Chapter 3 - Behind the Study DoorAs the weeks passed, Leo began to realize that Sarah's cruelty wasn't the only secret hiding inside the Sterling mansion.
There was something else.
Something he couldn't understand at first.
His father, Richard Sterling, was a respected attorney who often claimed to be working late in his private study. To everyone outside the family, he was the picture of dignity—a devoted husband, a successful professional, and a loving father.
At least, that was the image he carefully maintained.
Whenever Evelyn traveled for business, Richard's routine subtly changed.
He became unusually cheerful.
He stayed home more often.
And every evening, after making sure Leo had gone upstairs, he would quietly disappear into the study.
One rainy night, Leo woke up after hearing muffled laughter echoing through the otherwise silent house.
Thinking his father might still be awake, he climbed out of bed and walked barefoot along the hallway.
The mansion was dark except for the warm glow spilling from beneath the heavy oak door of the study.
As he approached, he heard voices.
One belonged to his father.
The other...
Was Sarah's.
Their conversation was soft, followed by quiet laughter that didn't belong in a room where work was supposedly being done.
Leo frowned.
His father had told him never to interrupt when he was in the study.
Yet this didn't sound like work at all.
Curiosity drew him a little closer.
Through the narrow gap where the door hadn't fully closed, he caught only brief glimpses of movement inside.
He couldn't make sense of everything he saw.
But even at six years old, he understood one painful truth.
His father and Sarah were sharing a closeness they never showed when his mother was home.
It felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Leo quietly stepped away before either of them noticed him.
Back in his bedroom, he pulled the blanket over his head.
Questions raced through his mind.
Why did Dad smile so differently when Mom was away?
Why was Sarah always in the study at night?
Why did everything in the house feel like a lie?
He didn't know the answers.
He only knew that the people he trusted most seemed to become strangers whenever Evelyn left for another business trip.
The mansion no longer felt like home.
It felt like a stage where everyone wore masks.
Everyone...
Except him.
Night after night, Leo kept the secret to himself.
Not because he wanted to.
Because he was a frightened child who didn't know whom he could trust.
Outside his bedroom window, the wind rustled through the old oak trees surrounding the estate.
Inside, another storm was quietly gathering.
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Soon...
The carefully guarded secrets behind the study door would no longer remain hidden.
