Chapter 7: The Woman Outside the Window
For three seconds, nobody moved.
Not me.
Not my mother.
Not even Vanessa.
She stood in the driveway beneath the yellow glow of the streetlamp, staring directly at Lily’s bedroom window.
My daughter was sleeping upstairs.
The same window where Vanessa was looking.
A wave of panic rushed through me.
I grabbed my phone and locked the front door.
My mother immediately understood.
“Is that her?””
I nodded.
My mother walked toward the window.
“No.””
I grabbed her arm.
“Don’t.””
She looked at me.
“She doesn’t get to scare us anymore.””
“She’s dangerous.””
That was the first time I said the words out loud.
Not controlling.
Not difficult.
Not complicated.
Dangerous.
My mother looked back outside.
Vanessa was gone.
Just like that.
No footsteps.
No car engine.
Nothing.
But the fear she left behind filled the entire house.
Officer Reynolds arrived twenty minutes later.
He walked around the property with a flashlight while another officer checked the street.
“She didn’t enter the house,” he said.
“But she was here.””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
He looked toward Lily’s window.
“That’s what worries me.””
I hugged myself.
“She wanted me to know she could still reach us.””
Reynolds didn’t disagree.
The next morning, we installed extra security cameras.
The irony wasn’t lost on me.
The house where my daughter had been watched without her knowledge was now covered in cameras to protect her.
Around noon, Daniel called again.
I almost ignored him.
But something inside me needed answers.
I answered.
“What?””
His voice sounded exhausted.
“She came to my apartment last night.””
I froze.
“Vanessa?””
“Yes.””
“What did she want?””
“She was angry.””
“About what?””
“You finding the documents.””
I looked toward Lily, who was sitting on the floor coloring.
“Daniel, what did she mean when she said Lily wasn’t supposed to be mine?””
He was quiet.
Too quiet.
“Daniel.””
“I don’t know if everything she said was true.””
“That’s not an answer.””
He sighed.
“When we first met, Vanessa told me she had connections. She said she knew things about people.””
“Like what?””
“She knew about your childhood.””
My stomach tightened.
“What?””
“She knew details about your adoption.””
The room went silent.
I sat down slowly.
I had been adopted as a baby.
My biological parents had never been found.
It was something I rarely talked about.
Something only a few people knew.
“Daniel…”
“I know.””
“No. You don’t understand.””
My voice shook.
“She couldn’t have known.””
“She did.””
“Who told her?””
“I don’t know.””
That answer wasn’t enough.
Nothing was enough anymore.
“Where is Vanessa now?””
“I don’t know.””
“Daniel, you need to tell me everything.””
He hesitated.
Then he whispered:
“She said she had proof.””
“Proof of what?””
“She said Lily’s birth records were changed.””
My heart pounded.
“That’s impossible.””
“I know.””
“But you’re scared.””
“Yes.””
The honesty surprised me.
“Why?””
His voice became quieter.
“Because I saw the documents.””
I stood up.
“What documents?””
“She showed me a file.””
“And?””
“I saw your name.””
I felt dizzy.
“My name?””
“Yes.””
“What did it say?””
Daniel didn’t answer.
Then he said:
“It said Lily’s biological mother was someone else.””
I looked at my daughter.
Her blonde hair.
Her little hands.
The way she smiled when she showed me her drawings.
My daughter.
My baby.
I whispered:
“Daniel, if you’re lying to me…”
“I’m not.””
“Then find that file.””
“I tried.””
“And?””
“She took it back.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“Why would she show you something and then hide it?””
Daniel was silent.
Then he said:
“Because she wanted me afraid.””
A knock interrupted the call.
I turned.
My mother looked toward the front door.
Nobody was supposed to be there.
The police had warned us not to open the door for anyone.
Another knock.
Then a voice.
“Mrs. Carter?””
I froze.
It wasn’t Vanessa.
It was a woman.
Older.
Shaking.
I walked toward the door but didn’t unlock it.
“Who are you?””
The woman stepped closer to the glass.
“My name is Laura Bennett.””
I stared.
“I know Vanessa.””
My grip tightened.
“How?””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Because she did the same thing to my daughter.””
My heart stopped.
“What thing?””
Laura looked toward Lily’s room.
May you like
Then back at me.
“She took my child away from me.””
