The Woman Who Shut the Door
A woman’s voice called from inside the house.
“Tyler? Is everything okay? I heard something break.”
Tyler turned slightly.
“I’m fine, Mom. A woman dropped something.”
Mom.
Hearing that word felt strangely painful.
He bent down to pick up the broken pieces of the plate.
A woman appeared behind him.
I forced myself to smile.
“I’m sorry about the mess,” I said. “My son… if he had grown up… he would have looked a lot like your boy.”
Tyler stood up quickly.
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” he said kindly. “Don’t worry about the plate.”
But his mother suddenly froze.
Her eyes moved slowly from me… to Tyler… then to his unusual eyes.
Her expression changed completely.
“Sorry for your loss,” she said stiffly.
“But you need to leave. We have a lot to do.”
Before I could respond, she pulled Tyler inside and shut the door.
Just like that.
My Husband’s Secret
I ran back home.
Carl was sitting on the couch reading when I burst through the door.
“You’re back already?” he asked.
I sat beside him, my hands shaking.
“Carl… the boy next door.”
“What about him?”
“He looks like Daniel.”
Carl slowly closed his book.
“The same hair,” I continued. “The same face. Carl… he has the same eyes. One blue, one brown.”
“He’s nineteen.”
Carl went completely still.
I had never seen that look on his face before.
Then he whispered something that made my stomach drop.
“I thought… this was buried.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
