Chapter 10: The Document From The Past
The document in Mark’s hand haunted me.
Even after the judge called recess, even after the courtroom emptied, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
My name.
The date.
The day Lily was born.
“What do you think it is?”” Zoe asked.
We stood outside the courtroom while lawyers moved around us.
“I don’t know.””
But I did know one thing.
Mark had saved it for a reason.
People didn’t keep documents for seven years unless they were waiting for the right moment.
Rachel walked toward us with Anna.
Her face was pale.
“Chloe.””
I turned.
“What?””
Rachel looked at the courthouse doors.
“Mark is trying to delay the hearing.””
“Why?””
“Because he wants time.””
“Time for what?””
Anna answered.
“To destroy whatever evidence is left.””
My stomach tightened.
“He can do that?””
“He’s been doing it for years.””
I looked at Anna.
“You knew about Emily.””
She nodded.
“I knew something was wrong.””
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
Pain crossed her face.
“Because I didn’t know you existed.””
That confused me.
“What?””
“Mark erased everyone connected to Emily. He changed records. He convinced people she was unstable.””
My hands curled into fists.
The same thing he was trying to do to me.
Different woman.
Same pattern.
The courthouse doors opened.
Mark walked out.
His attorney whispered something to him.
Then Mark looked directly at me.
Not angry.
Not scared.
Confident.
That scared me more than anything.
“Chloe,” he called.
I didn’t answer.
He walked closer.
“You should hear the truth from me.””
I laughed.
“Now you care about the truth?””
His jaw tightened.
“I made mistakes.””
“Mistakes?””
“You don’t understand what happened.””
“You manipulated records, planned a custody attack, and used our daughter as evidence.””
His face hardened.
“I was trying to fix what was stolen from me.””
I stepped closer.
“Lily is not something you own.””
For a moment, something flickered in his eyes.
Regret.
Then it disappeared.
“You’ll understand soon.””
I looked at the document in his hand.
“What is that?””
He smiled.
“Proof.””
“Of what?””
“That you haven’t been telling the truth either.””
My heart stopped.
“What does that mean?””
But his attorney pulled him away.
“Not here.””
I watched him leave.
Then Anna spoke quietly.
“He wants you afraid.””
I looked at her.
“Why?””
“Because scared people make mistakes.””
That sentence stayed with me.
That night, Zoe and I searched through every box from Lily’s birth.
Every photo.
Every hospital paper.
Every memory.
Until midnight.
Then Zoe found something.
A small envelope hidden inside my old baby journal.
“I didn’t put this here.””
I took it.
My name was written on the front.
Not my married name.
My maiden name.
Chloe Bennett.
I opened it.
Inside was a letter.
The handwriting looked familiar.
I read the first line.
“Chloe, if you are reading this, Mark found a way to use Lily against you.””
I stopped breathing.
“Who wrote this?””
Zoe looked at the signature.
Her face changed.
“Emily.””
I kept reading.
“Please forgive me for not telling you sooner. You deserve to know the truth about the night our daughters were born.””
Our daughters.
My hands shook.
The letter continued.
“Mark believes blood is the only thing that matters. He is wrong.””
Tears filled my eyes.
“Lily was never a secret because of DNA.””
I looked at Zoe.
“What does that mean?””
She didn’t answer.
I kept reading.
“After the hospital mistake, I learned something about Mark. Something that made me afraid.””
My heart raced.
“He was not searching for his daughter.””
I turned the page.
The next sentence made me freeze.
“He was searching for the evidence that could destroy him.””
A noise came from outside.
A car door.
I looked toward the window.
A black SUV was parked across the street.
My phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
One message.
A photo of Lily sleeping.
Taken through the apartment window.
My blood turned cold.
May you like
The message underneath said:
“Stop digging.””
