Chapter 4: The Name On The Screen
The name on the document sat there like a wound I couldn’t stop staring at.
I read it once.
Then again.
Hoping my eyes had made a mistake.
They hadn’t.
The officer noticed my reaction.
“You know this person?””
I didn’t answer immediately.
Because the truth was worse than I wanted to admit.
I knew him.
I trusted him.
I had invited him into my home.
“Daniel?”” the officer asked.
I looked up slowly.
“That’s my brother.””
The room went silent.
My younger brother, Ethan.
The person who had been standing beside me at my wedding.
The person who held Emily the day she was born.
The person who always told me, “I’d protect that little girl like she was my own.””
My stomach twisted.
Because now I had to ask myself a question I never thought I would ask.
Was Ethan protecting my daughter?
Or was he the reason my family was falling apart?
Rachel was sitting across from me, staring at the document.
For the first time since this nightmare started, she looked genuinely confused.
“Ethan?”” she whispered.
I looked at her.
“You know?””
Her eyes widened.
“I know your brother. That doesn’t mean I know why he would do this.””
The officer picked up the file.
“Mrs. Carter, we’re not saying he did anything yet. We’re saying his device was used to access your account.””
Rachel shook her head.
“That’s impossible.””
“Why?””
“Because Ethan hates technology.””
The officer raised an eyebrow.
“That’s your defense?””
“No,” Rachel snapped.
“I’m saying he barely knows how to use his phone. He asked me last month how to attach a photo to a text.””
A strange feeling moved through me.
Something didn’t fit.
I looked at the photograph again.
The note.
The timing.
The account access.
Someone had been trying to make it look like Rachel was documenting Emily.
But why?
Rachel had still hurt our daughter.
That fact didn’t disappear.
But now there was another layer.
Another person.
Another secret.
The officer stood.
“We need to speak with your brother.””
I nodded.
“I’ll call him.””
Before I could reach my phone, it rang.
Ethan.
Everyone looked at the screen.
My heart started pounding.
Why was he calling now?
I answered.
“Hello?””
There was silence.
Then his voice came through.
“Daniel.””
I stood.
“Where are you?””
Another pause.
“I know you found the pictures.””
My blood turned cold.
I looked at the officer.
“How do you know that?””
Ethan exhaled.
“Because I’m the one who put them there.””
The room froze.
I gripped the phone.
“What?””
Rachel stood up.
“You did what?””
The officer motioned for me to put the phone on speaker.
I did.
Ethan’s voice filled the room.
“I know how it sounds.””
“No, Ethan,” I said quietly.
“You don’t.””
“Daniel—”
“You accessed her account.””
“Yes.””
“You planted evidence.””
“I planted evidence of what she was doing.””
I stared at the phone.
“What are you talking about?””
A long silence followed.
Then Ethan said:
“I’ve been watching Rachel for months.””
My chest tightened.
“What?””
“She wasn’t always like this.””
The words hit me.
Because they sounded exactly like something I had been thinking.
But hearing them from my brother made everything worse.
“Explain.””
Ethan sighed.
“Remember when I came over in March and Emily wouldn’t leave my side?””
I remembered.
She had hugged his leg the entire afternoon.
I thought it was because she loved her uncle.
Now I wondered if it was because she was afraid.
“She was trying to tell me something,” Ethan continued.
“What?””
“She said Mommy got angry when she made mistakes.””
Rachel looked away.
“She’s a child,” she whispered.
I ignored her.
“What exactly did Emily say?””
Ethan’s voice became quieter.
“She said Mommy told her she was embarrassing the family.””
My hands shook.
I looked toward the stairs.
Emily was upstairs.
Safe.
For now.
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
“I tried.””
The answer came immediately.
“I tried three times.””
I frowned.
“What?””
“Remember the barbecue?””
I searched my memory.
Three months earlier.
Ethan had pulled me aside.
He had looked uncomfortable.
He told me he thought Rachel was stressed.
I had laughed.
I told him every mother gets overwhelmed.
I told him not to judge her.
My stomach sank.
“You never said she was hurting Emily.””
“Because I didn’t know if she was.””
Ethan’s voice cracked.
“And because every time I tried to bring up concerns, you defended her.””
I had no response.
Because he was right.
The officer stepped closer.
“Mr. Carter, where are you currently?””
Ethan paused.
“At my apartment.””
“Can you come here?””
Another pause.
“Yes.””
The call ended.
Nobody spoke.
Then Rachel looked at me.
“You believe him?””
I stared at her.
“I don’t know what I believe anymore.””
She swallowed.
That answer hurt her.
I could see it.
But I couldn’t comfort her.
Not anymore.
Not after what happened.
An hour later, Ethan walked through the front door.
He looked exhausted.
Older somehow.
He didn’t even look at Rachel.
He looked at me.
“I’m sorry.””
Those two words almost broke me.
“Why didn’t you tell me the truth?””
“I did.””
“No.””
My voice rose.
“You gave me hints. You gave me concerns. But you never forced me to see it.””
Ethan looked down.
“You were happy.””
I laughed bitterly.
“Happy?””
“You loved your family. You loved the idea that everything was okay.””
His eyes moved toward the stairs.
“And I was scared that if I pushed too hard, you’d stop believing me.””
The officer stepped forward.
“Mr. Carter, we need a clear timeline.””
Ethan nodded.
“I accessed Rachel’s account two weeks ago.””
“Why?””
“Because I found something.””
“What?””
Ethan reached into his jacket.
He pulled out a small envelope.
My heartbeat changed.
“What is that?””
He handed it to me.
“I found it hidden in Rachel’s car.””
I opened it.
Inside was a letter.
Not written by Rachel.
Not written by Ethan.
A letter addressed to my wife.
The handwriting was unfamiliar.
The first line made my blood run cold.
Rachel, if you want Daniel to leave her, you need to make him believe she is the problem.
I looked up.
“What is this?””
Ethan’s face was pale.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out.””
The officer took the letter.
“Who wrote it?””
Ethan shook his head.
“I don’t know.””
I looked at Rachel.
She looked terrified.
Not angry.
Not defensive.
Terrified.
Then her phone buzzed.
She looked down.
And all the color drained from her face.
“What is it?”” I asked.
She didn’t answer.
I took a step closer.
“Rachel.””
Slowly, she turned the phone toward me.
There was one message.
From an unknown number.
Only seven words.
You should have blamed him sooner.
My heart stopped.
May you like
Because the message wasn’t sent to Rachel alone.
It was sent from inside our house.
