Chapter 2: The Secret Behind Her Silence
I sat in my truck for almost an hour after leaving.
The rain stopped.
The anger didn’t.
I replayed the scene over and over.
My mother stepping in front of Daniel.
My mother telling me to leave.
My mother choosing him.
That was the part my brain couldn’t accept.
Because no matter how many times I remembered it, it felt impossible.
Mothers were supposed to protect their children.
Not the other way around.
Not to mention their children.
Not to push them away.
I drove to my best friend Marcus’s house because I didn’t know where else to go.
He opened the door wearing sweatpants and holding a bowl of cereal.
One look at my face and he put the bowl down.
“What happened?””
I walked past him.
“My mom kicked me out.””
Marcus stared.
“What?””
I dropped onto his couch.
“She chose Daniel.””
He frowned.
“Daniel?””
I nodded.
“The guy she’s been dating.””
“The guy you hate?””
“I don’t hate him.””
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
“You absolutely hate him.””
I looked away.
“I hate what he’s doing to her.””
Marcus sat beside me.
“What happened tonight?””
I told him everything.
Every word.
Every detail.
When I finished, he was quiet.
Then he said something that bothered me.
“Evan… something about that doesn’t make sense.””
“What do you mean?””
“You said she looked scared.””
“Yes.””
“You said she told you she wasn’t protecting him from you.””
“Yes.””
Marcus leaned forward.
“Then maybe she wasn’t choosing him.””
I shook my head.
“She stood in front of him.””
“Maybe she stood in front of him because she knew what would happen if you touched him.””
“I wasn’t going to touch him.””
“I know.””
Marcus sighed.
“But maybe she doesn’t know that.””
I hated hearing that.
Because it meant there was another possibility.
A possibility where my mother wasn’t betraying me.
A possibility where I had misunderstood everything.
The next morning, I drove back to the house.
I didn’t go inside.
I just watched.
Daniel left around eight.
My mother stood in the doorway after he drove away.
She looked exhausted.
Older.
Like someone had taken years from her overnight.
I almost walked up to her.
Almost.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
“Hello?””
Nobody spoke.
“Hello?””
A quiet voice finally whispered:
“Evan?””
My stomach dropped.
“Mom?””
She was crying.
“I need you to listen carefully.””
I stepped away from my truck.
“Are you okay?””
“No.””
That single word terrified me.
“What happened?””
“Did Daniel see you leave last night?””
I frowned.
“No. Why?””
“Good.””
“Mom, what’s going on?””
Silence.
Then:
“I need you to stay away from the house for a few days.””
My chest tightened.
“What?””
“Please.””
“You just told me to leave.””
“I know.””
“Then why are you calling me?””
Her voice cracked.
“Because I was trying to keep you alive.””
The world seemed to stop.
“What did you say?””
Before she answered, I heard another voice in the background.
Daniel.
“Who are you talking to?””
My mother went silent.
“Mom?””
The call ended.
I stared at my phone.
Then I looked at the house.
The curtains moved.
Someone was watching me.
A minute later, my phone buzzed.
A text message.
From my mother.
Three words.
*“Don’t trust him.””*
I read it again.
And again.
Then another message appeared.
This time from an unknown number.
A photo.
My blood turned cold.
It was a picture of me standing outside the house.
Taken only seconds earlier.
Underneath it were five words.
*“You should have stayed away.””*
I looked up toward the window.
Daniel was standing there.
May you like
Smiling.
And then he lifted his phone.
