Chapter 2 — The Thing Children Don’t Forget
Two hours later, the mansion was filled with controlled chaos.
Doctors spoke in careful tones. Staff moved like shadows. Margaret Whitmore was stabilized, but her pride had not recovered with her body.
Nathaniel stood alone in the study, staring at the security panel.
Every camera feed from the staircase was blank.
Dead.
Not malfunctioning.
Disabled.
A deliberate gap in time.
Exactly three minutes.
Enough for something to happen and leave no proof.
Vivien entered quietly, placing a cup of coffee on his desk.
“You haven’t eaten,” she said gently.
Nathaniel didn’t look up.
“Neither have you,” he replied.
A pause.
She smiled—soft, practiced.
“I was worried about your mother.”
Another pause.
Nathaniel finally turned.
“And the cameras?”
Her smile didn’t break.
But it tightened.
“They must’ve glitched,” she said.
That was when Rosa appeared in the doorway.
She wasn’t supposed to be there.
Lily stood beside her, holding her two wooden blocks tightly.
The child pointed at Vivien without fear.
“She was there,” Lily said softly.
Rosa froze.
Vivien’s expression didn’t change.
But her eyes shifted—just for a fraction of a second.
May you like
Nathaniel saw it.
And this time, he didn’t miss it.
