Chapter 8: The Father I Thought I Knew
I followed Daniel back inside.
The moment the door closed, I turned toward him.
“What agreement?””
He didn’t move.
“Daniel.””
His eyes were full of shame.
“I need to explain.””
“That’s what people say when they’re about to tell the truth too late.””
He closed his eyes.
“I signed something.””
My heart sank.
“What?””
“A temporary arrangement.””
I stared at him.
“About Ava?””
He nodded.
I felt sick.
“When?””
“Three months ago.””
Three months.
For three months, my husband had been carrying a secret that involved our daughter.
“Why?””
He looked away.
“My mother convinced me you were overwhelmed.””
I laughed.
“Overwhelmed?””
“She said you were angry all the time.””
“Because I was tired.””
“She said you were making decisions without me.””
“Because you weren’t helping me.””
The words came out sharper than I expected.
But they were true.
Daniel looked at the floor.
“She said if something happened, I needed protection.””
I stared at him.
“So you protected yourself.””
“No.””
“Yes.””
My voice broke.
“You didn’t protect Ava.””
Daniel’s eyes filled.
“I thought it was just paperwork.””
“And your signature?””
“I didn’t know she would use it like this.””
That was the part I couldn’t understand.
How could he keep making choices without thinking about the consequences?
A knock interrupted us.
I froze.
Daniel looked toward the door.
When he opened it, nobody was there.
Only an envelope.
No name.
No return address.
Inside was a single piece of paper.
Daniel picked it up.
His face changed.
“What is it?””
He handed it to me.
It was a printed message.
From Margaret.
*You should have listened to me.*
My stomach tightened.
Below it was another sentence.
*If you choose Rachel over your family, you will lose everything.*
I looked at Daniel.
“Your mother sent this?””
He nodded.
Then his phone buzzed.
He looked at the screen.
And immediately went pale.
“What?””
He didn’t answer.
“Daniel.””
He turned the phone toward me.
It was a photo.
Ava.
Standing outside Lily’s house.
Taken from across the street.
My blood turned cold.
“When was this taken?””
Daniel checked the timestamp.
“Ten minutes ago.””
I grabbed my phone.
“No.””
Ava was inside.
Safe.
But someone had been watching.
Someone had been close.
Daniel grabbed his keys.
“I’m calling the police.””
I stopped him.
“Wait.””
He looked at me.
I pointed at the photo.
“Look.””
Something was wrong.
Behind Ava, reflected in the window of the house, was a person.
Not Margaret.
Someone else.
Someone I recognized.
Daniel stared at the reflection.
Then whispered:
“That’s impossible.””
“Who is it?””
May you like
His face went pale.
“That’s my father.””
