Chapter 6: Dad Comes Home
Amanda laughed.
It sounded wrong.
Too loud.
Too fast.
“You’re accusing me of forging Daniel’s signature now?””
Marcus placed the document back inside the folder.
“I didn’t accuse you of anything.””
“You just did.””
“I said Daniel says the signature isn’t his.””
Amanda looked at Rachel.
“Tell them.””
Rachel shook her head.
“Tell them what?””
“That Michael prepared those papers.””
Marcus’s eyes sharpened.
“Michael Harris?””
Amanda realized her mistake.
Too late.
Dad spoke from the phone.
“So his first name is Michael.””
Amanda’s face collapsed.
Rachel stared at her.
“You said he was just helping with the accounts.””
“He was.””
“Then why were you holding hands with him?””
“Because those pictures are misleading!””
“Five times?””
“Rachel, stay out of my marriage!””
“You brought me into it!””
Their voices rose until Lily covered her ears.
“Stop!””
Everyone fell silent.
She stood beside me trembling.
“I hate everybody yelling.””
I put my arm around her.
Marcus lowered his voice.
“You’re right, Lily. We’re done.””
He turned to Amanda.
“I’m taking Ethan with me until Daniel returns.””
Lily grabbed my sleeve.
“No.””
Amanda looked at her daughter.
For the first time that afternoon, her anger seemed to disappear.
“Sweetheart, come here.””
Lily didn’t move.
Amanda’s face tightened with pain.
“I’m your mother.””
“You were mean to Ethan.””
“I made mistakes.””
“You said he wasn’t my brother.””
Amanda looked down.
“I was angry.””
“You said it.””
“I know.””
Lily started crying.
“You can’t unsay it.””
Nobody had an answer.
Marcus gave me my backpack.
Rachel quietly offered to stay with Lily.
Amanda refused at first.
Then Marcus reminded her that Dad would be home within hours.
Eventually, she agreed.
I hugged Lily at the front door.
“You’re coming back?””
“Yes.””
“Promise?””
I held out my pinkie.
“Promise.””
She hooked hers around mine.
Marcus drove me to his house.
His wife, Denise, made grilled cheese and tomato soup.
She didn’t ask questions.
She just put the plate in front of me.
“Eat as much as you want, sweetheart.””
I finished everything.
Then she made another sandwich.
Halfway through it, I started crying.
I didn’t know why.
Denise sat beside me.
“You don’t have to finish.””
“That’s not why.””
“Then why?””
I looked at the sandwich.
“Because nobody’s mad that I’m hungry.””
Denise’s eyes filled with tears.
She didn’t say anything.
She just pulled me gently against her.
At 9:43 that night, headlights swept across the living-room wall.
I ran to the window.
Dad’s truck stopped outside.
I didn’t wait for Marcus.
I opened the door.
Dad was already running.
“Ethan!””
I flew down the steps.
He dropped his bag and caught me.
For several seconds neither of us spoke.
I buried my face against his jacket.
He smelled like cold air, coffee and home.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
I started crying harder.
“I didn’t tell you.””
“That wasn’t your job.””
“I thought you’d be sad.””
Dad pulled back and held my face.
“Listen to me. You never have to be hurt to keep me happy.””
I nodded.
“You understand?””
“Yes.””
He hugged me again.
Then I remembered Lily.
“Dad, she’s still there.””
His face changed.
“I know.””
“Can we get her?””
He looked toward Marcus.
Marcus had stepped onto the porch.
“Amanda is Lily’s legal parent,” he said carefully.
“Daniel can’t simply remove her.””
“But she’s our family.””
Dad crouched.
“She is.””
“Then don’t leave her.””
“I won’t.””
Dad stood.
“Marcus, what happened after Ethan left?””
Marcus handed him his phone.
“Rachel called me about an hour ago.””
Dad listened to a voicemail.
His face slowly hardened.
“What did she say?””
Marcus glanced at me.
Dad understood.
“Ethan, stay with Denise.””
“No.””
“Buddy—”
“I want to know.””
Dad hesitated.
Then Marcus spoke.
“Rachel says Amanda left the house.””
My stomach dropped.
“What about Lily?””
“Rachel stayed with her.””
Dad looked relieved for half a second.
Then Marcus continued.
“Amanda took a suitcase, her laptop, and the financial documents she could find.””
Dad’s jaw tightened.
“Where did she go?””
“Rachel doesn’t know.””
Dad handed back the phone.
“Michael Harris.””
“That’s my guess.””
Marcus nodded toward the red toolbox he had brought from the house.
“I went through more of the papers while you were traveling. There’s something else.””
He opened the box.
From beneath the blue folder, he removed a sealed brown envelope.
Dad stared at it.
“I’ve never seen that.””
“It was taped beneath the false bottom.””
Marcus opened it carefully.
Inside were photocopies of identification cards.
Bank forms.
And a printed email.
Dad read the first page.
His expression changed.
“What?””
Marcus pointed to a line.
Dad read it again.
Then he sat down.
I had never seen my father look afraid before.
Not even when Mom was in the hospital.
“Dad?””
He looked at me.
Then at Marcus.
“This can’t be right.””
Marcus took the paper.
“The dates match.””
“What dates?”” I asked.
Neither answered.
Dad stood and walked toward the window.
His hands were shaking.
Finally, he turned.
“Michael Harris wasn’t someone Amanda met after we got married.””
Marcus nodded.
“No.””
Dad looked toward me, then lowered his voice.
“They knew each other before she ever met me.””
The room went silent.
Marcus pulled another sheet from the envelope.
“And Daniel?””
Dad looked at him.
Marcus held up the page.
“There’s a marriage license application here.””
Dad frowned.
“For who?””
Marcus turned the document around.
At the top were two names.
AMANDA REEVES.
MICHAEL HARRIS.
The application was dated eight years earlier.
One year before Amanda had supposedly met my father.
But something else was written beside Michael’s name.
Something that made Dad grab the page.
A handwritten note.
MARRIAGE COMPLETED. NO DIVORCE RECORD FOUND.
Dad stared at Marcus.
“If this is real…”
May you like
Marcus finished the sentence.
“Then Amanda may have already been married when she married you.””
