Chapter 4: The Truth Behind the Smile
I didn’t sleep after hearing those words.
The next morning, I sat at the kitchen table staring at my cereal until it turned soggy.
My dad noticed immediately.
“You look exhausted.””
I looked up.
“Dad…”
He sat across from me.
“What happened?””
I wanted to tell him.
But I was afraid.
Because Vanessa’s words had planted a new fear inside me.
A fear I couldn’t explain.
“Do you know everything about Vanessa?””
Dad looked confused.
“What kind of question is that?””
“I mean… before she met you.””
He leaned back.
“Why?””
I swallowed.
“Because I heard her talking last night.””
His expression changed.
“What did she say?””
I repeated the words.
Emily will never know that her father isn’t the only one who has been lied to.
Dad became completely still.
Then he stood.
“I’m going to talk to her.””
“No.””
He looked at me.
“Why?””
“Because she’ll know I heard.””
He sat back down.
“You’re right.””
That hurt.
Because it meant we were both afraid of her.
Later that day, Dad checked his old files.
Marriage documents.
Financial records.
Anything connected to Vanessa.
Hours passed.
Then suddenly, he stopped.
I was sitting on the couch when I saw his face.
“Dad?””
He didn’t answer.
“What is it?””
He looked at me.
“There’s something missing.””
“What?””
“A document.””
“What document?””
He hesitated.
“My background check on Vanessa.””
I frowned.
“You did a background check?””
“When we were getting married, yes.””
“And?””
“And the copy I had is gone.””
The room felt colder.
Someone had been inside his office.
Someone had removed it.
That evening, Dad installed a small camera near his office door.
The next morning, we had our answer.
Vanessa had entered the office after midnight.
She wasn’t searching.
She was taking something.
When Dad showed her the footage, she finally stopped pretending.
“You recorded me?””
“Yes.””
“You don’t trust me.””
“No.””
The silence afterward was terrifying.
Vanessa looked at me.
Then at my father.
“You have no idea what you’re doing.””
Dad stepped closer.
“I know exactly what I’m doing.””
For the first time, Vanessa lost control.
“You think Emily is innocent?””
I felt my stomach drop.
Dad’s voice became sharp.
“Stop.””
“No. She needs to know.””
Vanessa pointed at me.
“She has been lying too.””
My heart pounded.
“What?””
Vanessa smiled.
A cruel, satisfied smile.
“You really think she found that note by accident?””
Dad looked at me.
And suddenly, I was the one under suspicion.
I opened my mouth.
“Dad, I—”
But Vanessa interrupted.
“She knows more than she told you.””
Dad stared at me.
“Emily?””
My hands shook.
Because there was one thing I hadn’t told him.
One thing I was afraid would make him think I was like her.
The truth was…
I hadn’t just found the note.
I had found something else.
Something hidden behind Vanessa’s closet.
Something that explained why she wanted me gone.
I looked at my father.
“I didn’t tell you because I was scared.””
“What did you find?””
I reached into my backpack.
And pulled out a photograph.
The moment Dad saw it, he stopped breathing.
May you like
Because standing beside Vanessa in the picture was someone he recognized.
Someone who should have been impossible.