A Missing Key 218 Missed Calls One Family Secret novel Chapter 1

Chapter 1

On moving day, my parents gave everyone a key to the new house.

My brother and sister-in-law got one. My younger brother’s girlfriend got one. Even Maria, the housekeeper, got one.

Everyone but me.

I dragged my suitcase out the front door, leaving behind the sound of my family’s laughter.

That night, I powered off my phone, buried my head under the covers, and cried myself to sleep.

But the next morning, when I turned my phone back on, I froze completely-

Dad had called 218 times.

What the hell happened?

Morning light filtered through the mist, casting a soft glow over the new subdivision in the suburbs.

The air smelled of fresh-cut grass and damp earth-the kind of morning that should’ve felt peaceful.

Instead, standing in front of a three-story house with a manicured garden, I felt like I was carrying a boulder in my chest.

I clutched the carefully wrapped gift I’d brought, watching the moving truck parked in the driveway as workers hauled

furniture inside.

Taking a deep breath, I forced my face into something resembling a smile and walked in.

Inside, the whole family was there.

Dad-Robert Lancaster-was in his element, barking orders like a general.

His voice boomed through the empty living room: “That couch-yeah, by the window! Better light there!”

When he spotted me, his grin widened. He waved me over. “Evie! There you are! Come here!”

I walked up and held out the gift.

“Dad, Mom, congrats on the new place. I had this shipped from a pottery studio in North Carolina. Thought it’d go perfect with the whole modern vibe you’ve got going.”

Mom-Diane-took it from me with barely a glance. “That’s sweet of you, hon. Just set it over there.”

Her attention snapped right back to the movers, directing them to be careful with her precious dining table.

10:19

A Missing Key, 218 Missed Calls. One Family Secret

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Chapter 1

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