Chapter 3: The Locked Drawer
Ryan moved first.
Emily stepped in front of the desk.
“Don't.””
Ryan stopped.
Natalie appeared behind him.
“What are you doing?””
Emily kept her eyes on Ryan.
“Looking for my son's things.””
Ryan glanced at the locked drawer.
“You're not opening that.””
Emily's pulse hammered.
Ethan stood near the nursery door.
“Mom?””
Emily didn't look away from Ryan.
“Go stand by the hallway.””
Ethan hesitated.
“Now, Ethan.””
The boy obeyed.
Natalie walked into the room.
Her heels clicked against the polished floor.
“You've always been dramatic,” she said.
Emily looked at her.
“And you've always been comfortable in other people's homes.””
Natalie's smile disappeared.
Ryan stepped forward.
“Give me the phone.””
Emily held it tighter.
“No.””
“Who texted you?””
“Nobody.””
“Then why are you shaking?””
Emily looked down at her hand.
It wasn't shaking.
Ryan's expression changed.
He realized she was bluffing.
Emily smiled faintly.
“You're nervous.””
Ryan's eyes narrowed.
“About what?””
“The drawer.””
Natalie glanced at it.
For the first time, her confidence cracked.
Emily saw it.
“What's inside?””
“Nothing,” Natalie said quickly.
Emily turned toward her.
“Then why did you answer?””
Natalie said nothing.
Emily walked closer.
“You weren't even asked.””
Ryan stepped between them.
“Enough.””
Emily pointed toward the drawer.
“Open it.””
“No.””
“Then I'll break it.””
Ryan laughed.
“You think you're going to walk back into my house and start making demands?””
Emily's voice stayed calm.
“My house.””
Ryan's smile vanished.
“You left.””
“You changed the locks.””
“You walked away.””
“You stopped letting me see my son.””
Ryan's face hardened.
“That isn't what happened.””
Emily's eyes flashed.
“Then tell me what happened.””
Silence.
Ethan spoke from the hallway.
“Dad?””
Ryan turned.
“What?””
“Can I have my backpack?””
Ryan stared at him.
“What backpack?””
“The red one.””
“You don't need it.””
“I need my school stuff.””
Ryan rubbed his forehead.
“Ethan, stop.””
The boy looked at Emily.
“Mom, I have school tomorrow.””
Emily's heart clenched.
She looked around the nursery.
“No backpack.””
No books.
No clothes.
No toys.
Nothing.
She turned back toward Ryan.
“What did you do with his belongings?””
Ryan's voice dropped.
“Don't push me.””
Emily stepped closer.
“You're going to answer me.””
Natalie suddenly laughed.
“This is ridiculous.””
Emily looked at her.
“You're pregnant.””
Natalie placed a protective hand over her stomach.
“Yes.””
“And this nursery is for your baby.””
“Yes.””
Emily nodded.
“Then why is my son's name written on the closet door?””
Natalie's smile vanished.
Ryan looked sharply toward the closet.
Emily had seen it.
A tiny pencil mark.
Faint.
Almost invisible.
*E.M.*
Ethan's initials.
Emily's stomach turned.
She walked to the closet and touched the mark.
“You didn't replace his room.””
She looked at Ryan.
“You erased him.””
Ryan's face became expressionless.
“Get out.””
Emily turned.
“What?””
“Take your attitude and get out of this room.””
“This is my son's room.””
“Not anymore.””
Ethan came running toward her.
“Mom!””
Emily caught him.
Ryan reached for the boy.
Emily pulled Ethan behind her.
“Don't touch him.””
Ryan stopped.
Natalie whispered, “Ryan…”
He ignored her.
“Emily, you have no idea what you're dealing with.””
Emily stared at him.
“Then tell me.””
“I can't.””
“Why?””
Ryan looked at the locked drawer.
“Because some things were never supposed to come back.””
Emily felt the room tilt.
She looked at the drawer again.
“Open it.””
Ryan shook his head.
“No.””
Emily reached into her coat pocket.
She pulled out a small metal key.
Ryan's face changed.
Natalie went completely still.
Emily held the key between two fingers.
“I found this in Ethan's old desk.””
Ryan stared at it.
“Where did you get that?””
Emily smiled.
“You tell me.””
She inserted the key.
It fit.
The lock clicked.
Ryan lunged forward.
Emily jerked the drawer open.
Ryan grabbed her wrist.
Emily fought him off, stumbling backward.
“Let go!””
“Give me that!””
Ethan screamed.
“Mom!””
Emily regained her balance.
Ryan froze.
For one second, everyone stood still.
Then Emily looked inside the drawer.
There were photographs.
Bank statements.
A legal envelope.
And a birth certificate.
Emily reached for the certificate.
Her eyes moved across the page.
Her breathing stopped.
The mother's name was hers.
The child's name was Ethan.
But the father's name wasn't Ryan.
Emily looked up.
Ryan was pale.
Natalie was staring at the document as if she'd seen a ghost.
Emily whispered,
“What did you do?””
Then her phone vibrated again.
May you like
A new message appeared.
*NOW YOU KNOW WHY THEY PUT ETHAN OUTSIDE.*
