Chapter 12: The Enemy Who Knew Too Much
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
The call had ended.
But Ryan’s words stayed in the room.
I know what Margaret is planning.
Daniel paced across the floor.
“This is insane.””
I couldn’t disagree.
My past.
His parents.
My daughter.
Everything was connected.
But one question kept repeating in my mind.
Why?
Why would Margaret go this far?
The next morning, Ryan called again.
This time, Daniel answered.
“Who is this?””
Ryan sounded amused.
“So Daniel finally knows.””
“Tell me what you know.””
A pause.
Then Ryan said,
“Your parents contacted me six months ago.””
Daniel’s face hardened.
“What did they want?””
“Information.””
“About Emma?””
“Yes.””
I closed my eyes.
Of course.
They had been building a case.
Piece by piece.
Ryan continued.
“They wanted me to say things about her.””
Daniel looked at me.
“What things?””
“That she was unstable. That she was obsessed with money. That she had a history of manipulation.””
I felt disgusted.
“They wanted you to lie.””
Ryan laughed softly.
“Your parents don’t ask people to lie.””
“Then what do they do?””
“They create situations where the truth looks different.””
Daniel gripped the phone tighter.
“Explain.””
Ryan took a breath.
“They told me if I helped them, they would make sure my legal problems disappeared.””
Daniel froze.
“What legal problems?””
Ryan didn’t answer.
Because I already knew.
He had always been running from something.
But I never knew what.
Then Ryan said,
“Margaret wanted custody.””
My stomach dropped.
“Custody of Lily?””
“Yes.””
Daniel looked at me.
“That’s impossible.””
Ryan continued.
“They wanted evidence that Emma was emotionally unstable.””
I felt sick.
“Why?””
“Because they believed if Daniel doubted her, he would leave.””
A horrible silence followed.
Daniel whispered,
“My parents wanted me to divorce my wife.””
“Yes.””
“And then?””
Ryan hesitated.
“Then Margaret planned to become the person raising Lily.””
My hands went cold.
The thought of that woman having control over my daughter made me feel sick.
Daniel ended the call.
Immediately, he called his lawyer.
This time, we weren’t dealing with family drama.
We were dealing with a deliberate plan.
Hours later, we sat in the attorney’s office.
Documents covered the table.
The lawyer, Mr. Harris, looked through everything.
“The recordings are important.””
“Can they help?”” Daniel asked.
“They can.””
He looked serious.
“But we need more.””
“What more?””
“Evidence showing intent.””
I thought about Margaret.
The files.
The threats.
The recordings.
Then I remembered something.
“The cabinet.””
Everyone looked at me.
“The cabinet at their house.””
Daniel nodded.
“The files.””
Mr. Harris leaned forward.
“What files?””
“The ones with our names.””
His expression changed.
“If those contain a timeline, messages, or evidence they were planning this, that could be significant.””
That evening, Daniel and I returned to his parents’ house.
Not to confront them.
To find the truth.
The house was dark.
Quiet.
Too quiet.
We entered through the back door.
The cabinet was still there.
The folders were gone.
My heart sank.
“They moved them.””
Daniel searched the shelves.
Then he stopped.
“Emma.””
I walked over.
He was holding something.
A small envelope.
My name was written on it.
Not typed.
Handwritten.
By Margaret.
I opened it slowly.
Inside was a photograph.
A picture of me.
From the day I met Daniel.
On the back was a sentence.
Seven words.
May you like
And those seven words made my blood run cold.
“Everything went exactly as we planned.””
