Not the smell of something rotten.

Something older.

Damp concrete. Dust. Air that hadn’t moved in years.

I instinctively pulled the girls behind me.

“Stay upstairs,” I said quickly.

But Grace shook her head.

“No, Mommy likes when we visit.”

My stomach twisted.

The basement stairs creaked beneath my feet as I slowly descended into darkness.

A single lamp glowed faintly in the corner.

And then I saw it.

Not a person.

A room.

A fully furnished room.

My breath caught instantly.

There was a bed neatly made with floral blankets.

A bookshelf.

Family photos.

Children’s drawings taped carefully to the walls.

And at the center of it all—

a large framed portrait of Daniel’s late wife, Rebecca.

Candles surrounded the picture like some kind of shrine.

I stared in disbelief.

This wasn’t storage.

This was obsession.

Behind me, little Emily smiled innocently.

“Daddy brings flowers down here every week.”

A chill ran through my entire body.

I stepped further inside slowly.

There were dozens of notebooks stacked neatly beside the bed.

One lay open.

My hands trembled as I picked it up.

At first, I thought it was a journal.

Then I realized what I was reading.

Schedules.

Detailed notes.

About me.

January 12:
She smiled at the girls today. Rebecca would’ve liked that.

February 3:
Grace called her “Mom” by accident. She cried afterward in the bathroom where she thought nobody heard her.

March 18:
Maybe she’s finally ready.

I stopped breathing.

Ready for what?

The girls stood quietly behind me watching my face.

Then Grace pointed toward the far wall.

“Daddy talks to Mommy down here every night.”

I slowly turned.

And that’s when I saw the video camera.

Mounted in the corner.

Facing the chair.

My blood ran cold.

Every instinct screamed at me to grab the girls and run.

Then suddenly—

I heard the front door upstairs slam shut.

Daniel.

Home early.

Heavy footsteps crossed the kitchen overhead.

Then stopped completely.

Silence.

A terrible silence.

“Girls?” he called calmly.

The girls brightened instantly.

“We’re in Mommy’s room!” Emily shouted happily.

The footsteps above froze.

For one long moment, nothing moved.

Then—

slowly—

the basement door creaked shut upstairs.