The Unanswered Call The Ignored Daughter’s Last Words Chapter 04

The Unanswered Call The Ignored Daughter’s Last Words Chapter 04

Tears streamed down my face as I hid in the closet and called Celine.

The call connected, but Celine didn’t say anything.

The sounds from her end were muffled and indistinct, but unmistakably lively.

I heard Mom’s irritated voice.

“Nell’s calling again? What is with her today? She just won’t stop.”

Dad sounded annoyed too. “She’s probably acting out for attention again.”

“Leave the phone here. Let her say whatever she wants. We’ll deal with her when we’re done.”

Laughter, toasts, and Celine’s bashful thank-yous all blurred together.

It sounded like Christmas over there.

I clapped a hand over my mouth as tears spilled down my cheeks.

Mommy, Daddy, a bad man got in. Nell was so scared.

The footsteps grew heavier and slower, each one bringing him closer to the closet.

“Where are you hiding, little girl?”

He drew the words out in a slow singsong, his voice laced with sinister amusement.

“I see you. Come on out.”

I curled up even tighter, desperately begging in my head for Mom, Dad, and Celine to come save me.

But all I heard through the call was the clink of glasses and happy voices.

No one heard me begging them to come.

The bedroom door creaked open.

The footsteps stopped right in front of the closet.

I held my breath, my nails digging into my palms.

The closet door flew open.

A scarred face filled my vision.

“I found you.”

I screamed and tried to scramble past him.

“Mommy, help! Mommy!”

I screamed with everything I had until my voice cracked.

But through the watch, Mom’s voice was bright with happiness. “Then it’s settled. We’ll celebrate the engagement next month.”

She couldn’t hear me screaming at all.

I had just reached the bedroom doorway when someone grabbed the back of my collar, yanked me off my feet, and slammed me to the floor.

My arm hit the floor and bent the wrong way.

“Still trying to run?”

Sobbing, I backed away and screamed into my smartwatch.

“There’s a bad man! Daddy, save me! Celine, save me!”

But all I heard was Dad’s polite voice.

“From now on, we’re family.”

Why?

Why wouldn’t anyone listen to me?

Had Nell been bad? Was Mommy going to leave Nell?

That thought hurt worse than the blows.

He slapped me again.

This time, I stopped fighting.

Even though I shook from the pain, I only curled up on the floor and cried quietly.

Once I stopped moving, the man got bored.

“You’re no fun.”

He crouched down, pulled a syringe from his pocket, gripped my face, and turned me toward the camera.

“I was going to have a little more fun, but you had to make this difficult. So this is on you.”

The needle sank into the back of my neck, and a fresh wave of pain spread from my neck through my whole body.

My body convulsed. Before long, I was freezing.

My breaths grew heavier and my vision blurred, but the cheerful voices kept pouring through the watch.

“Then it’s settled!”

“It’s settled!”

With a sharp crack, the man stomped on my smartwatch and crushed it.

Every sound cut out.

The world went quiet, and I couldn’t feel the pain anymore.

Through the haze, I saw Mom and Dad again.

Mom pointed to some cookies on the table.

“Nell loves these. Let’s get some for her.”

Celine answered, “I already did. I ordered a strawberry cake too.”

Dad stood up.

“She’s probably bored stiff at home. We’ll have to cheer her up when we get back.”

I ran toward them and shouted, “Mommy! Celine! I’m right here!”

No one responded.

They walked out laughing and talking as if I didn’t exist.

Then Dad’s phone suddenly rang.

The voice on the other end was shaking so badly the words barely came out.

“Lieutenant Avery! The Family member who got away back then has resurfaced!”

“A body was found on the outskirts of the city. Officers on scene say it looks like… Nell.”

Dad’s phone hit the floor.