I was putting my 5-year-old son to bed when he pointed underneath and whispered, “Why does Auntie crawl out of here every time you go on a business trip?” I did one thing instantly. The next day, three ambulances arrived…

“Many times.”

“Did Dad know she was there?”

He stopped to think.

—Yes. Dad always says not to tell you because it’s a surprise.

A surprise.

A chill ran through my chest.
For months, Eric had been acting strangely: working late, keeping his phone locked, and suddenly taking frequent “business trips.” I had suspected an affair.

But this felt different.

I bent down and lifted the bed skirt.

There was nothing there, just the wooden floor.

I forced a smile so Noah wouldn’t feel worried.

—Okay, buddy. Thanks for telling me.

“Did I do something wrong?” he asked.

“No,” I said softly. “You did something very good.”

After he fell asleep, I took a simple step.

I installed a small motion camera under the bed.

The next morning I told Eric that I was going on a business trip.

But I didn’t actually go anywhere.

That night, sitting in a hotel room twenty minutes away, I opened my phone’s camera.

At 23:37 the recording showed movement.

But Melissa didn’t come out from under the bed.

She emerged from a hidden panel in the access space in the closet floor.

And she was not alone.

Behind her came another man carrying a large metal container.

The two whispered as they walked towards the kitchen, completely unaware that the small camera was capturing everything.

“Has Eric already left?” the man asked.