The Greenwood house was a sanctuary of routine and quiet, the kind of household where secrets were buried deep beneath the surface of daily life. Brian, an 18-year-old college student, was home for the weekend, diligently working on a project at the dining room table. His father, Alex, a respected economics professor and Brian’s teacher, had just returned home from a long day at the college. The weariness was etched on his face as he stepped through the door.
“You look exhausted,” Amanda, Brian’s mother, greeted Alex with concern, brushing a kiss against his cheek. She could always tell when the stress of the semester’s end weighed heavily on him.
“It’s been a long day,” Alex sighed, dropping his briefcase by the door. “Between grading papers and dealing with faculty meetings, I’m running on fumes.”
Dinner was a quiet affair, the kind where the clinking of utensils on plates fills the silence. As they ate, the conversation turned to Brian’s college life.
“So, how are your classes going, Brian?” Alex asked, a hint of professional curiosity in his voice.
“Good, mostly,” Brian replied, hesitating for a moment before adding, “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 mention of her name, Alex stiffened visibly. His fork hovered mid-air, and a shadow crossed his face. “Elizabeth White? Brian, it’s better if you stay away from her. She’s not a good influence,” he said with unusual sternness.
Brian was taken aback by his father’s sudden change in demeanor. He had never seen his father react so strongly to anything before. “Why? Do you know her?” Brian asked, his curiosity piqued.
“Just trust me on this, Brian,” Alex said, his tone 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. His father’s reaction to Elizabeth White was strange, to say the least. But, being the obedient son that he was, Brian decided to let it go. For the time being, at least.
The following day, while working on his project, Brian’s laptop unexpectedly crashed. Frustrated, he remembered his father’s computer sitting in the study. Alex had mentioned that Brian could use it anytime he needed to. With his own laptop on the fritz, Brian decided to take him up on the offer.
The study was dimly lit, and the old computer hummed softly as it powered up. Brian sat down and opened the desktop, finding it cluttered with folders and files. He quickly located his project documents and resumed his work. But as he was about to log off, something caught his eye—a folder named “PRIVATE” sitting conspicuously on the desktop.
Curiosity gnawed at him. Why would his father need a private folder? And why was it right there, out in the open? Without thinking twice, Brian clicked on the folder. A password prompt appeared. Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy.
But Brian’s curiosity had already taken hold. He knew his father well, and it didn’t take long before he guessed the password: “Greenwood123.” The folder unlocked with a soft click, and the contents spilled onto the screen.
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 some even seemed to be taken from a distance, without her knowledge. There were also copies of her social media posts, screenshots of conversations, and other 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.
In the midst of his shock, Brian noticed a subfolder labeled “Letters.” He clicked it open and found a series of draft emails addressed to Elizabeth, but never sent. They were written in a tone that was both affectionate and obsessive, revealing a side of his father that Brian had never imagined.
One draft in particular caught his eye. It was a confession, detailing a relationship that had started months ago, shortly after Elizabeth enrolled at the college. The words “I can’t stop thinking about you” and “We need to be together, no matter what” were repeated over and over, making 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.
As the reality of what he had discovered sank in, 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, Brian’s mind raced. 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 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 night wore on, Brian knew he couldn’t keep this to himself. He had to do something. 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.
