Chapter 5: The Man Between Us
I stared at the photograph until my eyes hurt.
Michael.
Valerie.
Standing outside a restaurant.
Smiling.
Not arguing.
Not looking like enemies.
Friends.
Partners.
My first instinct was rage.
My second was doubt.
And the worst part was that both feelings felt justified.
I spent the entire night sitting at the kitchen table with the picture open on my phone.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Lily crying in that auditorium.
“You’re ruining the picture.””
Valerie’s words echoed again.
But now another question appeared.
Was Michael part of it too?
The next morning, I called him.
He answered immediately.
“Daniel?””
“Why didn’t you tell me you and Valerie were meeting after you supposedly changed your mind?””
Silence.
A long one.
Then:
“Who sent you the picture?””
“That’s not your concern.””
“It is if someone is trying to manipulate you.””
I stood up.
“You don’t get to say that.””
“Daniel—”
“No. You walked into my house with documents proving my wife betrayed me. You expect me to trust you, but you’re hiding things.””
Michael sighed.
“You’re right.””
The honesty caught me off guard.
“I should have told you.””
“Why didn’t you?””
“Because I was ashamed.””
I said nothing.
“She contacted me after I told her I wasn’t comfortable with what she was planning.””
“What planning?””
Michael’s voice became quieter.
“The divorce.””
“That’s all?””
“No.””
I waited.
“She wanted me to continue pretending.””
My eyebrows tightened.
“Pretending?””
“She wanted me to act like I was still helping her.””
“Why?””
“To collect evidence.””
I walked to the window.
“What kind of evidence?””
“Evidence that she was manipulating people.””
I froze.
“What?””
Michael continued.
“I recorded some conversations.””
My heart started beating faster.
“You recorded Valerie?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because I realized Lily wasn’t the problem.””
He paused.
“She was.””
I looked toward the hallway where Lily was sleeping.
“Do you have the recordings?””
“Yes.””
“Send them.””
“I can.””
A few minutes later, my phone received a file.
I pressed play.
At first, there was only background noise.
Then Valerie’s voice.
“She doesn’t need to know everything.””
My body went still.
A man’s voice answered.
Michael.
“Valerie, this has gone too far.””
“You agreed to help me.””
“I agreed to help you leave Daniel. I didn’t agree to erase his daughter.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
Valerie laughed.
“You’re getting emotional.””
“Because she’s a child.””
“She’s the reason my life stopped.””
I stopped breathing.
Michael’s voice became angry.
“That’s not fair.””
“No? Daniel spends every second protecting her. What about me?””
“You’re talking about your own daughter.””
“She’s not my only child.””
I gripped the phone.
The recording continued.
“She gets all the sympathy,” Valerie said.
“Everyone sees her as the poor little girl in the wheelchair.””
My eyes burned.
Michael responded.
“She’s eight.””
“I know exactly how old she is.””
The recording ended.
I sat down.
For a moment, I couldn’t move.
Not because I was surprised.
Because hearing it made everything real.
Rebecca arrived an hour later.
I played the recording.
She listened carefully.
Then she looked at me.
“This changes things.””
“How?””
“This shows intent.””
I looked at her.
“Can it stop her from taking Lily?””
“It helps.””
“Helps?””
Rebecca nodded.
“But we need more.””
“What more?””
“Proof of the financial arrangements. Proof of the house. Proof she planned this before filing.””
I remembered the folder.
“There’s more.””
Rebecca looked at me.
“What?””
I opened the drawer where I had hidden the documents.
The folder was gone.
My blood turned cold.
“No.””
“What is it?””
“The papers.””
Rebecca stood.
“What papers?””
“The ones I found last night.””
I searched everywhere.
The drawer.
The cabinet.
The office.
Nothing.
Someone had been inside.
Someone knew what I had.
Then Lily called from upstairs.
“Daddy?””
I ran.
She was standing beside her bed.
Holding something.
A small envelope.
“Someone left this under my pillow.””
My heart stopped.
“Who?””
She shook her head.
“I don’t know.””
I took the envelope.
Inside was a single piece of paper.
Five words.
“Ask your wife about Lily’s birth.””
I stared at the sentence.
Rebecca stepped closer.
“What does it mean?””
I didn’t answer.
Because suddenly, I remembered something.
Something Valerie said years ago.
Something I ignored.
Something about the day Lily was born.
May you like
And for the first time in eight years…
I wondered if Lily was hiding a secret too.
