Chapter 2: The Walls Close In
Maya felt the floor tilt beneath her. She tried to pull away, but Mark’s grip was like iron.
"You’re hysterical," Mark murmured, his voice smooth, calculated. "You’ve been struggling with the baby. Postpartum, remember? That’s what the doctor said."
It was a tactic he had used for weeks—gaslighting her into questioning her own reality. But this time, the lie was too big. Maya shoved him, hard, surprising him enough to break his hold. She sprinted toward the door, but the lock clicked with a heavy, electronic thud. Smart house security. He had locked her in.
"Mrs. Gable, the spare key!" Maya shouted.
May you like
The nanny hesitated, her eyes darting between Maya and Mark. Mark sighed, pulling his phone from his pocket. "Don't bother, Sarah. She’s not going anywhere until she calms down."
Maya retreated to the study, locking the door behind her. Her hands were shaking as she accessed the smart home hub. She had to find the footage. If the baby wasn't with a ghost, she was with an accomplice. She bypassed the cloud security, digging into the local server. She found the saved file from the monitor. She played it back at half speed. The figure in the nursery... it wasn't a ghost. It was a woman in a heavy trench coat, holding Lily. And the face—Maya froze. It was Eleanor, Mark’s mother. The "deceased" Eleanor.
