Chapter 10
By the time we reached the school, two police cars were already there.
Amanda stood on the sidewalk.
She wasn’t running.
She wasn’t shouting.
She looked calm.
That frightened me more.
Dad told me to stay in the car.
I didn’t.
I opened my door the second he stepped away.
“Ethan!”
“I’m coming.”
He wanted to argue.
Then he saw my face.
He took my hand.
Officer Collins met us near the entrance.
“She hasn’t crossed onto school property.”
Dad stared at Amanda.
“She impersonated Monica.”
“She denies that.”
“There’s video.”
“Her attorney is arguing the woman can’t be positively identified because the face was partially covered.”
Dad laughed without humor.
“So we wait until she grabs Lily?”
“No.”
Officer Collins looked frustrated too.
“We’re working on an emergency modification.”
Amanda saw me.
She smiled.
My stomach turned.
Then she called across the street.
“Ethan!”
Dad stepped in front of me.
Amanda raised both hands.
“I just want to talk.”
Dad shouted, “Stay away from my children.”
“My child.”
Dad went still.
Amanda smiled again.
“Lily is mine.”
Officer Collins warned her.
“Amanda, do not engage.”
Amanda ignored her.
“Daniel, you turned my daughter against me.”
“No.”
“You poisoned her.”
“You told her dead grandparents abandoned her.”
Amanda’s face tightened.
“Those people hated me.”
“This isn’t about you.”
“It is always about me when people are trying to steal my daughter.”
I peeked around Dad.
Amanda saw me.
“You happy now, Ethan?”
Dad stepped fully in front of me.
“Do not speak to him.”
But Amanda kept going.
“You got what you wanted.”
My chest tightened.
“You wanted me gone from the beginning.”
I remembered every noodle cup.
Every locked door.
Every time she told me Dad would love me more if I stopped creating problems.
I surprised myself.
I stepped around Dad.
“No.”
Dad tried to pull me back.
I shook my head.
Amanda stared at me.
I said, “I wanted you to be nice.”
Her face changed.
Just slightly.
“I wanted Dad to be happy.”
“Ethan—”
“I wanted Lily to be my sister.”
“She isn’t.”
“Yes, she is.”
Amanda smiled coldly.
“You really believe that?”
I heard a door open behind us.
Lily’s voice answered.
“Yes.”
Everyone turned.
The principal stood beside her.
Lily had slipped away from the office secretary when she heard yelling.
Dad rushed toward her.
But Lily stared across the street.
Amanda’s face softened instantly.
“Baby.”
Lily didn’t move.
“I miss you.”
Amanda started crying.
I had seen those tears before.
Maybe some were real.
That made everything harder.
Lily began crying too.
“Why did you go to my school?”
“I wanted to see you.”
“You’re supposed to have permission.”
“I’m your mother. I shouldn’t need permission.”
Officer Collins stepped closer to Amanda.
“Ma’am—”
Amanda raised her voice.
“Lily, come here.”
Lily froze.
Dad knelt beside her.
“You don’t have to.”
Amanda shouted, “I am your mother!”
Lily flinched.
Then she whispered, “Moms aren’t supposed to scare you.”
Amanda stopped.
For one second, she looked genuinely shocked.
Lily continued.
“You told me Ethan would make Daddy stop loving me.”
Amanda opened her mouth.
“You said Grandma Ellen didn’t want me.”
“Lily, you don’t understand—”
“You said Ethan wasn’t my brother.”
“He isn’t biologically—”
“I don’t care!”
Lily screamed it so loudly everyone went silent.
“He shared Daddy with me!”
My throat tightened.
“He shared his room when I was scared!”
She pointed toward me.
“He gave me his birthday cupcake because mine fell!”
I had forgotten that.
Lily hadn’t.
“He’s my brother because I say he is!”
Amanda’s face twisted.
“You are six years old.”
“And I know when someone loves me!”
Dad looked down.
He was crying.
Amanda crossed the street.
Officer Collins immediately stepped forward.
“Stop.”
“I need to hug my daughter.”
“Stop where you are.”
“She needs me!”
Amanda tried to move around her.
The second officer took her arm.
Amanda jerked away.
“Don’t touch me!”
Then everything happened fast.
She shoved the officer.
The officer stumbled.
Dad pulled Lily and me backward.
Amanda lunged toward Lily.
Not far.
Maybe two steps.
But enough.
Officer Collins grabbed her.
The other officer recovered.
Amanda screamed.
“You can’t keep her from me!”
Handcuffs clicked.
Lily buried her face against Dad.
Amanda continued screaming as they put her into the patrol car.
“You’ll regret this, Daniel!”
Dad didn’t answer.
“You hear me?”
Still nothing.
Then Amanda shouted something that made him look up.
“Ask your precious Rachel who paid Nicole!”
Rachel wasn’t there.
Dad’s face changed.
“What?”
Amanda laughed from the back seat.
“You think that woman found you by accident?”
Officer Collins closed the door.
The car pulled away.
Dad stood perfectly still.
That evening Rachel came to the house.
Dad told her exactly what Amanda said.
Rachel looked confused.
“Paid Nicole?”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t even know Nicole existed until the packet arrived.”
“Could someone else have paid her?”
“I don’t know.”
We all thought Amanda was trying to create doubt.
Then Rachel called Nicole.
Nicole answered.
Rachel put her on speaker.
“Nicole, did anyone pay you to contact us?”
Silence.
Rachel repeated the question.
Nicole sighed.
“No.”
Dad relaxed.
Then Nicole continued.
“Not to contact you.”
Rachel frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“I was paid years ago.”
“By whom?”
Nicole started crying.
“Amanda.”
Dad stared at the phone.
“For what?”
Nicole’s voice became barely audible.
“To keep quiet.”
“About Ryan?”
“Yes.”
The entire room changed.
Rachel sat slowly.
“How much?”
“Ten thousand dollars.”
“Where did she get ten thousand dollars?”
“I don’t know.”
“What exactly were you paid not to say?”
Nicole took a long breath.
“That Amanda had been driving Ryan’s car the night he died.”
Dad’s face went blank.
May you like
Nicole continued.
“And that she switched seats with him after the crash.”
