Chapter 1
My husband slapped our six-year-old daughter across the face in the middle of her birthday party, and the entire room went silent. Then my daughter looked at me and whispered something that made my blood run cold.
There were twenty kids in our backyard that Saturday afternoon.
Pink balloons covered the fence, music was playing, and Lily had just blown out the candles on her princess cake.
She was smiling so hard I thought I would remember that moment forever.
Then my husband, Daniel, walked over.
“Where did you get that?” he asked.
Lily was holding a small silver key in her hand.
She looked confused.
“It was in Daddy’s office.”
Daniel’s face changed instantly.
“Give it to me.”
Lily pulled her hand toward her chest.
“But I found it behind the picture.”
Daniel grabbed her wrist.
I stood up.
“Daniel, what are you doing?”
“Stay out of this, Emily.”
The other parents stopped talking.
Lily started crying.
“You said I could look for my birthday present.”
“I said give me the key.”
“I don’t want to.”
Then Daniel slapped her.
The sound was so sharp that even the children stopped moving.
Lily stumbled backward and grabbed her cheek.
For one second, I couldn’t breathe.
Then I shoved myself between them.
“Have you lost your mind?”
Daniel stared past me at Lily.
“Where did you put it?”
I looked at him.
“Put what?”
He ignored me.
“Lily, where is the envelope?”
She began shaking.
“I didn’t take anything.”
Daniel’s mother suddenly stood from her chair.
“Daniel, enough.”
He turned on her.
“You knew about this?”
Her face went pale.
I looked from one of them to the other.
“What is going on?”
Daniel grabbed my arm and lowered his voice.
“Take the kids inside.”
“No.”
Lily tugged at my dress.
“Mommy…”
I knelt beside her.
“What, baby?”
She leaned close to my ear.
“I saw Daddy hiding another family in the picture.”
I froze.
May you like
Then Lily pointed toward the house.
“And the little boy in the photo called him Dad.”
