Chapter 7: The Friend Who Stayed Silent
For several seconds, I just stared at the message.
*Ask Marcus why he never told you.*
The words sat on my screen like a threat.
A few minutes earlier, I was worried about Vanessa.
Now I was wondering how many people around me had known the truth.
I called Marcus immediately.
He answered on the second ring.
“James?””
“Where are you?””
A pause.
“Why?””
“Just answer me.””
Another pause.
“I’m at home.””
I grabbed my jacket.
“I’m coming over.””
“James, what happened?””
“I need you to tell me the truth.””
The silence that followed was worse than any argument.
Because Marcus knew exactly what I was talking about.
When I arrived at his house, he was standing on his porch.
He looked exhausted.
Not surprised.
That was the first thing I noticed.
He expected me.
I stepped out of the car.
“You knew.””
Marcus looked down.
“James…”
“No.””
My voice cracked.
“Don’t say my name like that. Just tell me.””
He rubbed his face.
“I should have told you.””
My chest tightened.
“How long?””
He didn’t answer.
“How long did you know Vanessa was acting like this?””
Marcus swallowed.
“Months.””
The word hit me.
Months.
Not days.
Not weeks.
Months.
“You watched me plan a wedding with her.””
“I tried to stop it.””
“When?””
“When I realized how bad it was.””
I laughed.
A bitter laugh.
“So you waited until after she hit my daughter?””
His face fell.
“I didn’t know she would do that.””
“But you knew enough.””
Marcus looked away.
That hurt more than anger.
Because my best friend couldn’t even look me in the eyes.
“Tell me everything.””
He opened the front door.
We walked inside.
Marcus sat at the kitchen table.
“I first noticed something was wrong three months ago.””
“What happened?””
“She called me.””
“Vanessa called you?””
He nodded.
“She asked me questions about Lily.””
“What kind of questions?””
Marcus hesitated.
“About her mother.””
My stomach tightened.
“What about her?””
“She wanted to know about the trust.””
I stared at him.
“The inheritance?””
He nodded slowly.
“I didn’t know all the details. I just knew Lily’s mother had left something for her.””
“And you told Vanessa?””
His eyes closed.
“Yes.””
The anger rose instantly.
“You gave her information about my daughter.””
“I didn’t know what she was planning.””
“You should have asked.””
“I know.””
He looked broken.
“I made a mistake.””
I walked toward the window.
The same friend who stood beside me when Lily was born.
The same friend who promised to protect her if anything ever happened to me.
And he had helped Vanessa.
Even if he didn’t mean to.
“What else?””
Marcus looked nervous.
“What?””
“What else did she ask?””
He was quiet.
Then he said:
“She asked if you had ever considered changing Lily’s guardianship.””
My entire body went still.
“What?””
“She said she wanted to make sure Lily had stability.””
“That wasn’t her decision.””
“I know.””
“Did you tell her anything?””
“No.””
Marcus shook his head.
“I told her you were a good father and that Lily already had everything she needed.””
I wanted to believe that was enough.
But it wasn’t.
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
He looked at me.
“Because I thought I could handle it.””
“You thought you could handle Vanessa?””
“No.””
His voice dropped.
“I thought I could protect you from destroying your relationship.””
I stared at him.
“What does that mean?””
Marcus looked away.
“She convinced me you were too close to the situation.””
I felt my stomach twist.
“She convinced you I was the problem?””
“Yes.””
A long silence filled the room.
Then Marcus reached into a drawer.
He pulled out an envelope.
“What is that?””
“Something I should have given you months ago.””
I took it.
Inside was a printed email.
From Vanessa.
My hands shook as I read it.
Marcus,
I need your help. James is emotional when it comes to Lily. He doesn’t see what’s happening. I need someone he trusts to help him understand that I’m the only one trying to fix this.
I looked at Marcus.
“She was using you.””
He nodded.
“I know that now.””
There was another page.
A second email.
This one made my blood run cold.
It was addressed to someone else.
Not Marcus.
Someone named:
*Daniel Carter.*
My father.
I looked up.
“Why would Vanessa contact my dad?””
Marcus’s face changed.
“I don’t know.””
I flipped the page over.
There was only one sentence.
May you like
A sentence that made me feel like I was falling into something much bigger.
*“We need to make James believe Lily is the reason his life is falling apart.””*
