What really shocked me, though, was when his son Lucas told me one night, “My real mum still lives here.”
At first, I thought it was just a kid’s dream, but unexpected events in the house made me think more about it. The kitchen drawers would move around, the toys would come back, and Irene’s picture would move by itself.
I kept thinking about Lucas’s words, “Mom says you shouldn’t touch her things.” I felt a disturbing presence, but Ben didn’t seem to notice.
I went through the attic and found a secret room because I was determined to find the truth. That’s where I found Emily, Ben’s sister, who had been hiding for three years. She admitted that she had been talking to Lucas behind his back, which made him think that his dead mother was still alive.
Lucas’s view of reality was clouded by Ben’s and Emily’s deeds. I felt deceived, but Ben told me why he did what he did: to protect his sister and keep Lucas stable.
We faced the truth together by setting up cameras to watch Emily’s every move. The video showed that she went to Lucas’s room at night, which fed his dreams.
We stepped in and told Lucas the truth. We also got Emily professional help because we were heartbroken. The trip was hard, but in the end, our family was stronger because we had loved each other and shared experiences.
