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MidReal Story
Shadows in the Family
Scenario:我在手机里发现了九岁儿子的搜索记录。
“未成年杀人会判刑吗？”
“怎么杀死三岁小孩并伪装成意外？”
“如何逃脱警察的审问？”
而我的女儿，今年正好三岁。
我们家是重组家庭。儿子是我的继子，是老公前妻生的孩子，女儿是我和老公结婚后生的，两个孩子同父异母。看到儿子的搜索记录后，我感到头皮发麻，回想起前阵子的种种不自然。我找老公求助。老公不相信我说的话，觉得我在开玩笑，儿子才那么小，怎么可能有这种想法。我半推半就地让他亲眼见证，老公翻看了手机，然后脸色铁青地说根本没有我说的搜索记录。我解释说刚才明明就有的，一定是被儿子察觉后删掉了。老公生气了，觉得我有被害妄想症，起身抱起了儿子，儿子在丈夫肩上看着我，眼神漠然。
Create my version of this story
Sarah Carter
threeyearold biological daughter of Emily and John.
Lucas Carter
nineyearold stepson of Emily and biological son of John from his previous marriage.
John Carter
father and husband, married to Emily with a son from a previous marriage and a daughter with Emily, skeptical and defensive.
I was rummaging through my desk drawer in search of a paperclip when I stumbled upon my phone.
I had thought I had left it on the coffee table, but there it was, buried beneath a stack of receipts.
I had barely turned it on when it slipped from my grasp and fell to the floor, scattering a handful of loose change and panadol tablets.
The screen had locked itself, and as I entered the passcode, I noticed that the battery was almost dead.
I reached for the cord and plugged it in.
While waiting for it to turn on, I picked up the coins and placed them back in the drawer.
It took barely a minute for the phone to come back to life, and almost instantly, it beeped with a text message notification.
My phone was set up in English, while my husband’s phone was set up in Mandarin.
Whenever our son used my phone, he would switch the language to Mandarin, and he would forget to switch it back.
I sat at the kitchen table, staring at my phone, the search history still fresh in my mind.
The fluorescent light above the table cast an unforgiving glare, making my eyes ache.
My fingers trembled as I dialed John's number, the digits blurring together on the screen.
He answered on the third ring, his voice calm and unsuspecting.
"John, we need to talk about Lucas," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
There was a pause before he replied, "What about him?"
I took a deep breath and explained what I had found, the words tumbling out in a rush.
"Emily, he's just a kid," John finally said, dismissing my concerns with a tone that bordered on annoyance.
Frustration bubbled up inside me, making my skin prickle with heat.
"Please, just come home," I urged, trying to keep my emotions in check.
The line went silent again, and for a moment, I wondered if he had hung up on me.
Then, his voice came back, laced with a hint of exasperation. "Fine, I'll be there soon."
I let out a sigh of relief as I ended the call, my eyes drifting back to the phone's screen.
The search history still lingered, taunting me with its presence.
I pushed my chair back and stood up, the wooden legs scraping against the tile floor.
As I turned to face the kitchen counter, I caught a glimpse of myself in the window's reflection.
My eyes looked sunken, my skin pale and clammy.
I felt like I was staring at a stranger.
Suddenly, I heard the sound of footsteps outside the kitchen door.
Heavy, deliberate footsteps that sent a shiver down my spine.
I turned just as the door creaked open, revealing John's familiar silhouette.
"Emily, what's going on?" he asked, his eyes scanning the room with a mix of confusion and concern.
"John," I whispered, my voice barely audible over the pounding of my heart, "Lucas has been searching for flights to Beijing."
