Chapter 6 - The Man Behind the Basement Door
The voice behind the basement door said my name.
Not Dominic's.
Not Elena's.
Mine.
"Norah..."
Every person in the hallway froze.
I felt my entire body go cold.
Because whoever was behind that door knew exactly who I was.
They knew I was here.
They knew about me.
And they knew about the baby.
Dominic immediately moved in front of me.
A protective instinct.
A reaction that happened before he even thought about it.
"Stay behind me."
I stared at the back of his shoulder.
For months, Dominic Russo had been the person I was afraid of.
Now he was standing between me and something hidden inside his own house.
Something even he feared.
The basement door remained closed.
Three slow knocks echoed again.
Elena grabbed Lily and pulled her close.
Her face had lost all color.
"Dominic..."
He looked at her.
"Who is it?"
She shook her head.
"I don't know."
That answer made no sense.
"You said someone I trusted was behind everything."
"I said someone I trusted helped them."
"Who?"
Elena looked at the door.
And whispered:
"Your brother."
The hallway became silent.
Dominic's expression changed.
"Marco is dead."
Elena didn't respond.
Because she didn't have to.
The fear on her face said everything.
Dominic stepped closer to the door.
"Marco died four years ago."
"He wanted you to believe that."
My heart raced.
"Wait."
I looked at Elena.
"You mean Dominic's brother is alive?"
She nodded slowly.
"I thought he was."
Dominic turned.
"What does that mean?"
Elena swallowed.
"When I disappeared, Marco was the only person who helped me escape."
Dominic stared at her.
"Why would my brother help you disappear?"
"Because he knew what was coming."
"What was coming?"
Elena looked at Lily.
Then at me.
"Someone wanted to control this family."
Dominic's jaw tightened.
"Who?"
Before Elena could answer, the basement door moved.
Not opened.
Moved.
Like someone on the other side was testing the lock.
Dominic raised his hand.
Everyone stopped.
Then he slowly unlocked the door.
The old metal lock clicked.
The sound echoed through the hallway.
I held my breath.
The door opened slightly.
Darkness waited below.
Nobody moved.
Then Dominic turned on the basement light.
Nothing happened.
No footsteps.
No voice.
Nothing.
He walked down first.
I followed.
He looked back.
"Norah."
"I’m coming."
A small sigh escaped him.
But he didn't argue.
Because he knew I would follow anyway.
The basement was colder than the rest of the house.
It didn't feel like part of the mansion.
It felt forgotten.
Dust covered old furniture.
Boxes were stacked against the walls.
But there was something strange.
The room was not abandoned.
Someone had been here recently.
A chair had been moved.
A cup sat on the table.
Still containing water.
Dominic noticed too.
"Someone was living here."
Elena stepped inside.
Her eyes moved around the room.
Then she stopped.
Near the back wall.
"There."
She pointed.
A small wooden box sat underneath a shelf.
Dominic picked it up.
It had no lock.
Inside were documents.
Photographs.
And a small recording device.
My stomach tightened.
Dominic picked up the first photograph.
His face changed.
I stepped closer.
It was Dominic.
Marco.
And another man.
A man I had never seen before.
But Dominic recognized him.
"Who is that?"
He didn't answer.
Elena looked over his shoulder.
And whispered:
"That's the person who started everything."
Dominic looked at her.
"Name."
Elena hesitated.
Then said:
"Victor Hale."
The name meant nothing to me.
But Dominic reacted.
Like he knew exactly who that was.
"You said he was gone."
Elena looked down.
"He wanted everyone to believe that."
Dominic grabbed the recording device.
"How much do you know?"
"Not enough."
He pressed the button.
At first, there was only static.
Then a man's voice.
Older.
Calm.
"I know you will find this eventually, Dominic."
Dominic froze.
The voice continued.
"You always find what people try to hide from you."
I felt a chill.
The recording was speaking directly to him.
"If you are hearing this, it means Elena failed to stay away."
Elena closed her eyes.
The voice continued.
"And it means the woman carrying your child is already part of this."
My hand moved to my stomach.
Dominic looked at me.
The recording continued.
"Norah Hayes."
Hearing my name from that device made my skin crawl.
"I know you think you are protecting her."
A pause.
"You are not."
Dominic gripped the recorder harder.
The voice became quieter.
"Because the truth is..."
Static interrupted.
Then silence.
The recording ended.
Nobody spoke.
"What truth?" I whispered.
Dominic pressed the button again.
Nothing.
The battery was dead.
Elena looked terrified.
"He knew about you."
I looked at her.
"How?"
She didn't answer.
Dominic did.
"Someone inside the house told him."
The words hurt more than I expected.
Because it meant the danger was not outside.
It was already inside.
A sudden sound came from upstairs.
A crash.
Everyone turned.
Lily.
My heart stopped.
"Where is Lily?"
Elena immediately ran toward the stairs.
"Lily!"
Dominic followed.
I was right behind them.
We reached the hallway.
The lights flickered.
Lily's bedroom door was open.
Inside, her toys were scattered across the floor.
The window was still locked.
Nobody was there.
Then I saw something.
On Lily's bed.
A small envelope.
Dominic picked it up.
"No."
His voice was barely audible.
"What?"
He turned it around.
The handwriting.
I recognized it.
The same handwriting from the note Elena left.
He opened it.
Inside was a single piece of paper.
Only one sentence.
"Your daughter was never the target."
Dominic's face changed.
Then he read the second line.
And this time...
he looked directly at me.
"The target was the child Norah is carrying."
I couldn't breathe.
Elena covered her mouth.
Dominic crushed the paper in his hand.
Then the security alarm suddenly activated.
A loud sound filled the mansion.
One of the guards shouted through the radio:
"Mr. Russo!"
Dominic grabbed it.
"What happened?"
The guard's voice shook.
"Someone opened the main gate."
"Who?"
A pause.
Then:
"Sir..."
The guard stopped speaking.
Dominic tightened his grip.
"Who is there?"
The answer came through the radio.
A single sentence.
"Your brother is standing at the gate."
Dominic went completely still.
May you like
Because Marco Russo was supposed to be dead.
And the front door security camera had just captured his face.
