CHAPTER 2 — The Secret Hidden for Fifteen Years
The black bundle was surprisingly heavy.
It was tightly wrapped with layers of duct tape that had turned brittle with age.
Jerry backed away, whining.
For the first time since we'd brought the couch home, he looked afraid.
That scared me more than anything.
I carefully cut through the tape.
Inside...
There was an old leather notebook.
A cracked flip phone.
Several sealed envelopes.
And one small metal box.
At first I felt disappointed.
No treasure.
No diamonds.
Just old junk.
Until I opened the first envelope.
Inside was a missing-person poster.
The date made my blood run cold.
Fifteen years earlier.
The face staring back at me belonged to a young woman named Emily Carter.
Across the bottom someone had written in red ink:
"DON'T TRUST HIM."
My stomach tightened.
I grabbed the notebook.
Every page described someone's fear.
Emily wrote about a charming boyfriend who controlled every part of her life.
She believed he planned to disappear her.
At first I assumed it was fiction.
Until I reached the final page.
The handwriting became shaky.
Ink was smeared by what looked like tears.
"If anyone finds this... I'm already gone. He said no one will ever believe me."
The last sentence stopped halfway.
There was no signature.
No goodbye.
Just silence.
Jerry suddenly ran to the front window and barked furiously.
A black SUV had stopped across the street.
Its engine kept running.
Someone inside was watching my house.
The flip phone lying on the table...
which had been dead for years...
suddenly lit up.
One new message appeared.
"You should have left the couch alone."
I looked outside again.
May you like
The driver opened the car door.
And started walking toward my house.
