Chapter 2: The Girl Who Called Him Daddy
At six the next morning, Daniel had not slept.
He sat alone in his study with the photograph of Vanessa and Michael spread across his desk. Beside it lay the anonymous message on his phone and the folded note Ethan had finally allowed him to examine.
The note contained only a few lines, written in a child's uneven handwriting.
Mommy says Lily must never know.
Uncle Marcus says Daddy will take her away.
But I heard Mommy crying. She said Daddy didn't do anything wrong.
Daniel read the words again.
Then a third time.
He had spent the night trying to decide which question to ask first.
Who was Lily's father?
Why had Vanessa hidden her?
And why had his dead brother's photograph been kept in the pocket of an eight-year-old boy who seemed terrified of everyone in the house?
A soft knock interrupted him.
Mrs. Collins opened the door.
“Sir, the children are awake.””
“Have they eaten?””
“Ethan refused breakfast until he saw Lily's plate. He wanted to make sure she had the same food.””
Daniel set the note down.
“Did something happen?””
Mrs. Collins hesitated.
“Lily had a nightmare. She woke up crying for her mother. Ethan tried to comfort her, but when I offered to call Vanessa, he became frightened.””
“Frightened of what?””
“He said his mother would be angry if anyone knew where they were.””
Daniel stood.
“Take me to them.””
The guest suite was warm and bright, with pale curtains and a small fireplace. Someone had brought in a basket of toys, but most remained untouched.
Ethan sat on the carpet, building a tower from wooden blocks. Lily sat beside him, carefully arranging stuffed animals in a circle.
The moment Daniel entered, Ethan stood.
“Is Uncle Marcus gone?””
“He's being questioned by the police.””
“Will he come back?””
“Not while I'm here.””
Ethan studied his face, searching for the slightest sign of a lie.
Then Lily rose and walked toward Daniel.
She was wearing oversized pajamas decorated with yellow stars. Her dark hair had been brushed, but several strands still stuck out at odd angles.
“Are you the man from the picture?”” she asked.
Daniel's heart gave an unexpected, painful thump.
“What picture?””
“The one Mommy keeps under her bed.””
Ethan dropped a wooden block.
“Lily!””
She flinched.
Daniel immediately crouched.
“It's okay. You're not in trouble.””
Lily looked up at him.
“Mommy said you have kind eyes.””
Daniel hadn't heard Vanessa say anything kind about him in months.
“What else did she say?””
Lily considered the question seriously.
“She said you used to laugh a lot. Before Uncle Michael went away.””
Daniel went still.
Michael hadn't simply gone away. He had died in a car accident on a wet country road four years earlier.
Daniel had been the one to identify his brother's body.
He remembered the rain, the smell of antiseptic, and the small silver watch Michael had worn since they were teenagers.
He remembered Vanessa standing beside him at the funeral, holding his hand so tightly that her fingernails dug into his skin.
And he remembered how she had begun changing after that day.
She stopped attending family dinners. She avoided photographs. She sometimes disappeared for entire weekends, returning with red eyes and explanations that never quite fit.
Daniel had assumed grief had hollowed them both out.
Now he wondered what else she had been carrying.
“Lily,” he said carefully, “do you remember meeting Uncle Michael?””
She shook her head.
“No. Mommy said he went to heaven before I was big enough to remember.””
Daniel nodded slowly.
Then Lily tilted her head.
“But Ethan says I have his eyes.””
Daniel looked at the boy.
Ethan's face had gone pale.
“Ethan,” Daniel said, “come sit with us.””
The boy remained standing.
“I didn't tell her anything.””
“I know.””
“I'm not supposed to.””
“Who told you that?””
Ethan looked toward the door.
“Mommy.””
Daniel pulled a chair closer and sat down so he wouldn't tower over the children.
“I'm not asking you to betray your mother. I just want to understand why you're scared.””
Ethan's fingers twisted together.
“Because grown-ups always say everything will be okay, and then they take people away.””
The words were delivered without drama.
That made them worse.
Daniel thought of the security guards escorting Marcus from the house, the unknown person photographing his window, and the years of unanswered questions surrounding Michael's death.
He had no idea what promises Ethan had heard before.
But he could make one now.
“I won't separate you and Lily,” he said.
“And I won't punish you for telling the truth.””
Ethan looked at him for a long moment.
Then he whispered, “Lily isn't my real sister.””
Daniel felt the room tilt.
Lily turned toward him.
“Yes, I am!””
Ethan immediately knelt beside her.
“You are,” he said.
“You're my sister. I just mean—”
“Then don't say that!””
Lily burst into tears.
Ethan wrapped his arms around her, apologizing over and over.
Daniel watched the two children cling to each other.
Whatever their biological relationship, one fact was unmistakable.
Ethan had been protecting Lily long before Daniel walked into that room.
He had been doing it at the cost of his own safety.
“Ethan,” Daniel said gently, “you don't have to explain everything at once.””
The boy nodded against Lily's hair.
Then he asked a question Daniel would remember for the rest of his life.
“If Lily is really your family, will you still love her when you find out what Mommy did?””
Daniel couldn't answer immediately.
Because he had begun to suspect that Lily was more than Vanessa's secret.
She was a secret that might have belonged to his brother.
And if that was true, the child sitting in front of him was not merely a little girl his wife had hidden.
She was the last living connection to a man Daniel had loved more than anyone else in the world.
“I'll make sure she's safe,” he said at last.
Ethan studied him.
“That's not the same as loving her.””
“No,” Daniel admitted.
“It isn't.””
The boy looked away.
Daniel realized then that he could not earn their trust by offering expensive toys, beautiful rooms, or promises that cost him nothing.
He would have to discover what had happened.
And he would have to be willing to live with the answer.
At eight thirty, his attorney, Rebecca Shaw, arrived at the estate.
Daniel met her in his study and showed her the photograph.
Rebecca examined it under the desk lamp.
“Where did you get this?””
“From Ethan.””
“Does Vanessa know you have it?””
“I don't know.””
Rebecca turned the photograph over.
Her expression sharpened when she saw the handwriting.
“Daniel, before you do anything, I need you to tell me whether Michael ever mentioned a child.””
“Never.””
“Did he have a relationship with Vanessa?””
Daniel stared at her.
“Vanessa is my wife.””
“I'm aware of that.””
Rebecca placed the photograph on the desk.
“I'm asking whether there was ever any reason to suspect she and Michael were involved before you married her, or while you were married.””
Daniel stood and walked to the window.
He remembered an argument from four years earlier, shortly before Michael's death.
His brother had come to the estate late at night, soaked from the rain and furious about something Daniel couldn't understand.
Vanessa had been upstairs.
Michael had asked to speak privately.
When Daniel refused to leave the study, Michael had struck the desk with his palm.
“You don't know what she's capable of,” he had said.
Daniel had accused him of being jealous.
Michael had laughed bitterly.
“That's what you always think. That everyone who questions her wants what you have.””
The next morning, Michael had apologized.
Two weeks later, he was dead.
Daniel pressed his fingers against the cold window glass.
“I never thought they were involved,” he said.
Rebecca's voice softened.
“Then we need to find out what happened.””
Before Daniel could answer, his phone rang.
Vanessa.
He stared at her name for three seconds before accepting the call.
“Where are you?”” he asked.
“Daniel, thank God.””
Her voice trembled.
In the background, he could hear traffic and what sounded like a public announcement.
“Where are you, Vanessa?””
“I'm at the airport.””
Daniel's jaw tightened.
“Why?””
“Marcus called me last night. He said something had happened at the house. He wouldn't explain.””
“Your brother threatened two children in my home.””
A silence followed.
Then Vanessa whispered, “Are they alive?””
Daniel closed his eyes.
The question was too revealing to ignore.
“You knew Marcus was going after them.””
“I didn't know he would hurt them.””
“You knew he would come.””
“Daniel, please. You don't understand.””
“Then explain it.””
“I can't do this over the phone.””
“You have one chance to tell me the truth before I find it myself.””
Vanessa began to cry.
“Please don't let him take Lily.””
“Who?””
“Marcus.””
Daniel glanced at Rebecca.
“You're telling me your brother wants Lily?””
“He wants the letter. He thinks it proves something.””
“What does it prove?””
Vanessa's breathing grew uneven.
“Daniel, listen to me. I know you hate me right now, but I never wanted any of this to happen.””
“Where is the letter?””
“I don't have it.””
“Who does?””
A long pause.
Then Vanessa said, “Ethan.””
Daniel looked through the open study door toward the guest suite.
The boy was sitting beside Lily, helping her fit a wooden block into the tower.
“What does the letter say?”” Daniel asked.
Vanessa's voice dropped to a whisper.
“It says who Lily's father is.””
Daniel gripped the edge of the desk.
“Is it Michael?””
There was no answer.
“Vanessa.””
“I can't.””
“Is Lily my brother's daughter?””
A sound escaped her, somewhere between a sob and a gasp.
Then the call ended.
Daniel lowered the phone.
Rebecca stood motionless beside the desk.
Neither of them spoke for several seconds.
Finally, Rebecca asked, “What are you going to do?””
Daniel looked toward the guest suite.
“Find the letter.””
He crossed the hallway and knocked softly on the children's door.
Ethan opened it.
Daniel crouched in front of him.
“Ethan, I need to ask you something important.””
The boy's face tightened.
“Are you taking Lily away?””
“No.””
“Are you going to call Mommy?””
“Not yet.””
Ethan glanced behind him to make sure Lily wasn't listening.
Then he reached into the pocket of his borrowed pajamas and pulled out a small brass key.
“Mommy said if she ever disappeared, I should give this to the man in the photograph.””
Daniel stared at it.
“What photograph?””
“The one with the silver watch.””
Daniel recognized the description instantly.
Michael's watch.
Ethan pressed the key into Daniel's palm.
“Mommy said the man wearing it was supposed to keep Lily safe.””
Daniel's fingers closed around the cold brass.
“Where did you get this?””
“Mommy gave it to me before we left home.””
“Why didn't you tell me last night?””
Ethan's eyes filled.
“Because I was scared you would be angry.””
“I'm not angry with you.””
The boy leaned closer.
“There's something else.””
Daniel waited.
Ethan glanced at Lily, who was busy arranging her stuffed animals.
Then he whispered, “Mommy said Uncle Michael didn't die because of the accident.””
Daniel stopped breathing.
“What did she say killed him?””
Ethan's voice trembled.
“She said somebody made the car crash.””
Before Daniel could ask another question, a sharp knock sounded from the main entrance.
One of the security officers hurried down the hallway.
“Mr. Blackwood,” he called, “there's a woman at the gate. She says she's Vanessa's mother.””
Daniel straightened.
Vanessa had told him her mother died before they met.
The security officer continued.
“She says she's here to take the children.””
Ethan grabbed Daniel's hand.
“No,” he whispered.
“Please, don't let her in.””
Daniel looked down at him.
“Who is she, Ethan?””
May you like
The boy's answer was barely audible.
“She's the woman Mommy is afraid of.””
