Chapter 5
My sister Rachel arrived by noon.
She walked into the hospital room, saw Lily, and covered her mouth.
Then she hugged me so hard I almost broke.
“I’m taking you both home with me,” she said.
“I need clothes.”
“I bought clothes.”
“I need diapers.”
“I bought diapers.”
“I need my brain back.”
“That one is on back order.”
I laughed.
Then cried.
Rachel held me until the crying stopped.
My lawyer arrived next.
Her name was Nora Kim, and she did not waste words.
“We file for emergency custody today. No unsupervised contact. No contact from Diane. We also demand full financial and medical discovery.”
“Financial?”
Nora’s eyes narrowed.
“Private care facilities are expensive. If he hid one wife, I want to know what else he hid.”
Wife.
The word landed hard.
If Claire was alive and still legally married to Ryan, what was I?
His second wife?
His fraud?
His cover?
Nora asked gently, “Did you and Ryan legally marry?”
“Yes.”
“Did he provide documentation of Claire’s death?”
“He said he handled everything.”
Nora’s face said what she did not.
That afternoon, Ryan’s lawyer sent a statement.
Claire was legally incapacitated.
Ryan had been emotionally unable to discuss her.
The medication was stored for disposal.
Diane made a mistake.
A mistake.
Forcing a sedative into a toddler was now a mistake.
I sat beside Lily’s bed and read the statement once.
Then I handed it to Nora.
“Destroy it.”
May you like
She smiled without warmth.
“With pleasure.”
