Chapter 4: The Box Behind the Christmas Decorations
Tiana read the message three times.
Then she looked at the unknown number.
“Who sent this?”” Cora asked.
“I don't know.””
“Did they say anything else?””
Tiana showed her mother the screen.
Cora's expression changed as she read the final sentence.
“Behind the Christmas decorations?””
Tiana nodded.
“Mom, what if this is some kind of joke?””
“Then we'll find nothing. But if it's true…”
Cora didn't finish.
Zion approached them, still holding Marcus's photograph.
“Mommy, are we going home?””
Tiana forced a smile.
“Yes, sweetheart. But first, we're going to Grandma's house for a little while.””
“Can I bring Daddy's picture?””
“Absolutely.””
She helped him into the back seat and fastened his seat belt.
Then she sent a message to Curtis.
*Tiana:* I'm taking Zion to see my mother. We'll be back later.
His response arrived almost immediately.
*Curtis:* Okay. Don't make a big deal out of this morning. We need to move on.
Tiana stared at the screen.
He was still talking about the haircut.
He had no idea what she had just discovered.
Or perhaps he did.
She started the car.
Twenty minutes later, they arrived home.
Curtis's truck wasn't in the driveway.
Tiana had expected that.
He usually worked until six on weekdays, and she had already checked his location on the family-sharing application. His truck was several miles away.
“Cora, take Zion upstairs,” she said.
Her mother looked at her.
“You sure?””
“Yes. I need to check something.””
Cora took Zion's hand.
“Come on, baby. Grandma has some cookies.””
Zion followed her, but halfway up the stairs, he turned.
“Mommy?””
“Yes?””
“Are you going to throw away Daddy's things?””
Tiana felt her stomach twist.
“No, sweetheart. I'm going to make sure nobody else does.””
He nodded and continued upstairs.
Tiana walked toward the storage room.
The door was at the end of the hallway, behind the laundry area. Curtis had reorganized it several months earlier, insisting that the house needed more space.
He had told her he was throwing away old cardboard boxes and broken furniture.
Tiana turned the handle.
The door opened with a faint creak.
The room smelled of dust and old fabric.
Christmas decorations occupied the shelves. Artificial wreaths, plastic snowmen, tangled lights, and several boxes of ornaments filled the upper section.
She moved a large artificial tree aside.
Behind it sat three cardboard boxes.
Two were labeled WINTER CLOTHES.
The third had no label.
Tiana crouched.
Her hands trembled as she opened it.
Inside were familiar objects.
A small pair of baby shoes.
A blue hospital blanket.
A wooden toy car.
And beneath them, wrapped in a faded gray sweatshirt, was a framed photograph of Marcus holding newborn Zion.
Tiana recognized the photograph immediately.
She had placed it on the living room bookshelf after Marcus died.
One day, it had disappeared.
Curtis had told her he thought she had packed it away.
She picked it up.
The glass was cracked.
Someone had deliberately broken the frame.
Tiana placed it on the floor and continued searching.
There was a birthday card Marcus had written before Zion's first birthday.
There was a tiny baseball cap.
There was a hospital bracelet with Zion's name printed across it.
And then she found a folded piece of paper.
It was a receipt from a local donation center.
The date was six months earlier.
The description read:
*One box of men's clothing, photographs, personal effects.*
The donor's name was Curtis.
Tiana felt cold.
He hadn't simply misplaced Marcus's belongings.
He had tried to get rid of them.
She pulled out her phone and photographed everything.
Then she noticed something underneath the sweatshirt.
A small black notebook.
It belonged to Marcus.
She opened the first page.
His handwriting was uneven but familiar.
For Zion. When you're old enough to read this, I hope you know how much your mother and I love you.
Tiana sat back on her heels.
The next pages contained little memories.
The first time Zion smiled.
The day he learned to walk.
The afternoon he fell asleep on Marcus's chest.
One entry made her stop breathing for a moment.
He has my curls. Tiana laughs every time she sees him in the mirror. I hope he keeps them when he grows up. I hope he never feels he has to change anything about himself to make someone else comfortable.
Tiana pressed the notebook against her chest.
Tears slipped down her cheeks.
Then she heard footsteps.
She quickly looked toward the door.
“Mommy?””
It was Zion.
He stood in the doorway with Cora behind him.
“Baby, I thought Grandma was helping you upstairs.””
“I wanted to see what you found.””
His eyes moved toward the photograph on the floor.
He stepped closer.
“That's Daddy.””
Tiana nodded.
“Yes, sweetheart.””
He picked up the cracked frame.
“Why was it in here?””
Tiana couldn't bring herself to lie.
“Someone put it away because they didn't want it displayed.””
“Curtis?””
She hesitated.
Then she nodded.
Zion stared at the photograph.
“Did Daddy do something bad?””
“No.””
“Then why doesn't Curtis like him?””
Tiana pulled him close.
“Sometimes grown-ups have feelings they don't know how to handle. But those feelings are never your fault.””
Zion looked down at the notebook.
“Can I keep this?””
Tiana opened the first page and read the words aloud.
His little fingers touched the handwriting.
“Daddy wrote that?””
“Yes.””
“Can you read the whole thing to me?””
“Every word.””
Cora wiped her eyes.
Then Tiana's phone vibrated.
A new message.
*Unknown number:* There's more. Check the date on the donation receipt. Then ask Curtis why he went to Marcus's old apartment three weeks ago.
Tiana's blood ran cold.
Marcus's old apartment?
She had assumed everything there had been cleared years earlier.
She typed a response.
*Tiana:* Who are you?
The reply came almost instantly.
*Unknown number:* Someone who knows what Curtis has been doing.
Before Tiana could ask another question, headlights swept across the hallway window.
A truck pulled into the driveway.
Curtis was home.
Tiana closed the notebook.
“Cora, take Zion upstairs.””
“But Mommy—” Zion began.
“Go with Grandma, baby.””
Cora guided him away.
Tiana stood in the storage room holding Marcus's belongings.
Curtis's footsteps approached.
Then he appeared in the doorway.
His eyes moved from the box to the photograph in her hands.
His face changed.
“What are you doing?””
Tiana lifted the donation receipt.
“I think you owe me an explanation.””
Curtis stared at the paper.
Then his gaze moved to the notebook.
For the first time since she had known him, he looked genuinely afraid.
“Where did you get that?””
“From the box you hid behind our Christmas decorations.””
Curtis stepped into the room.
“Give me the notebook.””
Tiana tightened her grip.
“No.””
He looked at the open box.
May you like
Then he said quietly:
“You weren't supposed to find that.””
