When her daughter exhibits unusual behavior, Jennifer questions everything. Eventually, Emma tells her the truth — that she found a box of her father’s secrets. My daughter, Emma, has always been the rainbow child, wearing the brightest colors and drawing unicorns and butterflies.
But recently, there has been a change in her behavior. She’s been withdrawn, hasn’t been eating properly, and always wants to sit outside. At first, I didn’t think much about it because Emma constantly goes through phases.
But then, her teacher, Mrs Silverton, called me in for a parent-teacher meeting. She was just in kindergarten, but the school prided itself on checking in with parents. “I didn’t want to alarm you, Jennifer, but there’s something concerning going on with Emma.”
She pulled out a yellow file and showed me a series of drawings by Emma — all dark and shadowy, menacing even.
I drove home from the school in silence. I knew that something was different with Emma, but I didn’t think it was that bad. Later, while I made noodles for our dinner, I decided to talk to Emma about it.
“Sweetheart,” I said. “I went in to see Mrs Silverton today.”
“Really? Why?” she asked curiously.
“She spoke about the new drawings you’ve been doing and how different they are from the usual ones.”
She looked at her bowl of noodles, twirling her fork through it — her response was silence. “Emma, darling, you can tell Momma anything.”
Finally, she spilled the beans. “I found Daddy’s secret,” she said quietly.
“What secret, honey?” I asked her. “Come, I’ll show you, Momma,” she said, jumping up from the table. William, my husband, lives with Emma and me only part-time because of his job.
Sometimes, he must work away from home, and traveling always gets to him. So, he decided to rent an apartment for when he worked away. When Emma led me to William’s home office, I wondered what my daughter had discovered.
I watched as she went to William’s desk and opened the top drawer, taking out an old box. “I saw this when I came looking for crayons,” she said. Emma gave me the box before bolting to her room.
I took the container and sat at William’s desk, my heart pounding as I opened the lid. The moment I glimpsed inside, my entire world crumbled. Inside were photos — images of William hugging another woman and a set of three beautiful children, aged between two and seven years old.
The story doesn’t end here –
it continues on the next page.
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