Chapter 5: The Man With the Scar
I didn’t sleep.
I couldn’t.
The picture stayed on my phone all night.
Rebecca.
A stranger.
Three days before the accident that changed our daughter’s life forever.
I zoomed in until the image became blurry.
The man’s face was partially hidden.
But the scar was clear.
The same scar Lily had described.
I wanted to wake Rebecca.
I wanted answers.
But something stopped me.
For the first time in our marriage, I was afraid of asking my wife the truth.
Because I wasn’t sure I could survive the answer.
The next morning, I took Lily to school myself.
Usually Rebecca handled drop-off.
Usually I trusted her.
Now I watched every movement.
Every smile.
Every word.
At the school entrance, Lily stopped walking.
“Daddy?””
I looked down.
“Yes?””
“Are you mad at me?””
My heart broke.
“What?””
She looked at the ground.
“Because I told you.””
I immediately knelt.
“Lily, look at me.””
She looked up.
“You never have to be afraid to tell me anything.””
“But Mommy said—”
I stopped.
“What did Mommy say?””
Her lips trembled.
“That people leave when you cause problems.””
I felt something inside me crack.
“Baby, you are not a problem.””
She nodded.
But I could tell she was trying to believe me.
That was the part that hurt most.
A child shouldn’t have to learn how to believe she deserves love.
After dropping her off, I drove straight home.
Rebecca was sitting in the kitchen.
She looked like she hadn’t slept either.
“Where’s Lily?””
“School.””
She nodded.
Good.
Because we needed to talk.
I placed the phone on the table.
The picture was still open.
Rebecca looked at it.
And everything changed.
Her face lost all color.
“Where did you get that?””
I leaned forward.
“Who is he?””
She said nothing.
“Rebecca.””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“That’s Daniel.””
“Who is Daniel?””
She looked down.
“My brother.””
I froze.
“What?””
“My half-brother.””
I stared at her.
“You never told me you had a brother.””
“Because I didn’t want you to know.””
“Why?””
Rebecca stood and walked toward the window.
“Because Daniel destroyed my family.””
I followed her with my eyes.
“What does that mean?””
She laughed bitterly.
“He was always the favorite. He always got away with everything.””
“That doesn’t explain why he was with you before Lily’s accident.””
Her shoulders dropped.
Finally.
A crack.
A sign that the truth was coming.
“He came back into my life after years away.””
“And?””
“And he needed money.””
I stared.
“So?””
“So I helped him.””
My jaw tightened.
“With what?””
She didn’t answer.
I slammed my hand against the table.
“With what, Rebecca?””
She flinched.
“Something illegal.””
The words hung between us.
I felt sick.
“What did you do?””
“I didn’t hurt Lily.””
“But something happened.””
Rebecca closed her eyes.
“I made a mistake.””
“What mistake?””
She looked at me.
And for the first time, I saw the woman I married.
Not the person who had been cruel.
Not the person hiding secrets.
A broken person who had carried something terrible.
“Daniel was supposed to take care of a problem.””
My blood ran cold.
“What problem?””
Rebecca whispered:
“You.””
I stared at her.
“What?””
“He thought you were going to find out.””
“Find out about what?””
She looked toward the hallway.
Toward Lily’s room.
Then she said something that made my entire body go numb.
“Lily wasn’t supposed to be in the car because she wasn’t the target.””
The room spun.
“What are you saying?””
Rebecca started crying.
“I was supposed to meet Daniel that day.””
“Why?””
“Because he wanted to talk about you.””
“About me?””
She nodded.
“He thought you were getting too close to the truth.””
I stepped back.
“What truth?””
Rebecca opened her mouth.
But before she could answer, a loud crash came from outside.
We both turned.
A car door slammed.
Then footsteps approached the house.
Slow.
Heavy.
Rebecca looked toward the front window.
The fear returned to her face.
“Adam…”
“What?””
She whispered:
May you like
“He found us.””
The front door handle began to turn.
