Chapter 8: The Truth About Lily
I read Megan’s letter alone.
I didn’t want Zoe there.
I didn’t want anyone.
Because some truths are easier to survive when you face them quietly.
The letter was only three pages.
But every sentence felt like a knife.
She didn’t apologize.
That was the first thing I noticed.
Not once.
Instead, she explained.
She said she had always loved Mark.
Not romantically.
That was what she claimed.
She said she loved him like family.
She said after losing her own baby, she became obsessed with the idea of helping raise Lily.
She said she never wanted to replace me.
But every word contradicted the next.
Because people who don’t want to replace someone don’t make secret promises.
They don’t hide hospital visits.
They don’t tell a newborn baby that she belongs to them.
At the bottom of the letter was a name.
A woman.
Rebecca Mills.
I had never heard it before.
Under the name was a phone number.
I stared at it for ten minutes before calling.
A woman answered.
“Hello?””
“Is this Rebecca Mills?””
“Yes.””
“My name is Chloe Anderson.””
Silence.
Then:
“I was wondering when you would call.””
My entire body went cold.
“What does that mean?””
“Because I knew eventually someone would tell you.””
“Tell me what?””
Rebecca sighed.
“I was Megan’s therapist.””
I gripped the phone.
“Why would her therapist know me?””
“You were discussed often.””
My heart pounded.
“Discussed how?””
A pause.
Then:
“Like an obstacle.””
I closed my eyes.
“Explain.””
Rebecca’s voice became careful.
“Megan struggled after her miscarriage. She became convinced that everyone was moving on without her.””
“That doesn’t explain Lily.””
“No.””
She paused.
“That came later.””
I waited.
“After you became pregnant.””
I felt sick.
“What did she say?””
Rebecca was quiet.
Then:
“She believed your pregnancy was proof that life was unfair.””
I looked toward Lily’s room.
“What else?””
“She talked about your daughter before Lily was born.””
My hands shook.
“What did she say?””
Rebecca hesitated.
“She said she already loved the baby.””
“That’s not wrong.””
“No.””
Her voice lowered.
“But she also said something else.””
“What?””
“She said, ‘If Chloe disappeared, everything would finally make sense.’”
The phone almost slipped from my hand.
I couldn’t breathe.
“Did Mark know?””
“Yes.””
The answer came immediately.
Too immediately.
“He was in some sessions.””
I froze.
“What?””
“Mark attended a few times.””
“Why?””
“To support Megan.””
I laughed.
A broken sound.
“Of course he did.””
“Chloe—”
“No.””
I wiped my face.
“No, I understand now.””
I understood every late night.
Every excuse.
Every time Megan needed him.
He wasn’t accidentally choosing her.
He was constantly choosing her.
I called my lawyer that afternoon.
I told her everything.
The hospital.
The recordings.
The therapist.
The messages.
She listened quietly.
Then she said:
“Chloe, I need to ask you something.””
“What?””
“Do you believe your daughter is currently unsafe with Mark?””
I looked at Lily.
She was coloring at the table.
Her tiny tongue sticking out in concentration.
“Yes.””
The word came immediately.
“Yes, I do.””
Two days later, Mark showed up at my house.
He looked exhausted.
“I want to see Lily.””
I stood in the doorway.
“Not today.””
His face tightened.
“You can’t keep her from me.””
“I’m not.””
“You filed for custody.””
“Yes.””
“Because of Megan?””
“No.””
I looked directly at him.
“Because of you.””
That hurt him.
I saw it.
Good.
“You think I’m a bad father?””
“I think you are a father who watched people hurt your child and kept making excuses.””
“I never hurt Lily.””
“You don’t have to hit someone to hurt them.””
He looked away.
For once, he had no argument.
Then he whispered:
“I made mistakes.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“Mistakes happen once.””
I stepped back.
“You made choices.””
His eyes filled slightly.
“Chloe…”
But I closed the door.
That night, I received another message.
Not from Megan.
From Linda.
It contained only one sentence.
“You need to know what Mark did after Lily was born.””
Attached was a photo.
A legal document.
I opened it.
My hands started shaking.
It was a guardianship form.
Temporary guardianship.
Signed by Mark.
The date?
Three days after Lily’s birth.
And the person listed as alternate guardian?
Megan.
At the bottom was Mark’s signature.
And beside it was a handwritten note.
“If anything happens to Chloe…”
I stared.
Because the sentence was unfinished.
Then my phone buzzed.
May you like
A new message from Linda.
“He never told you the rest because he knew you would leave.””
