CHAPTER 5 The Second Door
The house was too quiet.
That was the first thing Corin noticed.
Not peaceful.
Not comforting.
Quiet.
The kind of quiet that reminded him someone important was missing.
Six weeks ago, this house had been filled with sounds.
His mother singing while cooking dinner.
His father laughing in the garage.
Rory running down the hallway even when he was told not to.
Now every room felt like it was holding its breath.
Waiting.
Corin stood in his father’s old study.
Nobody had entered this room since the accident.
Not because it was locked.
Because everyone was afraid.
The room still belonged to Daniel Bellweather.
The books on the shelves.
The old leather chair.
The family photographs.
Everything remained exactly where he left it.
Except one thing.
The hidden symbol.
Corin held the USB drive in his hand.
The same symbol was engraved into the plastic.
A small circle surrounded by three lines.
He had seen it his entire life.
But he had never understood it.
His father always called it:
“The second door.”
Corin walked toward the desk.
He remembered that day.
He was ten years old.
He had broken one of his father’s expensive tools while playing in the garage.
He expected anger.
Instead, Daniel had laughed.
“Everyone breaks something while learning.”
Corin had looked at the symbol on his father’s watch.
“What does that mean?”
Daniel had looked at it for a long time.
Then he said:
“It means the first answer is not always the real answer.”
At the time, Corin thought it was just one of his father’s strange lessons.
Now it felt like a warning.
He searched the desk.
Nothing.
The drawers.
Nothing.
The bookshelves.
Nothing.
Frustration began building inside him.
“Where did you hide it, Dad?”
His voice echoed through the empty room.
Then he noticed something.
A small scratch on the wooden floor.
Near the bookshelf.
Corin crouched down.
The scratch was shaped like an arrow.
Pointing toward the wall.
He moved the bookshelf slightly.
At first, nothing happened.
Then he felt resistance.
A hidden mechanism clicked.
The wall moved.
Not much.
Just enough.
Behind the bookshelf was a small compartment.
Inside was a black envelope.
Corin stared.
His heart began beating faster.
Because he knew.
This was what Lorraine was afraid of.
He reached inside.
The envelope had his name written on it.
CORIN BELLWEATHER
His hands trembled.
He opened it.
Inside was a letter.
Not from a lawyer.
Not from a company.
From his mother.
My dear Corin,
If you are reading this, then something happened that forced you to find this.
First, I need you to understand something.
None of this is your responsibility.
Not the accident.
Not the secrets.
Not protecting everyone.
You are my son.
Not a replacement for your father.
Not a shield for your brother.
You are allowed to be a child.
Corin stopped reading.
His eyes blurred.
Because those were the exact words he needed.
Words he had been waiting for.
He continued.
Your father and I discovered something about Lorraine.
At first, we believed it was about money.
We were wrong.
Money was only the beginning.
Lorraine did not want our wealth.
She wanted control.
She believed everything in this family belonged to her.
Even people.
Corin’s breathing slowed.
He looked at the next page.
There is one thing you need to know.
The person helping Lorraine is not a stranger.
It is someone close to us.
Someone who has been inside this house.
Someone we trusted.
Corin froze.
Someone close.
Someone inside the house.
His mind immediately searched through every familiar face.
Family.
Friends.
Employees.
Then another sentence caught his attention.
Do not trust anyone who says they are protecting you without showing you the truth.
The words felt heavy.
Because Lorraine had said exactly that.
I was protecting this family.
Corin continued.
The next page contained a list.
Names.
Dates.
Financial records.
And one name appeared again and again.
A name Corin knew.
A name that made him stop.
Thomas Hayes.
His father’s attorney.
Corin stared.
“No…”
The room suddenly felt colder.
Thomas had helped them.
He had brought the laptop.
He had explained the documents.
He had acted like an ally.
But his mother had written his name.
Why?
A sound came from behind him.
Corin turned quickly.
Nobody.
The study door was still closed.
Then his phone buzzed.
A message.
Unknown number.
He opened it.
One sentence.
YOU FOUND THE LETTER.
Corin’s blood ran cold.
Another message arrived.
NOW ASK YOURSELF WHY YOUR FATHER HID IT FROM EVERYONE.
He stepped back.
Someone knew.
Someone was watching.
Before he could respond, another message appeared.
INCLUDING EVELYN.
Corin stared at the screen.
His first instinct was fear.
His second was anger.
Because he was tired.
Tired of everyone knowing pieces of his life except him.
Tired of adults deciding what he could handle.
He grabbed the letter and rushed downstairs.
Evelyn was sitting in the kitchen with Rory.
She immediately noticed his expression.
“What happened?”
Corin placed the letter on the table.
“Why didn’t you tell me about Thomas?”
Evelyn froze.
The reaction was small.
But Corin noticed.
“You know something.”
Evelyn looked at the letter.
Then at him.
“Where did you find this?”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“It matters.”
“Why?”
His voice rose.
“Because everyone keeps saying they’re protecting me!”
The kitchen became silent.
Rory looked scared.
Corin immediately lowered his voice.
But the pain remained.
“My parents.”
“You.”
“Thomas.”
“Everyone.”
He pointed at the letter.
“But nobody tells me anything.”
Evelyn looked heartbroken.
Because she knew he was right.
Finally, she spoke.
“Your father didn’t trust Thomas.”
Corin stared.
“Then why did he work with him?”
“Because your father needed him.”
“That makes no sense.”
“It does if Thomas was useful.”
Corin frowned.
“Useful?”
Evelyn nodded.
“Your father believed Thomas was hiding something.”
The words shocked him.
“So my dad knew?”
“Yes.”
“Then why is his name in my mother’s letter?”
Evelyn took a deep breath.
“Because your parents discovered Thomas was meeting Lorraine.”
Corin felt his stomach drop.
“Meeting her?”
“Secretly.”
“When?”
“Before the accident.”
The room felt like it stopped moving.
Corin looked toward Rory.
His little brother was listening.
Trying to understand.
Corin immediately crouched beside him.
“Hey.”
Rory looked up.
“Are we going to lose our home?”
That question hurt more than anything.
Corin hugged him.
“No.”
“Promise?”
Corin looked at him.
And this time, he answered differently.
“I promise I’ll do everything I can.”
Not because he thought he could control everything.
Not because he thought he had to be invincible.
But because Rory needed someone.
Later that night, after Rory fell asleep, Evelyn found Corin still awake.
She sat beside him.
“There is something else you need to know.”
Corin looked exhausted.
“What?”
“Thomas wasn’t just your father’s attorney.”
“Then what was he?”
Evelyn looked toward the dark hallway.
“He was the person your father asked to investigate Lorraine.”
Corin frowned.
“Then why would Mom write his name?”
“Because…”
Evelyn paused.
“Thomas found something.”
“What?”
“The night before the accident…”
She looked at Corin.
“He discovered who had damaged your parents’ car.”
Corin’s heart stopped.
“Who?”
Evelyn’s face became pale.
“He never told me.”
“Why?”
“Because he disappeared.”
A cold silence filled the room.
Corin whispered:
“Disappeared?”
Evelyn nodded.
“Two days before your parents died.”
Then Corin’s phone buzzed again.
Another unknown message.
This time, only a photograph.
A photograph of Thomas Hayes.
Standing outside a warehouse.
Talking to someone.
Corin zoomed in.
His face changed.
Because the person standing across from Thomas…
Was Lorraine Bellweather.
And the timestamp on the image was not before the accident.
It was after.
May you like
Yesterday.
End of Chapter 5
