Chapter 3 - The Sister Who Disappeared
The necklace fell onto the bathroom floor.
I stared at it.
I couldn't move.
I knew that necklace.
I had given it to my sister, Olivia, on her twenty-fifth birthday.
She never took it off.
Not when she went to work.
Not when she traveled.
Not even when she slept.
I picked it up with trembling fingers.
The chain was cold.
But the memory attached to it felt like fire.
Olivia.
Where was she?
I looked at the note again.
"Emily, if you are reading this, your sister never made it home..."
My heart started racing.
That sentence didn't make sense.
Olivia had texted me earlier that day.
She told me she was coming over after work.
She said she wanted to bring me something for the baby.
She said she would stay with me because she didn't trust Daniel's behavior lately.
Then she disappeared.
I thought she was just busy.
I thought maybe her phone died.
I thought maybe she changed her mind.
I never thought she was missing.
A loud knock interrupted my thoughts.
"Emily!"
Daniel.
His voice sounded impatient now.
Not worried.
Not scared.
Angry.
"Open this door right now."
I quickly grabbed the necklace and the phone.
I didn't know who I could trust.
But I knew one thing.
I could not let Daniel know what I found.
I placed the necklace inside my robe pocket.
Then I turned the recording back on.
The phone was still capturing everything.
"Emily, I'm not asking again."
Daniel's voice became harder.
"You are making this situation worse."
I almost laughed.
Worse?
I was the one locked in a bathroom.
I was the one eight months pregnant and injured.
I was the one being forced to sign divorce papers.
But somehow, I was the problem.
I looked at the bathroom mirror.
My reflection scared me.
My hair was messy.
My face was pale.
My eyes looked like they belonged to someone else.
Someone who had just discovered her entire marriage was a lie.
Another contraction hit.
I gripped the sink.
I breathed slowly.
Then I whispered to myself.
"Stay calm."
Because panic was exactly what they wanted.
I picked up the phone again.
There was one thing I needed to know.
Who sent these messages?
I opened the unknown number.
There were no saved details.
Only messages.
The first one was sent three days ago.
"Daniel cannot know I contacted you."
The second one came two days ago.
"Watch Victoria."
The third one was from earlier tonight.
"They are going to isolate you."
My fingers froze.
Someone had been watching.
Someone had known this would happen before I did.
I scrolled further.
Then I saw a message that made my stomach drop.
"Olivia tried to warn you."
I stared at the screen.
No.
That wasn't possible.
I immediately typed a reply.
"Who are you?"
The message showed as delivered.
But there was no response.
I waited.
Five seconds.
Ten seconds.
Then the phone vibrated.
A reply appeared.
"Someone who failed to protect her."
My breathing stopped.
"What happened to Olivia?"
I typed quickly.
This time the response came immediately.
"Ask Daniel where he was last night."
I looked toward the door.
Daniel.
Where was he last night?
I knew he said he was working late.
I knew he came home after midnight.
But recently, I had stopped asking questions.
Because every question turned into an argument.
Every concern became my fault.
The phone vibrated again.
Another message.
"Check the car."
I frowned.
The car?
Before I could think about it, Daniel slammed his hand against the door.
"Emily!"
I jumped.
"Give me the phone."
My blood turned cold.
He knew.
He knew exactly what he wanted.
But how?
Then I remembered.
The phone was not just hidden.
It was his.
Or at least, it had been in his possession.
Maybe he had tracked it.
Maybe he knew someone had placed it there.
I moved away from the door.
"How do you know about the phone?"
Silence.
A long silence.
Then Daniel answered.
"You don't understand what that phone contains."
I held my breath.
"What does that mean?"
No answer.
Then Victoria spoke.
"Emily, honey."
Her voice changed.
Suddenly sweet.
Fake.
"Some things are better left unknown."
I looked at the phone recording.
The red dot continued blinking.
Good.
Let them talk.
"Where is my sister?"
I asked.
The silence afterward was different.
A dangerous silence.
Daniel and Victoria stopped pretending.
"What did you say?" Daniel asked.
"My sister. Olivia. Where is she?"
I heard movement outside.
Then Victoria whispered something.
I couldn't hear all of it.
Only one word.
"Impossible."
I pressed the phone closer.
Daniel lowered his voice.
"She found it?"
Victoria didn't answer.
Then Daniel said:
"We need to check."
My heart started pounding.
Check what?
The bathroom door suddenly stopped moving.
For several seconds, everything was quiet.
Then I heard footsteps.
They were walking away.
I waited.
I didn't know what they were doing.
But I knew I had a small amount of time.
I needed to get out.
I looked around the bathroom.
The window.
The wall panel.
The door.
Then my eyes landed on something.
The mirror.
The mirror above the sink was slightly crooked.
I walked toward it.
Slowly.
I touched the edge.
It moved.
My heart raced.
Behind the mirror was another small opening.
Inside was a folded piece of paper.
My hands shook as I pulled it out.
The paper looked old.
But the handwriting was familiar.
Olivia's handwriting.
I unfolded it.
Only one sentence was written.
"Emily, if Daniel says I left willingly, he's lying."
I covered my mouth.
My sister knew.
She knew something was wrong.
The paper continued.
"There is proof hidden in the house."
I turned the page.
The next line was shorter.
"Trust nobody except..."
The sentence stopped.
The ink was smeared.
Like someone had interrupted her.
I looked closer.
There was a small mark at the bottom.
A symbol.
The same symbol was on the divorce papers.
My hands went cold.
Why was Olivia connected to Daniel's divorce plan?
Why was she investigating him?
Then I heard footsteps again.
Coming back.
Fast.
I shoved the paper into my robe.
I grabbed the phone.
The bathroom door handle moved.
This time, harder.
Daniel was done waiting.
"Emily."
His voice was low.
"I know you found something."
I stepped back.
The contractions were getting stronger.
My baby was coming.
And I was running out of time.
The phone vibrated again.
A new message.
I looked down.
Only three words appeared.
"Don't open it."
I stared at the screen.
Open what?
Then I heard a sound from outside.
Not Daniel.
Not Victoria.
A third voice.
A woman's voice.
Weak.
Terrified.
And somehow familiar.
"Emily..."
I froze.
May you like
Because the voice came from the other side of the bathroom wall.
And it was Olivia's voice.
