Her Hidden Secret - Chapter 7: Chapter 7
You are reading Her Hidden Secret, Chapter 7: Chapter 7. Read more chapters of Her Hidden Secret.
"Roland, tell me what you heard isn't true."
Vivian Langley's voice cracked, her hands trembling. "Say it's not real. You must've misheard—this can't be happening!"
Her composure shattered. One moment she was pleading; the next, her grief erupted like a storm.
"Chloe!" she screamed, her voice raw. "Those monsters—I hope they rot in hell! Every last one of them!"
Then, just as suddenly, her knees buckled. Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed against me.
I caught her, my mind racing. What the hell had just happened?
Carefully, I carried her to the bed, my confusion twisting into something darker. This wasn't just grief—it was agony. And somehow, I'd stumbled right into the heart of it.
Her phone lay beside her. Against my better judgment, I pressed her thumb to the sensor. The screen lit up.
The wallpaper was a photo of Vivian and a young girl—her daughter, no doubt. The girl had Vivian's striking eyes but softer features, her smile radiating warmth.
Chloe.
The phone was eerily tidy—no clutter, no notifications. Just one glaring exception: a news article pinned at the center.
Three Teenage Girls Missing Near National Forest Park.
My stomach dropped.
There were photos. And one of them—God, no—was unmistakably Chloe.
I couldn't breathe.
Coincidence. It has to be.
Hands shaking, I opened Vivian's messages, searching for Chloe's thread.
Dozens of unread texts filled the screen—all from Vivian, sent daily for seven months. Not a single reply.
The last message Chloe had ever sent:
"Mom, going to the National Forest Park with friends. Be back late."
Beneath it, a selfie. Three girls, arms around each other, grinning like the world couldn't touch them.
I sat there, numb.
There was nothing "off" about Vivian. She wasn't paranoid. She wasn't unstable.
She was a mother whose child had vanished.
And I'd doubted her.
Disgust coiled in my gut. I slapped myself—hard—across the face.
A soft groan came from the bed. Vivian stirred, her hand instinctively reaching for her phone. When she saw me holding it, her face crumpled.
"Roland…" Her voice was barely a whisper, broken with hope. "Tell me it's just a coincidence. Please."
I wanted to lie. God, I wanted to. But the words stuck in my throat.
How could I lie to her?
Her last shred of strength dissolved. She slid to the floor, empty.
Then, in a voice scraped raw, she began to speak.
"I was twenty when I married him. A trucker. We weren't rich, but he loved me. Really loved me."
"We wanted kids. Doctors said I could only ever have one. He never blamed me—just held me tighter."
"Chloe came the next year. I named her that because… I felt like I owed him a son. But he never cared. Just adored her."
"When she was ten, he died. A crash. They told me his body was… unrecognizable. The insurance company screwed us. Gave us $150,000 and called it fair."
"I fought them. Lost everything—our home, our savings. People said I was crazy. That I needed to move on for Chloe's sake."
"But I couldn't."
"Eventually, the money ran out. I took whatever work I could. Then Chloe got sick. The bills buried us. So when a rich man showed interest… I let him."
"Found out later I was his mistress. Didn't care. His money saved her. He was my miracle."
"Time passed. I aged. He left me for someone younger. Didn't matter. Chloe was in college by then—strong, brilliant."
"Just when I thought life was finally kind… she vanished."
Vivian Langley's voice cracked, her hands trembling. "Say it's not real. You must've misheard—this can't be happening!"
Her composure shattered. One moment she was pleading; the next, her grief erupted like a storm.
"Chloe!" she screamed, her voice raw. "Those monsters—I hope they rot in hell! Every last one of them!"
Then, just as suddenly, her knees buckled. Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed against me.
I caught her, my mind racing. What the hell had just happened?
Carefully, I carried her to the bed, my confusion twisting into something darker. This wasn't just grief—it was agony. And somehow, I'd stumbled right into the heart of it.
Her phone lay beside her. Against my better judgment, I pressed her thumb to the sensor. The screen lit up.
The wallpaper was a photo of Vivian and a young girl—her daughter, no doubt. The girl had Vivian's striking eyes but softer features, her smile radiating warmth.
Chloe.
The phone was eerily tidy—no clutter, no notifications. Just one glaring exception: a news article pinned at the center.
Three Teenage Girls Missing Near National Forest Park.
My stomach dropped.
There were photos. And one of them—God, no—was unmistakably Chloe.
I couldn't breathe.
Coincidence. It has to be.
Hands shaking, I opened Vivian's messages, searching for Chloe's thread.
Dozens of unread texts filled the screen—all from Vivian, sent daily for seven months. Not a single reply.
The last message Chloe had ever sent:
"Mom, going to the National Forest Park with friends. Be back late."
Beneath it, a selfie. Three girls, arms around each other, grinning like the world couldn't touch them.
I sat there, numb.
There was nothing "off" about Vivian. She wasn't paranoid. She wasn't unstable.
She was a mother whose child had vanished.
And I'd doubted her.
Disgust coiled in my gut. I slapped myself—hard—across the face.
A soft groan came from the bed. Vivian stirred, her hand instinctively reaching for her phone. When she saw me holding it, her face crumpled.
"Roland…" Her voice was barely a whisper, broken with hope. "Tell me it's just a coincidence. Please."
I wanted to lie. God, I wanted to. But the words stuck in my throat.
How could I lie to her?
Her last shred of strength dissolved. She slid to the floor, empty.
Then, in a voice scraped raw, she began to speak.
"I was twenty when I married him. A trucker. We weren't rich, but he loved me. Really loved me."
"We wanted kids. Doctors said I could only ever have one. He never blamed me—just held me tighter."
"Chloe came the next year. I named her that because… I felt like I owed him a son. But he never cared. Just adored her."
"When she was ten, he died. A crash. They told me his body was… unrecognizable. The insurance company screwed us. Gave us $150,000 and called it fair."
"I fought them. Lost everything—our home, our savings. People said I was crazy. That I needed to move on for Chloe's sake."
"But I couldn't."
"Eventually, the money ran out. I took whatever work I could. Then Chloe got sick. The bills buried us. So when a rich man showed interest… I let him."
"Found out later I was his mistress. Didn't care. His money saved her. He was my miracle."
"Time passed. I aged. He left me for someone younger. Didn't matter. Chloe was in college by then—strong, brilliant."
"Just when I thought life was finally kind… she vanished."
End of Her Hidden Secret Chapter 7. Continue reading Chapter 8 or return to Her Hidden Secret book page.