Chapter 5: The Witness Who Knew His Secrets
I stared at the message until my eyes started to hurt.
*“I’m Daniel’s daughter.””*
For a few seconds, I forgot how to breathe.
Daniel had a daughter?
My mind raced through every memory I had of him.
Every family dinner.
Every holiday.
Every conversation.
Not once had he mentioned a daughter.
Not once.
My fingers hovered over the phone.
I didn’t know whether to reply.
I didn’t know whether I was about to find another piece of the truth…
or open another door to something worse.
Then another message appeared.
*“My name is Lily. I know you probably don’t trust me. I understand why.””*
I swallowed.
A person who understood why I didn’t trust people was already someone different from Daniel.
But that didn’t mean I could believe her.
Not yet.
I typed slowly.
*“How do you know me?””*
The three dots appeared immediately.
Then disappeared.
Then appeared again.
Like she was choosing every word carefully.
Finally:
*“Because I’ve seen you before.””*
My heart tightened.
*“Where?””*
The answer came.
*“At Daniel’s house.””*
I sat frozen.
The house.
Our house.
The place where I grew up.
The place where Daniel had walked around like he belonged.
The place where he had built trust.
My phone buzzed again.
*“I need to tell you everything, but I don’t want him to know we’re talking.””*
I looked toward my bedroom door.
Auntie Renee was in the living room downstairs.
She had barely slept since everything happened.
I knew she was awake.
Probably sitting there with a cup of coffee she wouldn’t drink.
Probably blaming herself.
I walked downstairs.
She looked up immediately.
One look at my face and she knew something happened.
“What is it?””
I sat beside her.
“There’s someone else.””
Her expression changed.
“Who?””
I handed her my phone.
She read the messages.
The longer she looked, the more confused she became.
“Daniel has a daughter?””
I nodded.
“Did you know?””
She shook her head slowly.
“No.””
That surprised me.
Because Auntie Renee knew Daniel better than almost anyone.
Or at least, she thought she did.
“When did you find out?””
“Just now.””
She looked at the phone again.
“Do you know who Lily is?””
I shook my head.
“No.””
Auntie Renee leaned back.
“Then we need to be careful.””
I looked at her.
“Do you think she’s lying?””
“I don’t know.””
That answer scared me.
Because Auntie Renee was usually certain.
But now she was facing the same thing I was.
A person we trusted had hidden parts of his life from us.
And we had no idea how many secrets were still waiting.
My phone buzzed again.
This time, Lily sent a photo.
I almost dropped the phone.
It was Daniel.
But younger.
Much younger.
Standing beside a woman I didn’t recognize.
And beside them was a little girl.
Lily.
The message underneath said:
*“This was taken before I realized what kind of person my father really was.””*
Auntie Renee stared at the picture.
“Call her.””
I looked at her.
“Now?””
“Yes.””
“Are you sure?””
“No.””
She took a breath.
“But we need answers.””
I pressed the call button.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then someone picked up.
“Hello?””
Her voice was quiet.
Young.
Nervous.
“Lily?””
“Yes.””
I swallowed.
“My name is Maya.””
“I know.””
The way she said it made me uncomfortable.
Not because it sounded threatening.
Because it sounded sad.
“You know who I am?””
“I know exactly who you are.””
There was silence.
Then she whispered:
“I’m sorry.””
I looked at Auntie Renee.
“For what?””
“For not saying something sooner.””
My stomach tightened.
“How long have you known?””
Lily was quiet.
Too quiet.
Then she answered.
“About Daniel?””
“Yes.””
A pause.
“Years.””
Auntie Renee leaned closer.
“Years?””
Lily heard her.
“Who’s that?””
“My aunt.””
Another pause.
“Renee?””
Auntie Renee froze.
“She knows my name?””
Lily exhaled.
“My dad talked about you.””
The room became silent.
“What did he say?”” Auntie Renee asked.
Lily hesitated.
“Not everything was bad.””
That surprised me.
“He talked about you like you were the person who saved him.””
Auntie Renee looked away.
Then Lily continued.
“But he also talked about how easy it was to make people trust him.””
My skin went cold.
“What do you mean?””
“He always said people wanted to believe the best in him.””
I felt sick.
Because that sounded exactly like what happened.
“He said kindness was the easiest thing to use against someone.””
Auntie Renee closed her eyes.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then I asked the question I had been afraid to ask.
“Lily… did you know about me?””
“Yes.””
The answer came quickly.
My chest tightened.
“When?””
“Before you knew.””
The room felt like it tilted.
“What does that mean?””
Lily’s voice cracked.
“It means I saw what was happening.””
My hands started shaking.
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
“I tried.””
I froze.
“You did?””
“Yes.””
“When?””
“Many times.””
My heart raced.
But I didn’t remember.
I didn’t remember anyone warning me.
Lily continued.
“But my dad always found a way to stop me.””
“How?””
A long silence.
Then:
“Because he knew I was afraid of him too.””
The words hit differently.
Because suddenly Daniel wasn’t just someone who hurt me.
He was someone who had controlled people around him for years.
“Why are you telling me now?”” I asked.
Lily took a shaky breath.
“Because I heard what he told your counselor.””
My eyes widened.
“You were there?””
“No.””
“Then how did you know?””
“Because he called me afterward.””
Auntie Renee looked at me.
“Why would he call you?””
Lily was silent.
Then she said:
“Because he wanted me to lie for him.””
The room went completely still.
“What?””
“He told me if anyone asked, I needed to say you misunderstood him.””
My stomach turned.
“He wanted his own daughter to cover for him?””
“Yes.””
Lily’s voice broke.
“That’s when I realized he wasn’t going to stop.””
Auntie Renee stood up.
“Lily, where are you right now?””
Another pause.
“Not at home.””
“Why?””
“Because he knows I’m talking to you.””
My heart stopped.
“How?””
“I don’t know.””
The fear in her voice was real.
Then suddenly, we heard something through the phone.
A door closing.
Lily went quiet.
“Lily?””
No answer.
“Lily?””
Then, very softly:
“He’s here.””
My entire body went cold.
“Who?””
But before she answered, the line went silent.
The call ended.
Auntie Renee grabbed her keys.
“We’re leaving.””
I stood.
“Where are we going?””
“To find her.””
“But we don’t know where she is.””
Auntie Renee looked at my phone.
Then at the photo Lily had sent.
And something clicked.
“The background.””
“What?””
“The picture.””
She pointed at the image.
“Look behind Daniel.””
I looked closer.
A building.
A street sign.
A place I recognized.
My stomach dropped.
Because it wasn’t just a random location.
It was somewhere Daniel had taken me before.
Somewhere he told me was safe.
Auntie Renee grabbed her coat.
“Maya, we need to go now.””
As we rushed outside, my phone buzzed one more time.
A new message from Lily.
One sentence.
May you like
One sentence that made my entire body freeze.
*“Maya, if you get there and Daniel is already waiting… don’t let him talk to you alone.””*
