Chapter 8
His name was Nathan Cole.
Emma had not spoken it aloud in years.
Not to Lily.
Not to Daniel.
Barely even to herself.
Nathan had been twenty-six when Emma met him.
Charming.
Restless.
Beautiful in the way dangerous men often were before anyone knew they were dangerous.
They dated for seven months.
By month eight, Emma was pregnant.
By month nine, Nathan was gone.
Not because Emma asked him to leave.
Because police came looking for him.
Fraud.
Identity theft.
Stolen credit cards.
Fake investment accounts.
Nathan had been living three different lives.
Emma only knew one.
When she confronted him, he vanished.
Two years later, he signed away parental rights as part of a legal settlement.
Daniel adopted Lily after marrying Emma.
Nathan never contacted them.
Until now.
Emma sat in Rachel’s study with Detective Chen on speaker.
“What did Colin find?”
“Nathan Cole lives in Nevada.”
“What does he do?”
“Officially? Automotive sales.”
“Unofficially?”
“We’re still checking.”
“Has he contacted Lily?”
“We have no evidence of that.”
Emma rubbed her forehead.
“Why would Victor care about him?”
“That’s what we’re trying to determine.”
Marcus stood near the window.
“Could Cole challenge the trust?”
Emma looked at him.
Carol had joined the call.
“No,” the attorney said. “Nathan surrendered parental rights. Daniel legally adopted Lily. Trust ownership is unaffected.”
“Could he challenge the adoption?”
“Extremely unlikely.”
Emma looked at Marcus.
“Then why investigate him?”
Nobody answered.
Rachel entered.
“Lily is asleep.”
Emma nodded.
At least one thing was okay.
Carol continued.
“There is one possibility.”
Emma’s stomach tightened.
“What?”
“Leverage.”
“Against me?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“If Nathan knows embarrassing or damaging information.”
Emma laughed bitterly.
“He knows plenty about himself.”
“What about your relationship?”
“It ended eight years ago.”
“Anything documented?”
“Nothing I care about.”
Marcus stepped forward.
“What if they don’t want leverage on Emma?”
Everyone looked at him.
“What do you mean?” Emma asked.
“Maybe they wanted Nathan for Lily.”
Emma went still.
“He has no rights.”
“That doesn’t matter if the goal isn’t court.”
Emma felt sick.
“What goal?”
“Confusion. Fear. Public pressure.”
Rachel’s face hardened.
“They’re attacking whether Lily belongs.”
Emma thought about Evelyn.
You are not our blood.
The words suddenly felt less random.
“What if somebody fed Evelyn that idea?” Emma asked.
Carol was silent.
Emma continued.
“What if Peter kept telling her Lily wasn’t family because he knew the trust was in Lily’s name?”
Marcus nodded slowly.
“Then finding the biological father gives them another pressure point.”
Emma stood.
“They wanted to challenge her place in the family.”
“Maybe.”
“They wanted Daniel angry about the trust.”
“Maybe.”
“And Evelyn was the easiest person to use.”
Rachel crossed her arms.
“She didn’t need much encouragement.”
Emma looked at her.
“No. She didn’t.”
That distinction mattered.
Manipulated people still made choices.
Evelyn chose cruelty.
Daniel chose silence.
And later, deception.
Peter and Victor may have pushed.
But they did not create every weakness.
Emma’s phone buzzed.
A text from Daniel.
I know you said not to contact Lily. I won’t. Please tell her I love her.
Emma stared at it.
She did not respond.
Then another message.
There is something about Nathan you need to know.
Emma’s blood went cold.
She called him immediately.
“What do you know?”
Daniel sounded exhausted.
“I found his name in Mom’s messages.”
“When?”
“Just now.”
“You still have access?”
“Police returned my phone. Mom’s synced messages were on an old tablet at home.”
“What did she say?”
“She met him.”
Emma stopped breathing.
“Who?”
“Nathan.”
“When?”
“Two months ago.”
Emma grabbed the desk.
“Evelyn met Lily’s biological father?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
“Who arranged it?”
“Peter.”
Emma closed her eyes.
Of course.
Daniel continued.
“Mom sent Peter a message afterward.”
“Read it.”
Daniel’s voice cracked.
“She wrote, ‘He’s worse than I expected. Emma chose that man, and now I’m supposed to believe the child belongs in our family?’”
Emma’s hand tightened around the phone.
Rachel heard.
Her face changed.
Daniel continued.
“Peter replied, ‘That is exactly why Daniel should protect what belongs to him.’”
Emma felt nauseous.
“What else?”
“Mom asked whether Nathan could reclaim Lily.”
“What did Peter say?”
“He said there were legal options.”
Carol immediately spoke from the conference call.
“That is false.”
Emma realized Daniel did not know she still had everyone on speaker.
He heard Carol.
“Who’s there?”
“Everyone who needs to be.”
Daniel sighed.
Then continued.
“Peter told Mom that if Nathan challenged the adoption, the trust could be frozen.”
Carol swore.
“Also false.”
Emma paced.
“So Peter lied to Evelyn.”
“Yes.”
“To scare her.”
“Yes.”
“To make her think Lily threatened me and you.”
Daniel’s voice became quiet.
“Yes.”
Emma stopped.
“Did you know any of this?”
“No.”
She wanted to believe him.
She was not sure she could.
“Send the messages.”
“I will.”
Detective Chen broke in.
“Daniel, do not delete or modify anything.”
“I won’t.”
“We’ll send an officer to collect the device.”
“Okay.”
Emma asked, “Where is Evelyn?”
“At home with police.”
“Does she know we found these messages?”
“No.”
“Don’t tell her.”
Daniel paused.
“Why?”
“Because I want to hear her explain it without preparation.”
The next morning, Emma returned to the city.
Lily stayed with Rachel and security.
Emma hated leaving her.
But she needed answers.
Evelyn sat in a police interview room.
She looked twenty years older.
No makeup.
Hair pulled back.
Hands wrapped around coffee.
When Emma entered, Evelyn’s face hardened automatically.
Then softened.
“Where is Lily?”
“Safe.”
“I didn’t ask where. I asked if she—”
“She is safe.”
Evelyn nodded.
Emma sat across from her.
Detective Chen remained in the room.
“Why did you meet Nathan Cole?”
Evelyn’s face went white.
Emma almost laughed.
So much for denial.
“Who told you?”
“Answer.”
Evelyn stared at the table.
“Peter.”
“I know Peter arranged it.”
“Then why ask?”
“Because I want to hear you say it.”
Evelyn swallowed.
“Peter told me Daniel could lose everything.”
“Daniel never owned the company.”
“He should have.”
Emma leaned forward.
“My father built it.”
“And Daniel gave that company his life.”
“He was paid.”
Evelyn’s eyes filled with anger.
“Do you know how humiliating it was watching everyone treat him like an employee in his own family?”
Emma stared at her.
“There it is.”
“What?”
“The truth.”
Evelyn looked away.
“This was never really about Lily’s blood.”
“It was.”
“No.”
Emma’s voice hardened.
“It was about money.”
Evelyn said nothing.
“You hated that Lily would inherit what Daniel wouldn’t.”
“She is a child!”
“She is my child.”
“She is Nathan Cole’s child.”
Emma slammed her palm onto the table.
“She is Lily.”
Evelyn flinched.
Detective Chen watched quietly.
Emma continued.
“She is the girl who baked you birthday cookies because you said store-bought ones tasted cheap.”
Evelyn’s eyes flickered.
“She is the girl who sat beside you at Christmas because you said your knee hurt.”
Evelyn swallowed.
“She is the girl who made you a bracelet that you never wore.”
Evelyn looked down.
“And you let a greedy man convince you that her blood made her your enemy.”
Tears filled Evelyn’s eyes.
“I was scared.”
“Of losing money?”
“Of losing Daniel.”
Emma stopped.
Evelyn wiped her cheek.
“Peter said once Lily controlled the trust, you wouldn’t need Daniel anymore.”
Emma stared.
“He said you would leave.”
Emma said nothing.
“Then he showed me Nathan’s history. His arrests. His scams. He said Lily would become like him.”
Emma’s face twisted with disgust.
“She was eight years old.”
“I know.”
“No. You don’t.”
“I know now.”
“After you tore her school papers?”
Evelyn started crying harder.
Emma felt nothing.
Not yet.
“Why did you meet Nathan?”
“Peter said Nathan might cooperate.”
“With what?”
“A legal challenge.”
Carol had been right.
“Did you pay him?”
Evelyn looked ashamed.
“Yes.”
Emma’s breathing changed.
“How much?”
“Twenty thousand.”
“For what?”
“To meet with an attorney.”
Emma stared.
“You paid Lily’s biological father to challenge her adoption?”
“No! I thought—”
“What did you think?”
“I thought if the trust was frozen, you would have time to reconsider.”
Emma stood.
Detective Chen raised a hand.
Emma forced herself to stay still.
Evelyn sobbed.
“I didn’t want Lily taken from you.”
“You tried to bring a criminal back into her life.”
“I didn’t know Peter planned anything else.”
“What else did Nathan do?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did he meet Victor?”
Evelyn hesitated.
Emma saw it.
“Yes.”
“One time.”
“Where?”
“At Victor’s house.”
Emma stared.
“You went too?”
“Yes.”
Daniel’s dinner.
The one with mysterious people.
Nathan had been there.
Daniel just didn’t recognize him.
“Was Daniel there?”
“Yes.”
“Did Nathan see Daniel?”
“From another room.”
Emma’s skin chilled.
“Did Daniel know?”
“No.”
“Why hide Nathan?”
“Peter said Daniel would get emotional.”
Emma laughed bitterly.
“Peter seemed very good at deciding what everyone should know.”
Evelyn looked down.
“What happened at the meeting?”
“Victor asked Nathan questions about you.”
“What questions?”
“Your childhood. Your father. Old accounts.”
Emma frowned.
“Old accounts?”
“Things Nathan might remember.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
“Stop saying that.”
“I really don’t!”
Detective Chen leaned forward.
“What did Victor ask about Lily?”
Evelyn went pale.
Emma noticed.
“What?”
Evelyn shook her head.
“Nothing important.”
Emma’s voice went dangerously quiet.
“What did he ask?”
Evelyn looked at Detective Chen.
Then Emma.
“He asked whether Lily knew who Nathan was.”
Emma gripped the table.
“What did you say?”
“I said no.”
“Then?”
“He asked whether Lily would recognize him.”
Emma’s heart pounded.
“And?”
“I said probably not.”
Emma stood.
This time nobody stopped her.
“Why would he ask that?”
“I don’t know.”
Detective Chen immediately picked up her phone.
Emma paced.
If Lily would not recognize Nathan, he could approach her.
At school.
At a park.
Anywhere.
Emma called Rachel.
No answer.
Again.
No answer.
Panic hit.
She called Marcus.
He answered.
“Emma.”
“Is Lily safe?”
“Yes.”
Emma nearly collapsed with relief.
“Where?”
“At Rachel’s.”
“Why isn’t Rachel answering?”
“She’s outside with the horses.”
Emma closed her eyes.
“Do not let Lily leave.”
“I won’t.”
“Show everyone Nathan Cole’s photo.”
“We already have it.”
“Why?”
Marcus hesitated.
“Because Detective Chen sent it twenty minutes ago.”
Emma frowned.
“Why twenty minutes ago?”
“There was an incident.”
Her blood froze.
“What incident?”
“A man drove past Rachel’s property twice.”
“What man?”
“We didn’t identify him at first.”
Emma gripped the phone.
“And now?”
Marcus’s voice hardened.
“It was Nathan.”
Emma stopped breathing.
“He knows where Lily is?”
“He knows where Rachel lives.”
“How?”
“We’re trying to figure that out.”
Emma stared at Evelyn.
Evelyn looked terrified.
Marcus continued.
“We followed his car after the second pass.”
“Where is he now?”
“Police stopped him.”
Emma exhaled.
“Did he have anything?”
A silence.
“Marcus.”
“He had a photograph of Lily.”
Emma’s knees weakened.
“What else?”
“A printed copy of her school enrollment schedule.”
Emma stared at the torn school papers in her memory.
The uniform.
The backpack.
Evelyn ripping them apart.
Maybe Lily missing school that morning had saved her from something much worse.
“What was he going to do?”
“We don’t know yet.”
Then Marcus paused.
“There’s one more thing.”
Emma closed her eyes.
“What?”
“Nathan says he wasn’t going to hurt Lily.”
“Of course he says that.”
“He says he was going there to warn you.”
Emma opened her eyes.
“Warn me about what?”
Marcus’s answer came slowly.
“He says Victor isn’t trying to steal the company.”
Emma stared.
“Then what is he trying to steal?”
“Lily’s trust.”
Emma frowned.
“That is the company.”
“Not all of it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nathan says there is something else inside Lily’s trust.”
Emma’s heart began pounding.
Something even Daniel did not know.
Something Evelyn did not know.
Something her father had arranged before his death.
“What?”
Marcus took a breath.
“A property portfolio.”
Emma waited.
“How much?”
“According to Nathan?”
“Yes.”
May you like
“Almost two hundred million dollars.”
And suddenly every threat, every lie, and every betrayal became even more dangerous.
