Chapter 3: The Name On The Screen
Diane didn’t answer the phone.
She just stared at it.
The ringing continued through the mansion hallway, bouncing off the wooden walls and polished floors.
Arthur looked at the screen from where he sat.
His face changed.
Not surprise.
Recognition.
Fear.
I noticed.
“Claire: You know who that is.””
Arthur looked away.
That answer was enough.
“Claire: Dad. You know who is calling her.””
He swallowed.
“Arthur: Yes.””
My grip tightened around Noah.
“Claire: Who?””
Before Arthur could answer, Diane ended the call.
The silence afterward was worse.
She looked older.
Not because of her gray hair.
Because the confidence she always carried was gone.
“Diane: You need to leave.””
I stared at her.
“Claire: You keep saying that like you’re protecting me.””
Diane said nothing.
“Claire: But every time I get close to the truth, you panic.””
She looked at Arthur.
Then at Noah.
Then back at me.
“Diane: Claire, listen carefully. Take your son and leave this house.””
“Claire: Why?””
Her eyes filled with tears.
That shocked me more than anything else.
I had seen Diane angry.
Cold.
Unemotional.
But I had almost never seen her cry.
“Diane: Because some people will destroy everything to keep this secret buried.””
Arthur pushed himself higher against the wall.
“Arthur: She’s right about one thing.””
I looked at him.
“Arthur: Someone is coming.””
A loud sound came from somewhere near the entrance.
A heavy knock.
Not from inside the wall.
From the front door.
Everyone froze.
Noah whimpered.
I whispered:
“Claire: Who is it?””
Diane closed her eyes.
“Diane: Someone who should have never found out you were here.””
The door knock came again.
Stronger.
Arthur looked at me.
“Arthur: Claire, you have to understand something.””
“Claire: What?””
His voice dropped.
“Arthur: The person outside is not looking for me.””
Another knock.
“Arthur: They’re looking for you.””
My blood ran cold.
I stepped backward.
“Claire: Why would anyone be looking for me?””
Arthur looked at Diane.
Diane looked down.
That silence answered more than words could.
I turned toward Diane.
“Claire: What did you do?””
She shook her head.
“Diane: Not what you think.””
“Claire: Then tell me.””
“Diane: I was trying to protect you.””
The anger inside me burned.
“Claire: By lying to me?””
Diane flinched.
“Claire: By making me believe my father abandoned me?””
No answer.
“Claire: By letting me mourn someone who was alive?””
Her face broke.
“Diane: I made mistakes.””
I looked at Arthur.
Then the broken wall.
Then the phone in Diane’s hand.
Mistakes didn’t create hidden rooms.
Mistakes didn’t erase people.
Mistakes didn’t make families bury the truth.
The front door handle moved.
Everyone stopped breathing.
Diane whispered:
“Diane: Go upstairs.””
I almost laughed.
“Claire: Upstairs?””
“Diane: There is a room at the end of the hallway. Lock yourself inside.””
“Claire: Why?””
She looked at me.
Because she knew.
Because she finally knew she couldn’t hide everything anymore.
“Diane: Because if they see Noah…”
She stopped.
I felt my entire body go cold.
“Claire: If they see my son, what?””
Diane didn’t answer.
The door handle moved again.
Arthur grabbed my wrist weakly.
“Arthur: Claire.””
I looked down.
His eyes were filled with regret.
“Arthur: I’m sorry.””
“Claire: For what?””
He looked toward Noah.
Then toward the front door.
“Arthur: For bringing this to your life.””
A loud crash came from the entrance.
The front door opened.
Footsteps entered the mansion.
Slow.
Calm.
Certain.
Diane stepped in front of me.
For the first time, she wasn’t blocking a secret.
She was blocking me.
The footsteps moved closer.
Then a voice called out from the other end of the hallway.
A voice I had never heard before.
But one that made Arthur close his eyes.
“Unknown Voice: Diane…”
A pause.
“Unknown Voice: I know Claire is here.””
Diane’s face went completely pale.
And then the person said one more thing.
May you like
A sentence that made Arthur whisper a name I had never heard before.
“Unknown Voice: It’s time she learned what her father really did.””
