PART 3
I pushed the door open.
The room was empty.
Bed untouched.
Window closed.
Closet shut.
But the voice stopped the second I stepped in.
“Emma?” I said.
No answer.
My chest tightened.
Then I heard something from the hallway behind me.
Footsteps.
I turned—
She was standing there.
Right behind me.
“Why are you in my room?” she asked.
I swear I hadn’t heard her walk.
“Where were you?” I said.
“Bathroom.”
I looked past her.
Bathroom door was open.
Lights off.
Cold.
“You weren’t in there,” I said.
She just stared at me.
Then she smiled.
Not big.
Not obvious.
Just enough.
“You’re acting weird, Dad.”
I didn’t sleep at all that night.
The next morning, I checked her phone while she was brushing her teeth.
No calls.
No messages.
Nothing.
Completely clean.
Too clean.