I reached the panel to my room, crawled out, closed it, and pushed the wardrobe against the wall….-HONGNGOC

“Yes we do. She always falls asleep.”

In that moment, I ran.

I threw my phone to the floor to make noise and ran down the passageway.

Behind me, I heard him shout:

“CATCH HER!”

I reached the panel to my room, crawled out, closed it, and pushed the wardrobe against the wall.

It wasn’t enough.

I heard him pounding on the door.

“Open it,” he said sweetly. “Don’t make a scene.”

I grabbed my phone and dialed 911.

The operator answered.

“Emergency, what’s your situation?”

But before I could speak, I heard Daniel’s voice through the door.

“If you call… you’ll end up like Mom.”

Then I remembered what our neighbor Aling Amalia once told me:

“If you hear pounding in your house… don’t lock yourself in. Run. Houses have ears.”

I looked at the window.

I opened it.

When the door lock broke behind me, I climbed through the window and jumped.

I landed on the grass, twisting my ankle, but I kept running toward the gate.

Behind me I heard Daniel shouting my name.

I ran to the street.

And for the first time in a long time… I could really breathe.

In the distance, I heard sirens.

I didn’t know if they were coming for me…

Or if Daniel was already preparing another lie.

But there was one thing I no longer had.

I wasn’t asleep.

And I had seen the room.

I had seen the documents.

And I had heard the words:

“Just like Mom.”

And though my hands were still shaking, I knew one thing:

The secret of that house would no longer stay trapped between its walls.