The Midnight Message
Emily was jolted awake by the sudden buzz of her phone. It was 1:30 a.m. when she saw a text from her father, Greg, that read: “I love you.”
Her heart sank immediately. Emily’s family wasn’t the type to say "I love you," especially not in the middle of the night. It felt wrong—terribly wrong. But she couldn’t imagine just how wrong things were about to get.
A Family Not Known for Affection
Emily’s family had always been reserved. Greg was a quiet man, stoic and emotionally distant. Her mother, Linda, was strict and rarely showed affection.
Emily was used to their cold exterior, so this sudden message made her stomach churn. Something was terribly off. She couldn’t shake the feeling.
Panic Sets In
Immediately, Emily tried to call her father, but no answer. She tried again, and again—still nothing. Panic began to set in. Was he hurt? Was something wrong with her mother? Why wasn’t anyone picking up?
Her mind raced, and she knew she had to act fast.
The Drive to Her Father’s House
Emily didn’t waste a second. She threw on a coat, grabbed her keys, and sped towards her father’s house, a million thoughts racing through her mind.
The streets were eerily quiet as she drove, and the dark, empty road seemed to stretch on forever. What would she find when she got there?
The Scene at the House
When Emily finally arrived, her heart was pounding. The sight that greeted her was unexpected—a police car parked outside her father’s home. Greg stood on the porch, talking quietly with a police officer, but her mother, Linda, was nowhere to be seen.
What had happened here? And where was her mother?
The Search for Answers
Rushing out of the car, Emily called out to her father, who turned to face her with an expression she had never seen before—one of deep, quiet sorrow.
The police officer glanced at her, then back at Greg, but no one spoke. Emily felt the weight of something unspoken hanging in the air. And then, her father uttered a single sentence that shattered everything she thought she knew.
The Dark Secret
Her father’s voice was barely a whisper as he said, “Your mother... she’s been arrested.” Emily stood frozen, the world spinning around her. Arrested? Her mother? For what?
What she uncovered changed the way she saw her family forever.
The Monster Within
It turned out that Linda had been living a double life. For years, she had harbored deep, hidden anger that manifested in ways Emily never saw coming.
Behind closed doors, Linda had been verbally and emotionally abusive to Greg, controlling his every move, until the night it escalated. "I couldn't control her. I'm sorry!"
A Violent Night
That night, Linda’s anger had boiled over, and she became physically violent. Greg had finally had enough and called the police, fearing for his safety.
When the officers arrived, they found evidence of years of abuse that Greg had hidden out of shame. Linda was arrested on the spot. Emily’s mind was reeling as she realized she never truly knew the woman who raised her.
Picking Up the Pieces
In the aftermath, Emily struggled to come to terms with the dark side of her mother. The strict figure she knew growing up was nothing but a façade.
Sometimes, the monsters we fear most are the ones we never expect.