Chapter 9: The Truth About Emily
I left Marcus standing there.
I didn’t yell.
I didn’t fight.
I didn’t ask another question.
Because sometimes the worst betrayal isn’t the lie.
It’s realizing how long someone thought you could live inside it.
I drove home with one thought.
Get Lily somewhere safe.
That was it.
No more trusting.
No more believing people because they said the right things.
When I arrived, Lily was sitting on the couch watching cartoons.
She looked up.
“Daddy?””
I forced myself to smile.
“Hey, baby.””
She noticed immediately.
“What happened?””
I sat beside her.
“Nothing.””
She tilted her head.
“You always say nothing when something is wrong.””
I almost smiled.
She sounded exactly like Emily.
That hurt.
I pulled her close.
“Can I ask you something?””
She nodded.
“Did Marcus ever come to our house when I wasn’t home?””
Lily went quiet.
That silence terrified me.
“Sweetheart?””
She looked down.
“Yes.””
“How many times?””
“I don’t know.””
My chest tightened.
“What did he do?””
She shook her head.
“He talked to Vanessa.””
“About what?””
“I don’t know.””
Then she whispered:
“But one time I heard him say Mommy’s name.””
My blood ran cold.
“What did he say?””
Lily closed her eyes.
“He said, ‘She was never supposed to find out.’”
I stood up.
The room spun.
Because now I knew.
Emily wasn’t paranoid.
She wasn’t imagining things.
She was surrounded.
That evening, I took Lily to my brother’s house.
Somewhere safe.
Somewhere away from everyone involved.
Then I went back alone.
I needed answers.
I opened Emily’s folder again.
This time, I looked deeper.
Behind the documents was another envelope.
My name was written on it.
*For when you finally know.*
I opened it.
Inside was a letter.
Different from the first.
More personal.
James,
If you are reading this, I’m sorry.
I’m sorry because it means I was right.
I’m sorry because it means I left you with questions instead of answers.
But most of all, I’m sorry because I couldn’t protect Lily myself.
I had discovered someone was trying to get close to us.
Someone who knew things about our family that they should not know.
Someone who had been studying our lives.
I thought it was Vanessa at first.
I was wrong.
She was only a piece.
A piece of something bigger.
My hands shook.
I kept reading.
Marcus helped me because he felt guilty.
But I don’t know if guilt is enough to trust someone.
The room became silent.
Marcus wasn’t innocent.
But maybe he wasn’t the enemy.
Then I reached the final paragraph.
The person behind everything is not someone who hates us.
That is what makes them dangerous.
They love us.
They want to become us.
I stopped.
Because there was one more page.
A photograph.
On the back:
*The first person who knew about Lily’s inheritance.*
Inheritance?
What inheritance?
I turned the picture over.
It was Emily.
Holding Lily.
And standing beside them…
Was Vanessa.
But the date was impossible.
It was taken two years before Vanessa and I ever met.
I dropped the picture.
My phone rang.
Rachel.
I answered.
“James.””
Her voice was shaking.
“Where are you?””
“Home.””
“You need to leave.””
“What?””
“Right now.””
“Why?””
A pause.
Then:
“Because Vanessa isn’t coming after you anymore.””
I felt a chill.
“What are you talking about?””
Rachel whispered:
“She’s going after Lily.””
I grabbed my keys.
“What happened?””
“She found out where you sent her.””
My blood froze.
“How?””
Rachel started crying.
“Because the person helping her has access to everything.””
“Who?””
Rachel’s voice cracked.
“James…”
A crash came from the other end.
“Rachel?””
No answer.
“Rachel!””
Then I heard a man’s voice.
A voice I recognized.
A voice that made my entire body go cold.
“James?””
The phone fell silent.
May you like
Because the person holding Rachel’s phone…
was someone I trusted with my daughter’s life.
