I felt the blood rush to my head.
Sophie. Nine years old. Shy. Trusting.
I thought of all the times Matthew had come over. All the gifts. All the afternoons.
“Oh God, Laura. I don’t know what to think. He’s my brother.”
She put her hand on mine. It was the first time she’d touched me like that since the divorce.
“I know this is hard. But I’m a detective. I’ve seen all kinds of things. And I’m not going to take chances with our daughter. Let me keep investigating. But from tonight on, don’t let her be alone with him. Promise me.”
“I promise.”
She told me a little more. There had been rumors about Matthew at the school for a while. Nothing anyone would put in writing. And every time something started to surface, it somehow disappeared.
“Your family is very good at making things go away,” she said quietly.
She looked in at Sophie sleeping on her way out. She stood in the doorway for a long time. Then she left.
The apartment went silent. The walls felt like they were closing in on me.
I went into Sophie’s room and sat down on the edge of her bed. I watched her sleep under her moon-shaped nightlight.
She was afraid of the dark. She’d always been afraid of the dark.
But where was the real darkness? Out there?
Or inside my own family?
I didn’t sleep that night. I lay on the couch staring at the ceiling.
And the memories started coming back.
Three years ago, after Laura moved out, Sophie cried every night. She clung to me and asked if Mommy was coming back. I held her and told her Mommy still loved her, and Daddy would take care of her.
But I wasn’t ready. Work kept swallowing me. Hasty breakfasts. Dropping her off at school at seven. Picking her up late because a surgery ran over. Sometimes not picking her up at all.
On those days, someone else picked her up.
Matthew.
“Don’t worry about it, big brother,” he’d say on the phone. “I’ll grab her from school. We’ll do homework. Go save some lives.”
And I’d thanked him. Every single time. I’d thanked him.
Ethan Blake is a skilled Creative Content Specialist with a talent for crafting engaging and thought-provoking narratives. With a strong background in storytelling and digital content creation, Ethan brings a unique perspective to his role at TheArchivists, where he curates and produces captivating content for a global audience.
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