Chapter 2 - The Silence In My Own House
I didn’t sleep that night.
I sat across from Lucas’s bedroom door until sunrise, replaying every moment I had missed.
Every dinner where he barely spoke.
Every time he wore long sleeves even when it was warm.
Every time Candice told me, “He’s just being dramatic.”
My wife had always been good at making things sound normal.
Too good.
At sunrise, I walked into the kitchen and made pancakes.
Lucas looked confused when I placed the plate in front of him.
“Dad…”
I sat down.
“Tell me everything.”
For a few seconds, he stared at the pancakes.
Then his eyes filled.
Not with tears.
With exhaustion.
“Candice said you didn’t want me around.”
My chest tightened.
“What?”
“She said after Mom died, I became your responsibility. Not your son.”
I felt like someone had punched me.
Because Lucas wasn’t telling me about one bad day.
He was telling me about months of being broken down.
Then he reached into his backpack.
And placed a small silver keepsake cup on the table.
I recognized it immediately.
It belonged to my late wife.
My first wife.
Lucas’s mother.
“Where did you get that?”
Lucas swallowed.
“Candice hid it.”
He pushed it toward me.
“In her bedroom.”
I stared at the cup.
Then at my son.
“What else is she hiding?”
Lucas looked toward the hallway.
“Dad…”
His voice dropped.
May you like
“You’re not going to like what you find.”
📖 Chapter 3 uncovers what Gabriel discovers inside Candice’s bedroom and why the silver cup was hidden away. 👇
