Chapter 4 - The Divide
Dad walked toward me, his heavy footsteps echoing on the hardwood floor.
I held my ground, keeping my grip tight on Chloe’s hand.
“I am not calling him a liar,” I said firmly.
“I am calling him an abuser.”
Dad’s jaw clenched tight.
“Show him the latch, Mom,” I pleaded.
Mom flinched, her eyes darting nervously toward Liam.
Liam tilted his head slightly, a silent reminder of the blackmail hanging over her.
“It was just a misunderstanding, David,” Mom whispered, staring at the floor.
I felt a sickening wave of betrayal wash over me.
She was choosing her secret over her own daughter's safety.
Dad scoffed and threw his hands up in the air.
“See?” Dad yelled at me.
“Your mother says it is nothing.”
“You are always trying to start drama in this house, Maya.”
He pointed toward the staircase.
“Both of you, go to your rooms.”
“And Liam, thank you for watching out for your sister.”
Liam nodded humbly.
“Always, Dad.”
I did not argue anymore.
There was no point in fighting a battle when the referee was already bought.
I pulled Chloe upstairs, but I did not take her to her room.
I took her straight into my bedroom and locked the heavy wooden door behind us.
I pushed my heavy dresser in front of the door for extra security.
Chloe sat on my bed, pulling her knees to her chest.
“Mom did not help me,” Chloe whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks.
“I know, sweetie,” I said, sitting beside her.
“But I am going to help you.”
I pulled out my phone to call the police myself.
I did not care what Liam told Dad about Mom's letters.
I just wanted him out of our house.
But when I looked at my screen, there was no cellular service.
The signal bars were completely empty.
I walked over to the window and saw the Wi-Fi router downstairs was unplugged.
Liam had shut off the internet and turned on a signal jammer.
He was a tech major, and he knew exactly how to isolate us.
“He jammed the phones,” I muttered, feeling panic begin to rise.
Chloe whimpered and pointed to the air conditioning vent above my bed.
“He is always listening,” she said softly.
I grabbed a chair and stood on it to look inside the metal grate.
I used the flashlight on my dead phone to illuminate the dusty ductwork.
Sitting perfectly hidden in the shadows was a small, blinking red light.
It was a wireless hidden camera.
I reached in and ripped it out of the vent.
May you like
I stared at the tiny lens in horror.
Then, my bedroom door handle slowly began to turn from the outside.
