Chapter 6: The Room Nobody Was Allowed to Open
The door at the end of the upstairs hallway had always been locked.
I had never questioned it.
That was the part that bothered me most.
Not the lock.
Not the room.
The fact that I had accepted it.
When Simone moved into the mansion, she had told me the room belonged to her before our marriage.
Old belongings.
Old memories.
Nothing important.
I had believed her.
Because I loved her.
Because trust is dangerous when it is given to the wrong person.
Now I stood in front of that door with Marcus beside me and Lily holding my hand.
Simone stood behind us.
“Don’t open it.””
Her voice was different.
No anger.
No confidence.
Just fear.
I slowly turned around.
“Why?””
She said nothing.
“Why, Simone?””
Her eyes moved to Lily.
And Lily immediately stepped closer to me.
That movement told me everything.
I reached for the handle.
Locked.
Marcus looked at me.
“Do you have a key?””
I shook my head.
“No.””
Simone spoke quietly.
“Darius, please.””
I looked at her.
“I asked you one question.””
She looked down.
And for the first time since I met her, she looked small.
“I was trying to protect her.””
I froze.
“Protect who?””
She didn’t answer.
The silence was the answer.
Marcus stepped closer.
“Open the door.””
I looked at him.
“How?””
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small key.
My eyes narrowed.
“Where did you get that?””
His expression was painful.
“She sent it to me years ago.””
Simone’s face changed.
“I never sent you anything.””
Marcus looked at her.
“You did.””
He inserted the key.
The lock clicked.
Nobody moved.
The door opened slowly.
Inside was a room frozen in time.
A child’s room.
The walls were painted soft pink.
A small bed sat against the wall.
There were stuffed animals on a shelf.
Books.
Drawings.
A tiny pair of shoes near the closet.
Lily gasped.
“Why does this look like my room?””
My heart stopped.
Because she was right.
The room looked almost identical to hers.
Same style.
Same decorations.
Same feeling.
Like someone had copied a memory.
I stepped inside.
On the desk was a framed photograph.
I picked it up.
And my hands began to shake.
It was Simone.
Marcus.
And a little girl.
The same little girl from the photograph.
But now I saw something I hadn’t noticed before.
The child was wearing a necklace.
A small silver heart.
I looked at Lily.
She was wearing the same necklace.
My voice barely came out.
“Where did you get this?””
Lily touched the necklace.
“Simone gave it to me.””
Everyone went silent.
I looked back at Simone.
Her face had gone pale.
“Why?””
She didn’t answer.
Marcus stepped toward the desk.
“There’s something else.””
He opened a drawer.
Inside was a stack of letters.
Old letters.
All addressed to one person.
He picked up the first one.
Then stopped.
His face changed.
“What?””
He handed it to me.
I looked at the name on the envelope.
My heart dropped.
Because the letters were not addressed to Marcus.
They were not addressed to Simone.
They were addressed to my daughter.
Lily.
May you like
And the date on the oldest one was from eight years ago.
Before I ever met Simone.
