Chapter 2: The Room Beneath the House
I sat inside my car for almost ten minutes.
The windshield filled with rain, turning Eleanor’s house into a blurry shadow.
Every part of me screamed to leave.
Drive away.
Never look back.
But the woman’s voice stayed in my mind.
Your husband has been lying to you since the day you married him.
I hated that a stranger could make me doubt everything.
But deep down, I already knew something was wrong.
Daniel had changed slowly.
Not overnight.
Not enough for me to notice immediately.
He started hiding his phone.
He stopped talking about his childhood.
He became angry whenever I asked about his mother.
I told myself marriage had difficult seasons.
I told myself everyone changed.
But maybe I had been explaining away the truth.
My hand reached for the door handle.
I hated myself for walking back.
But curiosity was stronger than pride.
The back door of the house was unlocked.
That alone felt strange.
Daniel was lying on the couch, holding an ice pack against his shoulder. Eleanor sat beside him, whispering angrily.
They didn’t notice me at first.
“She knows too much,” Eleanor said.
My blood ran cold.
Daniel looked up.
“Claire?””
I stepped inside.
“What does that mean?””
Both of them froze.
Eleanor recovered first.
“You have some nerve coming back here.””
I ignored her.
I looked at Daniel.
“What does ‘she knows too much’ mean?””
Daniel stood slowly.
“Nothing.””
“Nothing?””
I laughed.
“You’ve never been good at lying when you’re scared.””
His eyes hardened.
“Careful.””
There it was.
That tone.
The one he used when he wanted me silent.
But I wasn’t silent anymore.
“Who called me, Daniel?””
His face changed.
Just for a moment.
But enough.
“You got a call?””
I noticed.
“You know who it was.””
Eleanor stood.
“This is ridiculous. She’s trying to create drama.””
I looked at her.
“Why are you afraid of a phone call?””
“I’m not.””
“Then why did Daniel just look terrified?””
Neither answered.
I walked toward the hallway.
Daniel stepped in front of me.
“Where are you going?””
“The basement.””
His expression changed instantly.
“No.””
That single word told me everything.
I stared at him.
“Why not?””
“Because there’s nothing there.””
“Then you won’t mind showing me.””
He didn’t move.
Eleanor’s voice became sharp.
“Claire, you are acting insane.””
“Am I?””
I pointed toward Daniel.
“Five minutes ago, he demanded I apologize while his mother stood there enjoying it. Now I mention a basement, and suddenly everyone is nervous.””
Daniel lowered his voice.
“Stop this.””
“No.””
“Claire.””
“No.””
I pushed past him.
The basement door was at the end of the hallway.
I had lived in this house for five years.
I had walked past that door hundreds of times.
But I had never opened it.
Daniel always said the basement was old, unsafe, full of broken things.
Tonight, I turned the handle.
The smell hit me first.
Dust.
Mold.
And something else.
Something metallic.
The light flickered when I stepped down.
“Claire, come back.””
Daniel’s voice was behind me.
I kept walking.
The basement was bigger than I remembered.
Shelves lined the walls.
Old boxes covered every corner.
Then I saw it.
A small wooden cabinet hidden behind a stack of furniture.
A lock hung from the front.
I turned around.
“Daniel.””
Silence.
He wasn’t behind me anymore.
My stomach tightened.
I walked closer.
On top of the cabinet was a faded photograph.
I picked it up.
And my hands started shaking.
It was Daniel.
But he wasn’t alone.
Standing beside him was a woman I had never seen before.
She was holding a baby.
On the back of the photograph, someone had written a date.
A date from three years before Daniel and I met.
Then I noticed something else.
A name.
The baby’s name.
My heart stopped.
Because written underneath it were two words.
“Claire Morgan.””
I dropped the photograph.
“No…”
A sound came from behind the wall.
A soft clicking noise.
Like a door unlocking.
I turned.
There was a hidden door I had never noticed before.
And from the other side…
May you like
someone whispered my name.
“Claire…”
