A Missing Key 218 Missed Calls One Family Secret novel Chapter 62

Chapter 1** “Dad, dinner’s ready!” I called out, my voice ringing with a youthful cheer that echoed through the house.

My father looked up from his work in the flowerbeds, a trowel in hand, and a warm smile spread across his face like sunlight breaking through clouds. He wiped the sweat from his brow, his eyes crinkling in that way that always made me feel cherished. “Mara’s voice keeps getting prettier,” he said, a hint of pride lacing his tone. “For a second there, I could’ve sworn your mom was calling me!” That single sentence, filled with innocent affection, lingered in the air, wrapping around me like a comforting blanket.

I was about to respond, to bask in the warmth of his words, when an icy shadow fell over me. Mom-Catherine-stood there, her presence suddenly heavy and oppressive. I hadn’t even sensed her approach, but now her gaze pierced through me like daggers, and the smile that had graced my father’s lips vanished as if it had never existed. “Oh really? Sounds like me?” she spat, each word dripping with venomous disdain. Dad, blissfully unaware of the storm brewing, continued to smile, his expression unchanging. “Sure does. Even prettier than yours!

Haha.” But the moment those words left his mouth, a chilling grip closed around my wrist. “Mom, what’s wrong?” I asked, confusion flooding my voice. Without warning, her palm struck my face with a sharp crack. SLAP! A searing heat blossomed across my cheek, and I struggled to comprehend the sudden shift in her demeanor. “You little slut. Think I don’t know what you’re up to?” Her face twisted into a mask of fury, unrecognizable and terrifying. “Stealing my voice? Copying how I talk?

Who the hell are you trying to seduce?” “I wasn’t-” “DON’T YOU DARE TALK BACK TO ME!” In a whirlwind of rage, she spun around, snatched something from the counter, and with a swift, decisive motion, plugged it into the wall. Her curling iron. “Mom! What are you doing?!” Panic surged through me as I stumbled backward, my back hitting the wall with a thud. “I’ll teach you to copy me!” she shrieked, lunging forward, dragging me back toward the counter as if I were nothing more than a rag doll.