confirms the changes.””*
My breathing stopped.
Updated will.
Changes.
Claire’s will wasn’t the final one?
I grabbed my phone and took pictures of every page.
Then I heard something.
A car door closing.
My entire body froze.
Claire.
She was home.
I quickly put everything back.
But one paper slipped from the folder.
I reached down.
And saw my father’s handwriting.
Only one sentence.
Written across the top:
*“If anything happens to me, do not trust Claire.””*
I stared at those words.
The room felt like it was spinning.
Then my phone buzzed.
A notification appeared.
A message from an unknown number.
I opened it.
There was only one sentence.
*“If you found the papers, you need to see what’s on her phone.””*
May you like
I looked toward the bedroom door.
And slowly realized someone else knew Claire was hiding something.