Meet Me Alone
649 Words
Nobody moved.
The three knocks echoed through the room again.
Slow.
Patient.
Almost like whoever was outside already knew we were in here.
My heart was beating so fast.
Sophie grabbed my arm.
"Don't open it."
Noah stared at the door, his jaw tight.
Another knock.
I swallowed hard.
"Who is it?" I called out.
For a few seconds, there was no answer.
Then a woman's voice came through the door.
"Jasmine, it's me."
I froze.
My stomach dropped.
I knew that voice.
"No way..." Sophie whispered.
I slowly walked toward the door.
Every step felt heavier than the last.
Noah immediately stood up.
"Jasmine, wait."
But I was already reaching for the handle.
I pulled the door open.
The moment I saw her, I couldn't breathe.
"Mom?", "Dad"
She stood there looking exhausted.
Her eyes were red like she had been crying
My father looked nervous.
Almost guilty.
I stared at both of them.
"What is going on?"
Neither of them answered immediately.
My mother stepped inside first.
"We need to talk."
The fear in her voice made my chest tighten.
Noah and Sophie exchanged a look.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
I turned to my father.
"Why are you here?"
He looked away.
That alone made panic rise inside me.
Growing up, my father never avoided eye contact.
Never.
Until now.
"Someone tell me what's happening."
The room fell silent.
Then my mother finally spoke.
"The woman in that photo..."
My hands instantly tightened.
"What about her?"
Then she said the one thing I never expected.
"She's your sister."
Everything around me stopped.
"What?"
My mother started crying.
My father closed his eyes.
I laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because it sounded impossible.
"What kind of joke is this?"
"It's not a joke," my father said quietly.
I felt sick.
My mother nodded through her tears.
"Before I met your father, I had a daughter."
The whole room was quiet
I grabbed the nearest chair to steady myself.
"What?"
My mother broke down completely.
"I was young, Jasmine. Too young."
Every word felt like a punch.
"I was forced to give her up."
Tears rolled down her face.
"I searched for her for years."
My chest hurt.
I couldn't think.
Couldn't breathe.
Couldn't understand.
The woman from the photo.
The woman with Ethan.
My mother's daughter.
My sister.
"No..."
I shook my head repeatedly.
"This can't be real."
"It is."
The room fell silent again.
Then Noah spoke.
"Her name is stacy."
I looked at him.
"You knew?"
His expression was full of regret.
"I found out recently."
"You knew and didn't tell me?"
"I was trying to protect you."
I laughed bitterly.
"Everybody keeps saying that."
Nobody answered.
Then my phone suddenly vibrated.
The sound made everyone nervous.
I slowly pulled it out.
Unknown Number.
A message appeared.
My blood turned cold.
Ask your parents what really happened twenty-two years ago.
I looked up.
My parents had both gone pale.
Another message arrived.
The story they told you isn't the truth.
My hands started shaking.
Then a final photo appeared.
This one was old.
Very old.
A picture of my parents.
My mother.
My father.
And a little girl standing between them.
A little girl who looked exactly like the woman in Ethan's photo.
I slowly raised my eyes toward my parents.
Nobody said a word.
Nobody needed to.
Because suddenly one terrifying question was stuck in my mind.
If stacy had been living with them twenty-two years ago...
Then why had they told me she was given away?
And who was sending these messages?
The answer came seconds later.
My phone rang.
Unknown Number.
The room fell completely silent.
I answered.
A woman's voice spoke.
One sentence.
One sentence that changed everything.
"Jasmine... if you want the truth, meet me alone tonight."
The call ended.
And I already knew exactly who it was.
Stacy.
- Writer
