Chapter 2: The Secret Beneath the Surface
I carried Millie out of the laundry room, holding her close despite her initial hesitation. This time, she didn’t pull away.
The party outside continued as if nothing had happened—laughter, music, children running across the yard.
But for me, everything had changed.
I found my parents near the patio table.
“Can we talk?” I said, my tone sharper than I intended.
They exchanged a glance. My mother nodded.
We stepped inside.
The moment the door closed, I turned to them.
“What happened between Millie and Aunt Carol?”
My father sighed heavily, as if he had been expecting this day.
“It’s complicated,” he said.
“Then make it simple,” I snapped.
My mother stepped forward, her voice softer. “Carol thinks… she thinks Millie needs more discipline.”
I stared at her, disbelief turning into anger.
“She’s five,” I said. “She just lost her mother two years ago.”
“That’s exactly why,” my father added quietly.
I froze.
“What does that mean?”
There was a long pause.
May you like
And then my mother said the words I wasn’t prepared to hear.
“Carol never believed Hannah’s death was an accident.”
