Chapter 2 - The video played.Nobody breathed.
Vanessa stood beneath the television with her face drained of color.
On screen, she opened the small black case.
Inside were several glass bottles.
One contained a clear liquid.
Another contained pale tablets.
The third had no label.
Vanessa removed the third bottle.
She looked around Emma's nursery.
Then she whispered something.
The security camera microphone caught it.
"I don't have a choice."
Adrian's stomach twisted.
"What did you say?"
Vanessa in the room said nothing.
Olivia paused the video.
"That's enough for me."
Adrian turned to Vanessa.
"What did you give Emma?"
"Nothing."
Olivia laughed bitterly.
"You were holding a bottle over her crib."
"I didn't give her anything!"
"Then what were you doing?"
Vanessa's eyes filled with tears again.
This time Adrian noticed the difference.
There was fear in them.
Real fear.
But he couldn't tell what she feared.
Him?
The police?
Or someone else?
"I was protecting her."
Adrian stared.
"Protecting Emma from what?"
Vanessa shook her head.
"You wouldn't understand."
"Try me."
"I can't."
"Why?"
"Because if I tell you, they'll kill us."
The room fell silent.
Clara slowly looked at Olivia.
Olivia looked at Adrian.
Adrian felt something cold settle in his chest.
"Who's they?"
Vanessa's lips trembled.
"I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"I was contacted."
"By who?"
"A man."
"What man?"
"I never saw his face."
Adrian took another step.
"Then why would you trust him?"
Vanessa looked toward Emma.
"Because he knew things."
"What things?"
"About our family."
Adrian said nothing.
Vanessa swallowed.
"He knew about your father's estate."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
Adrian's father had died six months earlier.
His estate was worth nearly forty million dollars.
There were lawsuits surrounding the inheritance.
There were also rumors that several people had forged documents attempting to take control of specific properties.
Adrian had spent months dealing with lawyers.
"What does my father's estate have to do with Emma?"
Vanessa hesitated.
"Everything."
Adrian stared.
Olivia stepped forward.
"Mom."
Vanessa looked at her.
"You knew something was wrong."
Olivia's voice shook.
"I saw you coming into the nursery last night."
Vanessa looked stunned.
"What?"
"I didn't say anything."
"Olivia..."
"I thought you were checking on Emma."
Olivia raised her phone.
"But I took this."
She showed a photograph.
A man standing outside the Mercer house.
The image was blurred.
But his silhouette was visible.
Vanessa immediately stepped backward.
"Where did you get that?"
"Your phone."
Adrian looked at Olivia.
"What?"
"I found it in your deleted photos."
Vanessa stared at her daughter.
Adrian's face hardened.
"Who is he?"
"I don't know."
"You photographed him."
"Because he was watching the house."
Adrian felt a chill.
"How long?"
Olivia looked toward Clara.
"Three days."
Clara frowned.
"You've been watching him for three days?"
Olivia nodded.
"And every night he parks across the street."
Adrian moved toward the window.
He pulled the curtain aside.
The street was empty.
Then he saw something.
A black SUV.
Parked beneath a tree.
Lights off.
Adrian froze.
"Olivia."
She walked toward him.
"That's him."
The SUV started moving.
Adrian grabbed his phone.
"Call the police."
But before he could dial, the front doorbell rang.
Everyone turned.
Once.
Twice.
Then again.
Adrian walked toward the door.
Clara grabbed his sleeve.
"Don't."
Adrian looked at her.
"Why?"
"I don't know."
"That's not an answer."
Clara stared at the door.
"Because whoever is outside knows we're scared."
The doorbell rang again.
Then a voice came through the intercom.
"Mr. Mercer."
Adrian's heart stopped.
It was a man's voice.
Deep.
Calm.
Almost amused.
"I believe we need to talk."
Adrian looked toward Vanessa.
She was trembling.
The man continued.
"Your wife made a mistake today."
Adrian gripped the phone.
"What do you want?"
A soft laugh came through the speaker.
"Not what I want."
A pause.
"What you have."
Adrian felt the words like a knife.
Then the man said:
"Twenty-four hours, Mr. Mercer."
"Twenty-four hours for what?"
"You'll receive a package."
"What package?"
"Inside it will be the truth about Emma."
Adrian froze.
The line went dead.
Olivia looked at her father.
"Dad."
Adrian turned.
"What?"
She pointed toward the television.
"The nursery camera."
He looked.
The video had continued playing after everyone stopped paying attention.
A timestamp appeared.
3:14 A.M.
Vanessa was entering the nursery again.
But this time she wasn't alone.
There was someone standing behind her.
A man.
And his face was clearly visible.
Adrian stepped closer.
His entire body went cold.
He knew that face.
It belonged to the man who had been standing beside his father at the funeral.
The man everyone had assumed was a family lawyer.
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But Adrian knew the truth.
The man had died seven years ago.
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