Chapter 2: The Woman Who Knew Too Much
The phone kept vibrating.
Nobody moved.
The screen glowed against the dark wooden table, the caller’s name sitting there like a warning.
Simone noticed me looking.
Her face changed instantly.
Not fear.
Recognition.
“Who is that?”” I asked.
She reached for the phone.
I stepped forward.
“No.””
Her hand stopped.
“Darius, give me my phone.””
“Answer the question.””
The silence between us felt heavier than any argument we had ever had.
Lily was still wrapped in my jacket, sitting against me.
She watched Simone carefully.
That scared me more than anything.
Because children don’t look at adults that way unless they have learned to be afraid.
Simone finally grabbed the phone and turned it face down.
“It’s nothing.””
I almost laughed.
“Nothing?””
“Yes.””
“Someone calls you after my daughter is locked outside, and it’s nothing?””
Her jaw tightened.
“You’re being unreasonable.””
I looked at Lily.
Then back at Simone.
“No. I’m finally paying attention.””
Those words hit harder than I expected.
Because they were true.
For months, I had ignored small things.
The way Lily became quiet whenever Simone entered a room.
The way she stopped asking Simone for help.
The way she suddenly wanted to sleep with the hallway light on.
I had explained every sign away.
I told myself they were adjusting.
I told myself blended families took time.
I told myself love would fix everything.
But tonight, my daughter had been locked outside.
There was no more pretending.
I carried Lily upstairs to get her warm clothes.
“Daddy?””
I looked down.
“Yeah?””
“Are you mad at me?””
The question broke me.
“No, baby.””
“But Simone said I was making problems.””
I stopped walking.
I turned toward her.
“Lily, listen to me.””
She looked up.
“You will never be a problem for telling me when something hurts you.””
Her eyes filled with tears again.
“I tried before.””
My stomach tightened.
“What do you mean?””
She looked away.
“Nothing.””
“No, Lily. What do you mean?””
She squeezed the edge of my jacket.
“She said you would believe her because she was your wife.””
I felt my hands tighten.
“What else did she say?””
Lily didn’t answer.
And that scared me.
Because silence from my daughter felt like a locked door.
I changed her clothes and sat beside her on the bed.
“Daddy needs you to tell me the truth.””
She nodded slowly.
“But you have to promise you won’t be angry.””
“I promise.””
She stared at the floor.
“She made me promise something.””
“What?””
“She said if I told you…”
Her voice disappeared.
“Lily?””
A knock came from the doorway.
Simone.
“Darius, we need to talk.””
I stood immediately.
“No.””
Her eyebrows lifted.
“No?””
“You can talk to me downstairs.””
She looked past me at Lily.
“Alone.””
I stepped between them.
“No.””
For the first time in our marriage, Simone looked uncertain.
Just for a second.
Then she recovered.
“You’re making a mistake.””
I stared at her.
“No. I think I made a mistake a long time ago.””
Her face hardened.
“Be careful.””
Those two words stayed with me.
Not because they sounded threatening.
Because they sounded practiced.
Like she had said them before.
I closed Lily’s bedroom door and walked downstairs.
Simone was waiting near the balcony.
The same balcony where my daughter had been trapped.
“I want the truth,” I said.
She looked at me.
“You won’t like it.””
“Try me.””
She walked closer.
“You think you know everything about Lily.””
“I know my daughter.””
“No,” Simone said.
“You know the version she shows you.””
I felt my anger rise.
“Don’t talk about her like she’s the problem.””
Simone smiled slightly.
And that smile made my blood run cold.
“I warned you.””
“About what?””
She reached into her purse.
Then stopped.
Her phone buzzed again.
This time she looked nervous.
I noticed.
And she noticed that I noticed.
“Who keeps calling you?”” I asked.
She didn’t answer.
The phone buzzed a third time.
Then a message appeared on the screen.
Simone looked at it.
And all the color disappeared from her face.
I couldn’t see the whole message.
Only the first line.
But it was enough.
May you like
Because the message began with:
“Darius knows…”
