Chapter 2: The Boy Everyone Protected
I didn’t sleep that night.
I tried.
I really did.
But every time I closed my eyes, I heard my dad’s voice.
“Go upstairs, Emma.””
Not “Are you okay?””
Not “Tell me what happened.””
Just a command.
Like I was the problem he needed to remove.
At 2:13 in the morning, I was still sitting on my bed, staring at the ceiling.
My phone was beside me.
The video was still there.
The proof.
The thing that could change everything.
But I didn’t play it again.
I didn’t need to.
I remembered every second.
The next morning, I walked downstairs hoping things would be different.
Maybe Dad had thought about it.
Maybe he would apologize.
Maybe Rachel would admit Tyler lied.
Instead, I walked into the kitchen and saw Tyler eating pancakes.
He smiled.
“Morning.””
I didn’t answer.
Rachel looked at me.
“You’re still upset?””
I stared at her.
“Shouldn’t I be?””
She sighed dramatically.
“This attitude is exactly what we’re talking about.””
I almost laughed.
“Your son broke the TV and lied.””
Tyler immediately looked hurt.
“I said I was sorry.””
“No, you didn’t.””
“Yes, I did.””
“You said you were sorry you got caught.””
His face changed.
Only for a second.
But I saw it.
Rachel slammed her coffee mug down.
“Enough.””
Dad walked into the kitchen.
“What’s going on?””
Rachel pointed at me.
“She’s attacking Tyler again.””
I looked at my dad.
“Dad, please.””
I didn’t even finish the sentence.
He already looked tired.
“Emma, we talked about this.””
“No, you talked. Nobody listened.””
The words came out before I could stop them.
Everyone went quiet.
My dad’s expression hardened.
“You need to learn when to stop.””
That sentence stayed with me.
Because I realized something.
They weren’t waiting for the truth.
They were waiting for me to stop fighting.
I looked at Tyler.
He was watching me.
And he was smiling.
Not a big smile.
Just enough.
Enough to tell me he knew.
Enough to tell me he had won.
I grabbed my backpack.
“I’m going to school.””
Rachel called after me.
“You’re not going to apologize?””
I turned around.
“No.””
The room went silent.
Then I walked out.
At school, I spent the entire day distracted.
I couldn’t focus.
I couldn’t stop thinking about my house.
A place that was supposed to feel safe.
After classes ended, I sat on a bench outside the building.
My best friend Lily found me there.
“You look like you haven’t slept.””
“I haven’t.””
She sat beside me.
“What happened?””
For the first time all day, I told someone everything.
The broken TV.
The lie.
The video.
Lily stared at me.
“You recorded it?””
“Accidentally.””
She shook her head.
“Emma, you have proof.””
“I know.””
“So show them.””
I looked down.
“I don’t know if it will matter.””
Lily frowned.
“What do you mean?””
I swallowed.
“Because this isn’t about a TV anymore.””
She understood.
The problem wasn’t the broken screen.
The problem was that my family had already decided who I was.
The difficult daughter.
The jealous stepsister.
The person who caused trouble.
That evening, when I came home, I found Tyler sitting in my room.
I stopped in the doorway.
“What are you doing?””
He looked up.
“Relax.””
“You’re in my room.””
He shrugged.
“I wanted to talk.””
I stepped inside slowly.
“What do you want?””
He leaned back in my desk chair.
“You should stop making this a big deal.””
I stared at him.
“You destroyed our TV.””
“It was an accident.””
“No, it wasn’t.””
His smile faded.
“You think that video is going to save you?””
My heart skipped.
“What did you say?””
He stood up.
“You heard me.””
I felt a chill run through me.
“You know about the video?””
Tyler smiled again.
This time, there was no pretending.
“You leave your phone everywhere, Emma.””
My blood ran cold.
“What did you do?””
He walked toward the door.
“Nothing.””
Then he stopped.
“Oh, and Dad already said he’s replacing the TV next month.””
I watched him leave.
My hands curled into fists.
He wasn’t scared.
He wasn’t worried.
He believed he could get away with anything.
And maybe he could.
Because everyone believed him.
Everyone except the one person who had finally seen the truth.
Me.
That night, I decided I wasn’t going to beg anyone to believe me anymore.
I was going to make them watch.
But before I could do anything, I heard voices downstairs.
My dad.
Rachel.
Tyler.
I quietly opened my bedroom door and listened.
Then I heard my name.
May you like
And Rachel said something that made my entire body freeze.
“Maybe it’s time we send Emma away.””