When I married Ben, I thought I knew what I was getting myself into. He was a devoted widower, raising his seven-year-old son Lucas on his own. I understood that the memory of his late wife, Irene, would always be a part of his life and his son’s life. I wasn’t there to replace her, but to help start a new chapter for all of us.
The first few months went better than I could have imagined. Lucas welcomed me with open arms, without the hesitation I had feared. We played together for hours, read bedtime stories and shared small but meaningful moments. I even learned how to make his favourite macaroni and cheese — extra creamy, with a golden crust of breadcrumbs.
And then one day, out of the blue, Lucas started calling me “Mum”. Every time he did, Ben and I would exchange emotional glances. It seemed like everything had fallen into place.
Until that night.
As I was tucking him into bed, Lucas looked at me with his wide, serious eyes and whispered,
‘My real mummy still lives here.’
I smiled, running my fingers through his hair. ‘Oh, sweetie, your mummy will always be with you, in your heart.’
But Lucas shook his head, squeezing my hand tightly. ‘No, she’s here. In the house. I see her sometimes.’
A chill ran down my spine. I forced myself to smile, dismissing it as a child’s imagination. ‘It’s just a dream, sweetie. Go to sleep.’
He settled down under the blanket, but I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in my chest. I told myself it was just him getting used to his new family.
But as time went on, strange things started happening in the house.
At first, it was just little things.
I would tidy up Lucas’s toys, only to find them back in the same place. The kitchen cabinets, which I had carefully reorganised, mysteriously returned to their previous position.
I tried to rationalise it. Maybe Ben had rearranged things without thinking. Maybe Lucas had been playing and forgotten to tell me.
Then something happened that I couldn’t explain.
I moved the framed photo of Irene from the living room to a quieter spot in the hallway. But the next morning, it was back in its old place, without a single smudge, as if someone had carefully washed it.
That evening at dinner, I casually asked Ben, ‘Have you been rearranging things in the house?’
Ben smiled. ‘No, Brenda. I think you imagined it.’
But his hesitant look told me that something was wrong.
A few nights later, Lucas and I were solving a puzzle in the living room when he suddenly froze, his wide eyes staring into mine.
‘Mum said you shouldn’t touch her things.’
My heart pounded. ‘What do you mean, sweetie?’
Lucas leaned towards me, lowering his voice as if he were telling a dangerous secret.
‘My real mum. She doesn’t like it when you change her things.’
He glanced towards the hallway, as if expecting to see someone there.
A cold shiver ran down my spine.
I forced myself to smile and squeezed his little hand. ‘It’s okay, Lucas. You don’t need to worry.’
But that night, lying in bed next to Ben, I couldn’t sleep. Something was wrong.
I quietly got up and went to the attic, where Ben kept several boxes of Irene’s belongings. Maybe if I looked through them, I would find something that would explain Lucas’s strange behaviour.
I climbed the creaky stairs with a torch in my hand and found a dusty box in the corner. Inside were old photographs, letters and Irene’s wedding ring, carefully wrapped in cloth.
But then I noticed something strange — a small door hidden behind several boxes.
I froze. I had been in the attic before, but I had never noticed this door.
Pushing the boxes aside, I grabbed the rusty door handle and turned it. The door opened with a quiet click, revealing a narrow room lit by a small window.
A woman was sitting on a single bed, wrapped in blankets.
My breath caught in my throat.
I recognised her immediately from the photographs.
Emily.
I took a step back, my pulse racing.
‘You… you’re Ben’s sister, aren’t you?’ I stammered.
The woman looked up, startled, but then her expression softened, as if she had been expecting this moment.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she murmured. ‘You shouldn’t have found out this way.’
My hands trembled. ‘Ben never told me you were here. How long… how long have you been living in the attic?’
She lowered her gaze, smoothing the edge of her blanket. ‘Three years.’
Three years.
My head spun. ‘What about Lucas? Have you spoken to him?’
Emily nodded slowly. ‘Sometimes. He misses his mother. I tell him stories about her to comfort him. I think it helps him feel like she’s still here.’
A deep chill settled in my chest. ‘But he thinks you’re his mother. He told me his real mother is still in this house.’ .
Emily turned away without saying anything.
I turned and hurried down the stairs, my heart pounding. I found Ben in the living room watching television.
‘Ben.’ My voice was uncertain. ‘Why didn’t you tell me about Emily?’
His face drained of colour.
‘Brenda, I… I didn’t know how.’
‘You knew she was confusing Lucas. He thinks his mother is still here!’
Ben ran his hand over his face, looking exhausted. “I didn’t think it was that bad. After Irene died, Emily was never the same. She refused help. I thought… it was better to keep her here than to abandon her.”
I stared at him in bewilderment. ‘Didn’t you think I should know?’
He sighed heavily and nodded. ‘You’re right. This has gone too far. We have to fix this.’
The next morning, Ben sat down with Lucas and gently explained the truth to him.
Lucas was silent for a long time. Then he whispered, ‘But… she looks like Mum.’
Ben hugged him tightly. ‘I know, sweetheart. But your real mum is in your heart. And we have to help Aunt Emily.’
That same day, Ben finally did what he should have done years ago — he gave Emily the help she needed.
Lucas was silent for a long time. Then he whispered, ‘But… she looks like Mum.’
Ben hugged him tightly. ‘I know, sweetheart. But your real mum is in your heart. And we have to help Aunt Emily.’
That same day, Ben finally did what he should have done years ago — he gave Emily the help she needed.
She cried and resisted, but in the end she agreed.
The house felt lighter without her hidden presence.
At first, it was difficult for Lucas. He asked about Emily and wondered if she would return. But over time, he began to accept the truth.
And Ben and I?
We went through more than I could have imagined when I married him. But in the end, it only made us stronger.
Because family isn’t just about the past.
It’s about moving forward together, facing every shadow and every truth hand in hand.
