Chapter 2 — The Camera No One Remembered
The following morning, Mason returned home alone.
Patricia and Brianna were still packing.
Or pretending to.
"You can't throw us away after everything we've done for you," Patricia snapped.
"I've already made my decision."
Brianna folded her arms.
"Then prove we did something so terrible."
Without saying a word, Mason walked into the hallway.
He reached toward a small smoke detector mounted near the ceiling.
Instead of removing it...
He pressed a hidden button.
A tiny green light blinked.
Patricia's face instantly drained of color.
"You installed cameras?"
"I installed them six months ago."
The television switched on.
Security footage filled the screen.
Day after day...
Lena carrying laundry with one hand while holding Oliver with the other.
Patricia ordering expensive food deliveries.
Brianna dumping dirty dishes into the sink before returning to the couch.
Another clip.
Oliver crying with a fever while Lena begged Patricia to watch him for ten minutes so she could shower.
Patricia never looked up from her tablet.
"I already raised my children."
Another clip.
Lena nearly collapsing while carrying groceries.
Neither woman opened the front door.
Silence filled the house.
Patricia couldn't look at the screen.
May you like
Neither could Brianna.
The lies they had repeated for months disappeared in less than five minutes.
