Chapter 3 - The Hidden Bruises
Rebecca had mastered the art of pretending.
Every morning she stood before the bedroom mirror, carefully applying concealer over bruises that bloomed like dark flowers across her arms and neck.
Trevor never apologized anymore.
Instead, he offered explanations.
"You make me lose control."
"You know how much pressure I'm under."
"If you would just listen the first time..."
Rebecca repeated those excuses in her mind until they sounded almost believable.
Emma had just begun walking.
The little girl laughed whenever sunlight poured through the living room windows, chasing dust floating through the air.
She never laughed when Trevor was home.
Rebecca noticed it long before anyone else.
Emma would stop playing the moment she heard his car enter the driveway.
She would hide behind Rebecca's legs, clutching the fabric of her dress with tiny trembling fingers.
Children understood fear before they understood language.
One afternoon Rebecca carried Emma into the garden while Trevor was away.
For the first time in weeks, she smiled.
Emma reached for a butterfly dancing above the roses.
"You like freedom, don't you?" Rebecca whispered.
"So do I."
A voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Mrs. Hayes?"
She turned.
An elderly gardener stood beside the hedge.
He had worked for Richard Lawson for over twenty years before Trevor insisted on replacing nearly the entire household staff.
Only old Samuel had been allowed to stay.
He looked around carefully before speaking.
"You need to be careful."
Rebecca frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Samuel reached into his pocket and quietly slipped a folded piece of paper into Emma's blanket.
"Don't let Mr. Hayes see this."
Before Rebecca could ask another question, Trevor's black SUV entered the driveway.
Samuel immediately returned to trimming the hedges as if nothing had happened.
That evening, after Trevor fell asleep, Rebecca unfolded the paper.
Only six words were written across it.
He's watching more than you know.
Below the sentence was an address.
No name.
No explanation.
Only an abandoned warehouse on the edge of the city.
Rebecca stared at the note for a long time.
For the first time in years...
Someone else believed her.
May you like
She quietly hid the paper inside Emma's favorite stuffed rabbit.
The next morning, she discovered the rabbit had disappeared.
