Adrian turned his head to look directly at Brenda.
Her eyes were filled with tears of deep regret.
Adrian: You lied to me about this entire house.
Brenda: Adrian, I can explain everything if you listen!
Adrian: Who is downstairs right now?
Brenda: Please do not go down those stairs!
Mia: Daddy, be careful!
Adrian: Stay right near the sunroom door, Mia.
Adrian took a small flashlight from the nearby kitchen drawer.
He clicked the light on and pointed it down the stairs.
The beam of light cut through the thick gray dust.
The concrete steps were very old and swept clean in the center.
Someone had walked up and down these steps very recently.
Adrian felt his heart pounding heavily against his ribs.
He began to step down the stairs one by one.
The smell of damp earth filled his nose instantly.
Brenda stood at the top of the open passage, sobbing.
Brenda: Please, Adrian, turn around and come back up!
Adrian: Not until I see what you are hiding.
He reached the bottom of the long concrete staircase.
The flashlight revealed a large basement room with stone walls.
It was not a normal storage cellar for old furniture.
A simple bed sat in the middle of the small room.
A small table held fresh food and clean water bottles.
Books were stacked neatly on a small wooden chair.
Someone had been living inside this secret basement room.
Adrian shone his flashlight toward the far dark corner.
A man stood up slowly from a small metal chair.
He wore plain gray clothes and looked very weak and pale.
His eyes blinked repeatedly against the bright flashlight beam.
Adrian took a fast step backward in deep shock.
The man raised a thin hand to block the light.
Man: Please do not turn off the light.
Adrian: Who are you?
Man: I am Brenda's former husband.
Adrian felt the room spin around him in complete confusion.
He pointed the flashlight beam directly at the man's face.
The man looked tired, but his eyes were gentle.
Brenda had told Adrian that her first husband died years ago.
She had claimed he was lost in an accident overseas.