The Greenwood house stood as a sanctuary of routine and quietude, a place where the daily rhythms of life lulled its inhabitants into a false sense of security. Within its walls, secrets lay buried deep beneath the surface, hidden from the world outside. Brian, an 18-year-old college student, had returned home for the weekend, seeking solace from the pressures of academic life. He sat at the dining room table, diligently working on a project, his brow furrowed in concentration.
As the door creaked open, his father, Alex, a respected economics professor and Brian’s own instructor, stepped inside. The weariness of a long day at the college was etched on his face, his tie slightly askew and his briefcase dragging behind him like a weight he could hardly bear.
“You look exhausted,” Amanda, Brian’s mother, greeted him with a gentle smile, brushing a kiss against his cheek. She could always sense when the stress of the semester’s end bore down on him, her intuition honed from years of love and partnership.
“It’s been a long day,” Alex sighed, dropping his briefcase by the door with a thud that echoed through the quiet house. “Between grading papers and dealing with endless faculty meetings, I’m running on fumes.”
Dinner unfolded in a hushed atmosphere, punctuated only by the clinking of utensils on plates and the soft hum of the evening breeze filtering through the open window. As they ate, the conversation turned toward Brian’s college life, a topic that always seemed to ignite a flicker of pride in Alex’s eyes.
“So, how are your classes going, Brian?” Alex asked, his voice tinged with a blend of fatherly curiosity and professional interest.
“Good, mostly,” Brian replied, hesitating for a moment as he considered how much to share. “There’s this girl, Elizabeth White. She’s in a couple of my classes, but she seems to avoid me. I’ve tried talking to her, but she always finds a way to slip away.”
At the mere mention of her name, Alex stiffened visibly. His fork froze mid-air, and a shadow crossed his face, darkening his features. “Elizabeth White? Brian, it’s better if you stay away from her. She’s not a good influence,” he said, his tone unusually stern, sending a chill down Brian’s spine.
Taken aback by his father’s sudden shift in demeanor, Brian’s curiosity was piqued. “Why? Do you know her?” he pressed, his heart racing at the unexpected intensity of the conversation.
“Just trust me on this, Brian,” Alex replied, his voice leaving no room for further discussion. “Some people are better left alone.”
After dinner, Alex retreated to his study, leaving Brian with a lingering sense of unease that clung to him like a shadow. His father’s reaction to Elizabeth White was strange, to say the least, and it gnawed at him. But being the obedient son that he was, Brian decided to let it go—for the time being.
The following day, as he immersed himself in his project, Brian’s laptop unexpectedly crashed, sending a wave of frustration through him. In a moment of desperation, he recalled that his father had mentioned he could use his computer anytime he needed to. With his own laptop on the fritz, he decided to take him up on the offer.
The study was dimly lit, the air thick with the scent of old books and the faint hum of the ancient computer as it powered up. Brian settled into the chair, glancing around at the cluttered desk, which was strewn with papers and books that spoke of his father’s dedication to academia. He quickly located his project documents and resumed his work, but just as he was about to log off, something caught his eye—a folder named “PRIVATE” sitting conspicuously on the desktop.
Curiosity gnawed at him, a relentless whisper urging him to investigate. Why would his father need a private folder? And why was it so boldly displayed? Without thinking twice, Brian clicked on the folder. A password prompt appeared, a barrier he hadn’t anticipated.
Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy, he thought, but his curiosity had already taken hold. He knew his father well enough to take a guess at the password, and it didn’t take long before he entered “Greenwood123.” The folder unlocked with a soft click, and the contents spilled onto the screen, revealing a world that sent a chill down his spine.
What Brian saw made his stomach lurch. The folder was filled with hundreds of photos—photos of Elizabeth White. Some were taken at the college, others in public places, and a few even seemed to be captured from a distance, without her knowledge. Alongside the images were copies of her social media posts, screenshots of conversations, and a trove of personal information that Alex had clearly gathered over time.
Brian’s heart raced as he scrolled through the images, each one more unsettling than the last. Why would his father have these? What was his connection to Elizabeth? The stern warning at dinner now took on a sinister new meaning, transforming his father’s concern into something far more disturbing.
In the midst of his shock, Brian noticed a subfolder labeled “Letters.” Compelled by a mix of dread and intrigue, he clicked it open, revealing a series of draft emails addressed to Elizabeth that had never been sent. The words within were written in a tone that was both affectionate and obsessive, exposing a side of his father that Brian had never imagined existed.
One draft, in particular, caught his eye. It detailed a relationship that had begun months ago, shortly after Elizabeth enrolled at the college. Phrases like “I can’t stop thinking about you” and “We need to be together, no matter what” were repeated with an intensity that made Brian’s blood run cold.
The realization hit him like a punch to the gut: his father was obsessed with Elizabeth White. This was no ordinary interest; it was something much darker, something that made Brian question everything he thought he knew about the man who had raised him. The respectable professor, the loving husband, the caring father—all of it was a facade, hiding a secret that could destroy their family and ruin lives.
As the weight of this discovery settled upon him, Brian’s hands began to tremble. He quickly closed the folder, logged off, and backed out of the study as if he had just unearthed a ticking time bomb. Back in his room, his mind raced with a torrent of thoughts. What should he do? Confront his father? Tell his mother? Report it to the authorities? The options spun around in his head, each one more daunting than the last.
But one thing was certain: his father was not the man he appeared to be. The night wore on, and Brian knew he couldn’t keep this to himself. He had to act, but as he lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, he couldn’t shake the feeling that his father’s warning was just the beginning of a much darker story—one that was far from over. The Greenwood house, once a sanctuary, now felt like a prison, and the secrets it held threatened to unravel everything he held dear.