THE PRICE OF HER TEARS:10
1176 Words
Episode 10: The Face Behind the Mask
Florence’s heart nearly stopped.
Moonlight spilled through the sitting room window, illuminating the intruder’s face for only a brief second.
But a second was all she needed.
She knew him.
He was Mr. Peter.
For nearly six years, Peter had lived just three houses away from her family. He was the friendly electrician who often repaired faulty wiring in the neighborhood. He greeted everyone with a smile, carried groceries for elderly women, and played football with the children every Sunday evening.
Even Divine adored him.
Florence had trusted him.
Yet there he stood, dressed in black from head to toe, searching her home in the middle of the night.
Her entire body trembled.
Why?
Peter quickly silenced the ringing phone before whispering into it.
“We’re inside.”
Gilbert’s voice came through the speaker, low and impatient.
“Is she in the bedroom?”
Peter glanced around.
“No.”
“What do you mean, no?”
“The bed is empty.”
A long silence followed.
Then Gilbert cursed.
“Find her.”
Peter ended the call and motioned to the second intruder.
“Search every room.”
Florence tightened her grip around Divine.
She silently prayed that none of the children would wake up.
Angela shifted slightly in her sleep.
Florence’s heart pounded.
Peter stopped moving.
He had heard it.
Slowly…
Very slowly…
He began walking toward the sitting room.
Each step echoed like thunder inside Florence’s ears.
The distance between them grew smaller.
Only a few more steps.
He raised his flashlight.
The beam swept across the floor…
Across the old sofa…
Across the curtains…
Then stopped just inches from where Florence and the children lay hidden behind the large wooden cabinet.
Florence closed her eyes.
Please, Lord…
The flashlight lingered.
Then Peter suddenly lowered it.
“There isn’t anyone here,” he whispered.
The second man frowned.
“You checked?”
Peter nodded.
“Let’s leave.”
Without another word, both men slipped quietly out of the house.
Only after the compound gate closed did Florence finally breathe.
Tears streamed silently down her cheeks.
Peter had seen them.
She was certain of it.
Yet somehow…
He had chosen not to expose them.
Why?
⸻
Before sunrise, Florence called Barrister Daniel Joe.
He answered immediately.
“Florence?”
“They came.”
Daniel stood from his chair.
“What?”
“They broke into my house.”
His face became grim.
“Are you and the children safe?”
“Yes.”
“But I recognized one of them.”
Daniel grabbed a notebook.
“Who was it?”
Florence hesitated.
“Peter.”
There was complete silence.
Finally, Daniel spoke.
“Are you absolutely certain?”
“I’ve known him for years.”
Daniel slowly sat back down.
“This changes everything.”
⸻
Within an hour, Daniel arrived with two police officers.
The house was carefully inspected.
A kitchen window had been forced open.
Footprints covered the damp ground behind the building.
One officer shook his head.
“They knew exactly where they were going.”
Daniel looked toward Florence.
“They weren’t robbers.”
“No.”
“They came looking for you.”
The older officer sighed.
“If this is connected to the custody case, then it has become a criminal investigation.”
Florence held Divine closer.
The words sent chills through her.
Someone was willing to break into her home.
How much further would they go?
⸻
Across town, Gilbert paced angrily inside his office.
Peter stood silently before him.
“You failed.”
Peter remained calm.
“The children weren’t in the bedroom.”
Gilbert slammed his fist against the desk.
“I told you to bring the boy!”
Peter’s eyes narrowed.
“I agreed to scare her.”
“I never agreed to kidnap a child.”
Gilbert stepped closer.
“You don’t get to decide.”
Peter’s voice became firm.
“This has gone too far.”
For several seconds, neither man spoke.
Finally, Gilbert smiled.
It wasn’t a pleasant smile.
It was the smile of a man who had already prepared for betrayal.
“You’ve forgotten something.”
Peter frowned.
“What?”
Gilbert opened a drawer.
Inside lay several photographs.
Some showed Peter secretly accepting envelopes of cash.
Others captured him entering Gilbert’s office late at night.
Peter’s face drained of color.
“You’ve been collecting evidence against me.”
Gilbert leaned back.
“I collect insurance.”
“If you refuse to obey me…”
He slid the photographs across the desk.
“…the police will believe you were the mastermind.”
Peter stared at the pictures.
His hands began to shake.
He had walked into a trap months ago.
And now there was no easy way out.
⸻
Meanwhile, Daniel returned to his office.
The mysterious woman was already waiting.
She had been reading through several old files spread across his desk.
Without looking up, she asked,
“Did they move last night?”
Daniel nodded.
“They entered Florence’s house.”
Her expression darkened.
“So he’s becoming desperate.”
Daniel placed the police report before her.
“You knew this would happen.”
“I hoped I was wrong.”
Daniel folded his arms.
“No more secrets.”
She finally looked at him.
“If Florence learns the truth too soon…”
“…she’ll never forgive the people who lied to her.”
Daniel’s voice grew sharper.
“She deserves the truth.”
“So did her mother.”
Those four words froze the room.
Daniel stared at her.
“What did you say?”
The woman slowly picked up the faded photograph.
“The woman Florence believes was her mother…”
“…wasn’t the woman who gave birth to her.”
Daniel’s breathing became uneven.
“Then who is?”
The woman closed her eyes for a moment.
“The answer has been hidden for twenty-eight years.”
⸻
Late that evening, Florence tucked the children into bed at Mama Grace’s house.
She refused to return home until the police completed their investigation.
As she stood outside under the cool night sky, her phone vibrated again.
Another anonymous message.
This time, there was only one sentence.
“Ask Mama Grace what happened on the night you were born”.
Florence frowned.
Her birthday?
What did that have to do with Gilbert?
Confused, she turned toward the small house.
Through the kitchen window, she saw Mama Grace.
The elderly woman’s hands were trembling so badly that she dropped a plate onto the floor.
The loud crash echoed through the house.
Mama Grace looked toward the window…
…and their eyes met.
For the first time since Florence had known her, Mama Grace looked terrified.
Not frightened of Gilbert.
Not frightened of the police.
She looked terrified of Florence discovering the truth.
And hidden inside the broken pieces of the shattered plate was an old newspaper clipping that carried a headline capable of destroying everything Florence believed about her life.
- Writer
