Chapter 5: What Emily Supposedly Did
I carried Emily inside with Sarah walking beside me.
Vanessa was waiting in the kitchen.
Tyler sat at the table eating fries.
A plate of chicken strips was beside him.
The smell filled the room.
Emily noticed it immediately.
Then she looked away.
That tiny movement almost destroyed me.
A five-year-old had learned not to look at food she wasn't allowed to touch.
"What did Emily do to Tyler?"" I asked.
Vanessa folded her arms.
"Ask her.""
I put Emily down.
She stayed close to my leg.
"Emily?""
My daughter looked frightened.
"I don't know.""
Vanessa laughed.
"Of course you don't.""
"Vanessa," Sarah warned.
"This is family business.""
"I'm here because Michael asked me to bring Emily.""
"And now you've brought her.""
Vanessa pointed toward the door.
"You can leave.""
Sarah looked at me.
I shook my head.
"She stays.""
Vanessa's face hardened.
"You're letting our neighbor interfere with our marriage?""
"No. I'm making sure someone else hears what you're about to say.""
For the first time, Vanessa seemed uncertain.
Then she grabbed Tyler's backpack from a chair.
She unzipped it and pulled out a plastic dinosaur with one leg snapped off.
"Look.""
She held it toward me.
"Emily broke Tyler's favorite toy.""
Tyler stopped chewing.
I examined the dinosaur.
"When?""
"Yesterday.""
"Did you see her do it?""
Vanessa hesitated.
"Tyler told me.""
I looked at him.
"Tyler?""
He stared at his plate.
"Did Emily break this?""
Vanessa answered for him.
"He already told me she did.""
"I asked Tyler.""
Silence.
Tyler's eyes moved toward his mother.
That was enough to make me suspicious.
"Tyler," I said gently, "you're not in trouble. Just tell me what happened.""
He swallowed.
"I...""
Vanessa stepped closer.
"Don't confuse him.""
"Vanessa, stop.""
Tyler's eyes filled with tears.
"I broke it.""
Nobody moved.
Vanessa went pale.
"What?""
Tyler stared at the table.
"I stepped on it.""
Vanessa grabbed the back of his chair.
"You told me Emily did it.""
Tyler shook his head.
"No.""
"Yes, you did.""
"No, Mom.""
His voice trembled.
"You said if I said Emily did it, I could get the new dinosaur.""
The silence afterward was terrifying.
Sarah covered her mouth.
I stared at Vanessa.
She immediately shook her head.
"He's confused.""
"He's eight.""
"Children say things.""
"Funny," I said.
"That's exactly what you say whenever Emily tells me something.""
Vanessa's face twisted.
"You're enjoying this.""
"Enjoying what?""
"Making me the villain.""
I stepped between her and the children.
"I'm trying to understand why you wanted your son to blame my daughter.""
"Our children.""
"No.""
The word came out before I could stop it.
Vanessa blinked.
I continued more quietly.
"They should be our children. Both of them. But that's not how you've been treating them.""
Emily grabbed my jeans.
Vanessa noticed.
Her voice sharpened.
"See? She's doing it again.""
"Doing what?""
"Turning you against me.""
"She's holding my leg.""
"Exactly!""
Sarah stared at Vanessa in disbelief.
"She's five years old.""
Vanessa turned on her.
"Get out!""
Emily jumped at the shout.
I immediately lifted her.
"Enough.""
Vanessa pointed toward Sarah.
"She's poisoning you against me.""
"No. Your actions are doing that.""
Vanessa stared at me.
Then her eyes dropped toward my work bag near the doorway.
Something changed.
"Where did you put it?""
My heartbeat quickened.
"Put what?""
She walked toward the bag.
I stepped in front of her.
Vanessa stopped.
"You opened my drawer.""
It wasn't a question.
Sarah inhaled sharply.
Vanessa reached for the bag.
I moved it behind me.
"Why were you documenting punishments?""
Her face went blank.
"What are you talking about?""
"Three days without treats because Emily told me she was hungry?""
"That's discipline.""
"Skipping dinner isn't discipline.""
"I never starved her!""
Emily buried her face against me.
Vanessa saw it.
For one second, she looked ashamed.
Then the anger returned.
"You have no idea what that girl has put me through.""
That girl.
Not Emily.
Not our daughter.
That girl.
"What could a five-year-old possibly have done to deserve this?""
Vanessa opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Then Tyler spoke.
"Mom doesn't like Emily because of her real mom.""
My body went still.
Vanessa spun toward him.
"Tyler!""
He flinched.
I stared at Vanessa.
"What did he just say?""
"Nothing.""
"Tyler.""
The boy began crying.
"I'm sorry.""
I crouched while holding Emily.
"You're not in trouble.""
He wiped his face.
"I heard Mom talking on the phone.""
Vanessa stepped toward him.
"Stop talking.""
I blocked her.
"Who was she talking to?""
Tyler sniffled.
"I don't know.""
"What did she say?""
He looked at his mother.
Then at me.
"She said Emily shouldn't get everything just because her dead mother left it to her.""
The room seemed to tilt.
Emily's biological mother, Rachel, had died when Emily was two.
There was only one significant thing Rachel had left behind.
A trust fund.
Money Emily couldn't access until adulthood.
Money I hadn't thought about in years.
I looked at Vanessa.
She had gone completely white.
"You've been asking questions about Rachel's trust?""
Vanessa shook her head.
"Michael, listen to me.""
"Answer me.""
She backed away.
Then Sarah whispered:
"Michael... check the notebook again.""
I looked at her.
"Why?""
"Because the page I saw wasn't about food.""
My stomach dropped.
"What was it about?""
Sarah looked directly at Vanessa.
"It had Emily's name at the top.""
May you like
Then she said:
"And underneath it was a dollar amount.""
