Chapter 7. {Behind The Smile}
1150 Words
Melissa couldn’t stop staring at the silver locket.
She sat on the edge of her bed long after dawn had broken, turning it over in her hands. The tiny folded note still rested inside.
“Trust no one… not even—“
The sentence haunted her.
Who had her mother wanted to warn her about?
Why had someone torn away the most important part?
A knock on her door interrupted her thoughts.
“Mel?”
Jason’s voice was unusually soft.
“Breakfast is ready.”
She slipped the note back into the locket and hid it beneath her pillow before heading downstairs.
…
The dining table was unusually quiet.
Neither of them touched their food.
Jason looked exhausted.
The dark circles beneath his eyes had become more noticeable, and every few seconds he absentmindedly rubbed his temples as if trying to ease an invisible pain.
Melissa watched him carefully.
“Dad…”
He looked up.
“When was the last time you slept?”
He smiled faintly.
“I slept.”
“You’ve been saying that every day.”
Jason chuckled, but there was no joy in it.
“I’m getting old.”
“You’re only forty-three.”
“Exactly.”
Melissa couldn’t help smiling.
For a brief moment, it almost felt normal again.
Then Jason reached for his coffee.
The mug slipped from his hand.
It shattered against the floor.
Silence.
Melissa immediately stood.
“It’s okay.”
She grabbed a towel and knelt to clean the mess.
Jason stared at his trembling hand.
His smile faded.
“I’m sorry.”
She looked up at him.
“You don’t have to apologize.”
He opened his mouth as though he wanted to say something.
Instead…
His phone vibrated.
The screen lit up.
Catherine Calling…
Jason’s entire expression changed.
“I’ll… be right back.”
He hurried outside.
Melissa frowned.
Lately, every call from Catherine seemed to drain the life out of him.
…
She carried the broken pieces to the kitchen bin before noticing something unusual.
The back door…
Was slightly open.
She was certain she’d locked it before going to bed.
“Dad?”
No answer.
The cool morning breeze drifted inside, carrying the faint scent of…
Lavender.
Melissa froze.
Her mother’s perfume.
Slowly, she stepped toward the door.
The garden was empty.
Only the old oak tree swayed gently in the wind.
She was about to close the door when something caught her eye.
Fresh footprints.
Not hers.
Not Jason’s.
They led from the back gate…
Straight toward the house.
Her heartbeat quickened.
Someone had been there.
Recently.
…
Outside, Jason lowered his voice.
“What do you mean you couldn’t find it?”
Catherine sounded irritated.
“I searched everywhere.”
“Then search again.”
Jason clenched his jaw.
“I told you, Melissa is starting to notice things.”
“Then stop her.”
“I can’t keep lying to my daughter.”
There was a brief silence.
When Catherine spoke again, her voice was dangerously calm.
“You don’t have a choice.”
The call ended.
Jason lowered the phone slowly.
His reflection stared back at him from the dark screen.
He barely recognized the man he’d become.
…
Melissa spent the rest of the morning cleaning the living room.
Anything to distract herself.
As she dusted the bookshelf, an old family album slipped onto the floor.
Several photographs scattered across the carpet.
She smiled sadly as she picked them up.
There was one of Emily laughing as Jason tried—and failed—to bake a birthday cake.
Another showed little Melissa sitting on her father’s shoulders at the beach.
Then…
A photograph she’d never seen before.
Emily.
Jason.
Catherine.
All three stood arm in arm, smiling brightly.
Written neatly on the back were the words:
“Best friends forever.”
Melissa traced the handwriting.
It belonged to her mother.
She frowned.
Something felt…
Off.
Emily’s smile looked genuine.
Jason looked happy.
But Catherine…
Her smile never reached her eyes.
Melissa shook her head.
“You’re imagining things.”
Still…
She slipped the photograph into her pocket.
…
Late that afternoon…
The doorbell rang.
Melissa opened the door.
“Aunt Catherine!”
Catherine smiled warmly and wrapped her in a hug.
“Oh, sweetheart.”
“I’ve missed you.”
Melissa hugged her back.
The familiar scent of expensive perfume filled the air.
Not lavender.
Vanilla.
“I’m sorry I haven’t visited more often.”
“It’s okay.”
Catherine gently brushed a strand of hair behind Melissa’s ear.
“How’s your father?”
“He’s been… different lately.”
Catherine’s expression softened.
“He misses your mother.”
“So do I.”
Melissa nodded.
“I know.”
For a split second…
Something cold flashed across Catherine’s face.
Gone so quickly it was almost impossible to notice.
“My poor Emily…”
she whispered.
“I still think about her every day.”
Melissa’s eyes filled with tears.
“So do I.”
Catherine pulled her into another embrace.
Melissa closed her eyes.
She didn’t notice Catherine looking past her…
Toward the staircase.
Toward the attic.
…
That evening…
Jason returned home.
The moment he saw Catherine sitting in the living room, he stopped walking.
His briefcase slipped slightly from his hand.
“I wasn’t expecting you.”
“I know.”
She smiled sweetly.
“I thought I’d check on you both.”
Melissa excused herself to make tea, leaving the two adults alone.
The smiles disappeared instantly.
“You shouldn’t come here without telling me.”
Catherine folded her arms.
“Why?”
“Afraid she’ll start asking questions?”
Jason lowered his voice.
“She’s already asking questions.”
“And?”
“She found Emily’s locket.”
For the first time…
Catherine’s smile vanished completely.
“What?”
Jason nodded.
“And I don’t know how.”
A heavy silence filled the room.
Then Catherine spoke quietly.
“Keep her away from the attic.”
Jason looked at her.
“…Why?”
She met his eyes.
“Because if she finds what Emily left behind…”
“…everything we’ve done will be for nothing.”
Melissa’s footsteps echoed from the kitchen.
Both of them immediately fell silent.
When she returned with the tray of tea…
They were smiling again.
As though nothing had happened.
⸻
That night…
Melissa couldn’t sleep.
She kept replaying the conversation she’d overheard.
“Keep her away from the attic…”
Why?
She quietly left her room and climbed the stairs.
The attic door stood exactly where she’d left it.
Locked.
She reached into her pocket for the key.
Just as she was about to unlock it—
A floorboard creaked behind her.
Melissa spun around.
No one.
The hallway was empty.
She looked back toward the attic.
The doorknob…
Was slowly turning on its own.
Melissa’s breath caught.
Someone…
Was inside.
- Writer
