CHAPTER 3: The Video She Thought Was Gone
CHAPTER 3: The Video She Thought Was Gone
I didn't sleep that night.
At 2:17 a.m., my phone vibrated again.
The same unknown number.
"I can't talk long," the woman whispered. "She'll know."
"Who are you?"
"I used to moderate Vanessa's livestreams."
My heart pounded.
"You worked for her?"
"For almost two years."
"Why are you helping me now?"
Silence.
Then a shaky breath.
"Because I have a daughter too."
She sent a file before answering another question.
The notification appeared.
Video received.
Length: 18 minutes, 42 seconds.
I stared at the screen but couldn't force myself to press play.
Not yet.
"Why didn't you go to the police?" I finally asked.
"I signed a confidentiality agreement."
"And now?"
"I don't care anymore."
Her voice cracked.
"What happened to Lily wasn't an accident."
Before I could ask another question, she hung up.
Emma arrived ten minutes later.
Neither of us spoke.
She simply sat beside me at the kitchen table.
I turned the laptop toward us.
My finger hovered over the play button.
"I'm not sure I can watch this."
Emma squeezed my hand.
"You don't have to watch it alone."
I pressed play.
The screen lit up.
Bright music.
Pink decorations.
Gold balloons spelling SPA DAY.
Vanessa stood smiling into the camera wearing a matching silk robe with Chloe.
"There they are!" she sang.
"My favorite girls are finally here!"
The camera turned.
Lily appeared at the front door wearing the same purple dress she'd come home in.
She smiled.
A real smile.
She still had her beautiful braid hanging over one shoulder.
Seeing it intact hurt more than seeing it cut.
Because I knew exactly what was coming.
The first ten minutes looked harmless.
Face masks.
Tiny cucumber slices over closed eyes.
Painting fingernails.
Tea in plastic princess cups.
Thousands of hearts floated across the livestream.
Comments poured in.
"Best mom ever!"
"This is so wholesome!"
"Golden Morning Mama never disappoints!"
Vanessa read several comments out loud.
Then one appeared that made her stop smiling.
"Why is your niece even prettier than Chloe?"
She laughed.
But it sounded forced.
"Oh, stop."
Another comment appeared.
"That little brunette belongs in commercials."
Then another.
"Her hair is absolutely stunning."
More comments followed.
"She's gorgeous."
"What shampoo does she use?"
"I can't stop looking at Lily's braid."
I watched Vanessa's face change almost imperceptibly.
Most people wouldn't have noticed.
I did.
The smile reached her mouth...
But not her eyes.
She glanced toward Chloe.
"Sweetheart," she asked sweetly.
"Do you wish your hair looked like Lily's?"
Chloe immediately shook her head.
"No, Mommy."
Vanessa laughed again.
"But wouldn't it be fun if you matched?"
"I like mine."
The answer irritated her.
I could actually see it.
Then she looked directly into the camera.
"You know..."
She smiled.
"Maybe we should give everyone matching hairstyles."
Thousands of viewers reacted with laughing emojis.
Everyone thought she was joking.
She wasn't.
The video suddenly skipped forward.
The moderator must have edited out several minutes.
When it resumed...
The camera angle had changed.
It wasn't the livestream anymore.
It was footage from another camera hidden in the corner of the playroom.
No comments.
No music.
Just raw recording.
A timestamp blinked in the corner.
3:48 p.m.
Vanessa walked into frame carrying scissors.
Large silver salon scissors.
She locked the playroom door.
My stomach dropped.
Lily looked confused.
"Aunt Vanessa?"
"Come sit with me, sweetheart."
Lily obeyed.
Children trust adults.
Especially family.
Vanessa brushed Lily's braid slowly.
Almost lovingly.
"It's so pretty," she murmured.
Lily smiled.
"My mommy brushes it every morning."
"I know."
There was something terrifying about how calm Vanessa sounded.
She looked toward Chloe.
"Come here, honey."
Chloe shuffled over.
Vanessa wrapped one arm around her daughter.
Then pointed at Lily.
"Do you know why everyone always looks at your cousin?"
Chloe frowned.
"No."
"Because some little girls get all the attention."
She lifted Lily's braid.
"And that's not fair."
Emma gasped beside me.
"What is she doing?"
Neither of us moved.
On the screen, Lily began looking nervous.
"Aunt Vanessa?"
"Shh."
Vanessa tied another elastic around the middle of the braid.
"So it stays together."
Lily glanced toward the door.
"I want my mommy."
"You'll see her soon."
Vanessa smiled.
"But first..."
She opened the scissors.
The metallic click echoed through the room.
Lily froze.
"No..."
Vanessa ignored her.
The first cut didn't go all the way through.
The thick braid resisted.
Lily cried out.
"It hurts!"
"Hold still."
The second cut was harder.
Then a third.
Finally...
The braid came free.
Lily burst into tears.
"My hair!"
"My mommy likes my hair!"
Vanessa held the severed braid in one hand and calmly placed it into a plastic bag.
Exactly the bag I'd found.
Then she said the words that made my blood run cold.
"Now Chloe won't have to feel second best anymore."
I couldn't breathe.
Emma was crying openly now.
But the worst was still coming.
Because another voice entered the room.
A man's voice.
Familiar.
Someone who had been completely absent from every explanation.
The hidden camera captured footsteps approaching the playroom.
The door opened.
Vanessa's husband...
My brother, Daniel...
Walked inside.
He looked directly at Lily.
Looked directly at the scissors.
Looked directly at the fresh blood near her ear.
And instead of stopping his wife...
He smiled.
Then he said six words that shattered what remained of my family.
May you like
"You finally did it, huh?"
The video ended there.
