Chapter 5: The Person Watching From Across The Street
For a moment, nobody moved.
The rain tapped against the windows of the community center.
The old building suddenly felt like a place where secrets had been buried for years.
I stared through the glass.
The car across the street was still there.
Dark windows.
Engine running.
Someone sitting inside.
Watching.
“Who is that?”” I whispered.
Vanessa’s face tightened.
“I don’t know.””
I turned around.
“What do you mean you don’t know?””
She looked at Daniel.
And Daniel looked away.
That was when my fear turned into anger.
“Daniel.””
He didn’t answer.
“Look at me.””
Slowly, he did.
“Why does everyone seem to know something except me?””
His jaw tightened.
“I didn’t think it was connected.””
“Connected to what?””
Daniel ran his hand through his hair.
“I thought it was just a disagreement.””
“A disagreement that made our daughter afraid?””
He looked at Lily.
His expression softened.
“Lily, sweetheart, go sit with Vanessa for a minute.””
My daughter looked at me.
I nodded.
“It’s okay.””
When Lily walked away, I lowered my voice.
“Start talking.””
Daniel took a deep breath.
“About two months ago, someone started showing up at my apartment.””
My heart dropped.
“Who?””
“I didn’t know at first.””
“You didn’t know?””
“No.””
He looked embarrassed.
“I thought it was a coincidence.””
Vanessa shook her head.
“It wasn’t.””
I looked at her.
“How do you know?””
She hesitated.
Then she answered.
“Because that person contacted me too.””
The room became silent.
I looked between them.
“You both knew?””
“No,” Daniel said quickly.
“We didn’t know the other person was involved.””
I stared at him.
“You and Vanessa were fighting because of this?””
Daniel nodded.
“She wanted me to tell Emily.””
My chest tightened.
“And you refused.””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
He looked down.
“Because I thought I could handle it.””
I almost laughed.
“Handle it?””
I pointed toward Lily.
“You couldn’t even handle telling me our daughter was scared.””
Daniel closed his eyes.
“I know.””
For once, he didn’t argue.
That somehow made it worse.
I walked toward the window again.
The car remained there.
I grabbed my phone.
“I’m calling the police.””
Vanessa immediately said, “Wait.””
I turned.
“Why?””
“Because if we scare them away, we lose the chance to know who they are.””
I stared at her.
“My daughter’s safety matters more than answers.””
“I agree.””
Her voice was calm.
“But whoever this is has been careful.””
“What does that mean?””
“It means they know where Daniel lives. They know Lily’s school schedule. They know enough to make her trust them.””
A chill went through me.
“How would they know that?””
Nobody answered.
Then Lily spoke from behind us.
“I told them.””
Everyone turned.
My daughter stood there, holding her backpack.
“What?””
She looked ashamed.
“I didn’t know they were bad.””
I immediately went to her.
“Who did you tell?””
She looked at Daniel.
“Daddy’s friend.””
Daniel froze.
“What friend?””
“The one who brought me ice cream.””
The color drained from his face.
“Lily…”
“What friend?”” I asked.
Daniel swallowed.
“His name is Marcus.””
“Who is Marcus?””
Daniel hesitated.
“I met him at work.””
“And you let him around Lily?””
“He was only around a few times.””
Vanessa stepped closer.
“Daniel, tell her everything.””
He looked frustrated.
“Vanessa.””
“No.””
Her voice became firm.
“You kept trying to protect your image instead of protecting Lily.””
I looked at Daniel.
“Everything.””
He finally broke.
“Marcus used to work with me.””
“Used to?””
“Yes.””
“What happened?””
Daniel looked toward the floor.
“He got fired.””
“Why?””
Silence.
Then:
“Because of money.””
My stomach tightened.
“Was he angry?””
Daniel nodded.
“He blamed everyone.””
Including you?””
“Yes.””
I looked back outside.
The car was gone.
The empty street somehow scared me more.
“Why would Marcus want Lily?””
Daniel shook his head.
“I don’t know.””
Vanessa looked at Lily.
“Sweetheart, when you saw him today, what did he say?””
Lily’s face changed.
She looked scared again.
“He said Daddy promised.””
Daniel went pale.
“Promised what?””
Lily squeezed her backpack strap.
“He said you told him where I would be.””
Daniel stepped back.
“I never did.””
But Lily wasn’t finished.
“He said…”
She stopped.
Her eyes filled with tears.
“What did he say?”” I asked gently.
She whispered:
“He said Mommy would never find out.””
The words hit me like a wave.
Because suddenly I understood.
This wasn’t a mistake.
This wasn’t a misunderstanding.
Someone had been counting on me not knowing.
And somehow…
They knew exactly how to use Daniel against me.
My phone suddenly rang.
Unknown number.
Everyone looked at it.
Nobody spoke.
I answered.
“Hello?””
A man’s voice came through.
Calm.
Confident.
“You’re making things harder than they need to be.””
My blood went cold.
“Who are you?””
A pause.
Then:
“You should ask your ex-husband why he never told you what happened the night Lily saw me.””
I looked at Daniel.
His face had gone completely pale.
The man continued.
“Because he knows the truth.””
The call ended.
And Daniel whispered the words I never expected to hear.
“He’s alive.””
I stared at him.
“Who?””
May you like
Daniel looked terrified.
“Marcus.””
