Chapter 3: The Name on the Screen
Marcus stood completely still.
The cracked phone felt heavy in his hand.
Too heavy.
The picture on the screen stared back at him.
A memory he had buried.
A face he had forced himself to accept was gone.
But the voice behind the wall had just said his name.
Not a stranger.
Not a recording.
Not a mistake.
His name.
“Maya: Dad?””
He looked down at his daughter.
Her eyes were filled with tears.
“Marcus: Baby, did you know who was in there?””
Maya hesitated.
That hesitation broke his heart.
“Marcus: Maya.””
She swallowed.
“Only a little.””
Vanessa immediately stepped forward.
“Vanessa: Maya, don’t.””
Marcus turned.
“Marcus: Don’t what?””
Vanessa said nothing.
That silence answered him.
Marcus walked toward her.
“Marcus: How long have you known about this?””
Vanessa’s face tightened.
“Vanessa: Marcus, there are things you don’t understand.””
“Marcus: Then explain.””
The bright kitchen lights reflected off her eyes.
For the first time, Vanessa didn’t look elegant.
She looked trapped.
“Vanessa: I was trying to protect this family.””
Marcus stared at her.
“Marcus: By hiding someone in a wall?””
She looked away.
The opening behind him made another small sound.
A hand appeared again.
This time, Marcus saw the fingers trembling.
Maya immediately moved toward the opening.
“Marcus: Maya, stay back.””
But the little girl whispered:
“She’s hungry.””
Those two words hurt more than anything.
Marcus looked at the single piece of bread that had disappeared into the darkness.
Someone had been waiting for food.
Someone had been waiting for his daughter.
Someone had been waiting for him.
He raised the phone again.
The lock screen photo remained.
Him.
And his first wife.
The woman everyone believed had vanished.
His thumb brushed over the cracked glass.
“Marcus: Where did this phone come from?””
Vanessa didn’t answer.
“Marcus: Vanessa.””
Her voice became barely audible.
“Vanessa: I didn’t think you would ever come back early.””
Marcus stared.
The sentence landed harder than a confession.
Not because of what she said.
Because of what she didn’t say.
She expected him to be gone.
She expected time.
She expected whatever was behind that wall to stay hidden.
Marcus stepped toward the panel.
The hidden woman moved slightly inside.
“Woman: Marcus…”
His entire body froze.
He knew that voice.
Not perfectly.
Not like before.
But enough.
Enough to make his hands shake.
Maya looked between him and Vanessa.
“Marcus: Who is she?””
Vanessa’s eyes filled with fear.
“Vanessa: Marcus, please.””
He ignored her.
His hand reached toward the loose wall panel.
One movement.
One pull.
And everything would change.
But before his fingers touched the wood, the phone in his hand vibrated.
A notification appeared.
A message.
From a number saved in the phone.
Marcus looked down.
The name on the screen made his blood run cold.
Because it wasn’t the hidden woman’s name.
It was his own.
The message had been written years earlier.
And only three words appeared:
“Don’t trust Vanessa.””
Marcus slowly looked up.
Maya was crying behind him.
May you like
Vanessa stood frozen.
And through the narrow opening in the wall, a woman’s hand reached out into the light.
