Chapter 3: The Secret Behind The Smiles
I didn’t sleep after that phone call.
The woman refused to explain anything over the phone.
She only gave me a name.
“Rebecca.””
And one sentence that kept repeating in my mind.
Your husband’s family has been hiding something.
By morning, Daniel was already gone.
No note.
No conversation.
Just an empty spot beside me in bed.
I stared at the ceiling for almost an hour.
Eight years of marriage.
Eight years of believing I knew the man sleeping beside me.
And now I wondered how many things I had missed.
At nine thirty, Rebecca texted me an address.
A small coffee shop downtown.
I almost ignored it.
Almost.
But then I looked at Lily.
She was sitting at the kitchen table coloring a picture of our house.
She had drawn three people.
Me.
Her.
And Daniel.
I looked at the picture.
Then I looked at the bruise fading on her cheek.
I grabbed my coat.
The coffee shop was nearly empty.
Rebecca sat in the corner booth.
She looked nervous.
When she saw me, she immediately stood.
“Chloe?””
“Yes.””
She nodded.
“I’m sorry you’re dealing with this.””
I sat down.
“Who are you?””
She looked around before answering.
“My name is Rebecca Miller. I used to work for Robert Peterson.””
My eyebrows lifted.
“My father-in-law?””
“Yes.””
The way she said it made my stomach tighten.
“What does this have to do with Lily?””
Rebecca took a deep breath.
“Before I tell you, I need you to understand something.””
“What?””
“The Petersons are very good at making people believe they’re perfect.””
I said nothing.
Because I knew.
She continued.
“They have spent years protecting their reputation.””
“And?””
“And sometimes protecting a reputation means protecting the wrong people.””
I leaned forward.
“What are you saying?””
Rebecca reached into her bag and placed a folder on the table.
“I found these while working for Robert.””
I looked down.
Documents.
Emails.
Photos.
My heart started racing.
“What is this?””
“Proof that the Peterson family has covered up incidents before.””
I opened the folder.
The first page was an email.
The name at the bottom made my blood run cold.
Megan Peterson.
I read the message.
It was about another child.
Another accusation.
Another time someone had been told to stay silent.
I looked up.
“Megan did this before?””
Rebecca nodded.
“She has always believed people like her don’t face consequences.””
The room felt smaller.
“Why are you telling me now?””
Rebecca looked down.
“Because yesterday wasn’t the first time I saw her hurt someone.””
My breath caught.
“What?””
She swallowed.
“I was there when she did something years ago.””
“Why didn’t you report it?””
Her eyes filled with shame.
“Because Robert paid me to leave.””
I stared at her.
The perfect Peterson family.
The expensive dinners.
The holiday photos.
The smiles.
All of it suddenly looked different.
Rebecca pushed another paper toward me.
“This is the part you need to see.””
I looked at the document.
It was a legal agreement.
And at the bottom was Daniel’s signature.
My husband’s signature.
I felt my hands go numb.
“What is this?””
Rebecca’s voice became quieter.
“Chloe…”
I looked up.
“What?””
She hesitated.
Then she said:
“Your husband knew about Megan before he married you.””
The world seemed to stop.
“No.””
“I’m sorry.””
“No.””
I pushed the paper away.
“That’s impossible.””
Rebecca looked at me with sadness.
“I wish it was.””
My phone suddenly buzzed.
A message from Daniel.
I opened it.
Three words.
*We need to talk.*
Then another message appeared.
A photo.
My heart dropped when I saw it.
It was Lily.
Standing outside the Peterson house.
And underneath the picture were the words:
*Your daughter belongs with her family.*
I looked at Rebecca.
She had gone pale.
“Chloe…”
“What?””
May you like
She whispered:
“You need to leave before they realize you know the truth.””
