Chapter 6
For the first time in our marriage, Marcus refused to defend his mother.
He stared at the handwritten note for a long time.
Then he placed it on the table.
"I can't believe this."
I sat beside him.
"Neither can I."
But deep down, part of me wasn't surprised.
Evelyn had never hidden her dislike of me.
She criticized everything I did.
When Marcus and I announced our engagement, she told him he was making a mistake.
When we married, she refused to smile in our wedding pictures.
When Lily was born, she visited the hospital once.
She stood beside the bassinet, looked down at my daughter, and said, "Well, at least she's healthy."
No congratulations.
No tenderness.
No joy.
I had spent years trying to earn a place in her heart.
Now I wondered whether she had ever intended to give me one.
Marcus reached for his phone.
I touched his arm.
"What are you doing?"
"Calling Mom."
"Marcus, wait."
He looked at me.
"Why?"
"Because we need to think before we confront her."
He sighed.
"Nia, she helped bring Daniel into our daughter's life."
"I know."
"She gave him Lily's school information."
"I know."
His voice cracked.
"And now we have records suggesting Vanessa paid him."
I took his hand.
"Which is exactly why we need to handle this carefully."
He looked away.
For a long moment, neither of us spoke.
Then he nodded.
"You're right."
We gave copies of everything to Danielle.
She warned us that the records needed to be authenticated before we could rely on them.
But she agreed they raised serious questions.
She contacted the appropriate authorities and asked that the information be preserved.
Meanwhile, Lily continued asking questions.
One evening, she sat beside Marcus on the living room rug while he helped her finish a puzzle.
"Daddy?"
"Yes, princess?"
"Why doesn't Grandma like me?"
I froze in the kitchen doorway.
Marcus put down the puzzle piece.
He looked at her.
"Grandma has made some very bad choices."
Lily frowned.
"Because of me?"
"No."
He shook his head.
"Never because of you."
She studied his face.
"But she said I'm not really yours."
Marcus pulled her gently onto his lap.
"Do you remember when you fell off your bicycle?"
She nodded.
"And you held my hand."
"That's right."
He smiled.
"And who stayed awake when you had that terrible fever?"
"You did."
"And who makes your pancakes into funny shapes?"
Lily giggled.
"You make them look like potatoes."
Marcus laughed.
"That's because I'm not a very good pancake artist."
She smiled.
He kissed her forehead.
"Being your daddy means I get to love you and take care of you. Nobody can take those memories away."
Lily wrapped her arms around him.
"You're my favorite daddy."
He closed his eyes.
I saw tears slipping down his cheeks.
I stepped back into the kitchen before either of them noticed I was crying too.
The following Friday, we received unexpected news.
Danielle called.
"Nia, the authorities have spoken with Daniel."
My heart tightened.
"What did he say?"
"He denies threatening you."
I laughed bitterly.
"Of course he does."
"But he acknowledged receiving payments connected to Vanessa."
I sat down.
"He admitted it?"
"Yes. He claims they were consulting fees."
"Consulting for what?"
"That's being investigated."
Marcus leaned closer to hear.
Danielle continued.
"His attorney has also indicated that Daniel may be willing to discuss withdrawing certain requests."
I frowned.
"Why?"
"Because the situation has become more complicated for him."
I looked at Marcus.
He looked equally confused.
Then Danielle said something that made us both go silent.
"There's evidence suggesting Daniel and Vanessa had a business relationship long before he contacted Evelyn."
I swallowed.
"How long?"
"At least eighteen months."
Eighteen months.
I stared at the wall.
That meant Vanessa had been speaking with Daniel long before the church confrontation.
Long before Evelyn publicly accused me.
Maybe even before Marcus's last promotion.
Before our anniversary.
Before Lily started kindergarten.
For eighteen months, someone had been planning something behind our backs.
And we had been living our ordinary lives, completely unaware.
That night, Marcus received a call from Evelyn.
He let it ring.
Then she called again.
And again.
Finally, he answered.
"Mom?"
Her voice came through the speaker.
"Marcus, we need to talk."
He looked at me.
"About what?"
"I know Vanessa has made some mistakes."
I felt my pulse quicken.
Evelyn continued.
"But you have to understand that everything she did was because she loves you."
Marcus stared at the phone.
"She paid Daniel."
There was silence.
Then Evelyn whispered, "You found out?"
My breath caught.
Marcus closed his eyes.
"Mom, tell me the truth."
She began crying.
"Marcus, I never wanted things to go this far."
He didn't respond.
Evelyn continued.
"Vanessa told me Daniel only wanted to meet Lily. She said Nia had been lying to you."
"And you believed her?"
"I thought I was helping you."
"By humiliating my daughter in church?"
Evelyn sobbed.
"I was angry."
Marcus's voice hardened.
"That's not an excuse."
"I know."
"Did Vanessa promise you something if I left Nia?"
The crying stopped.
I felt a chill.
"Mom?"
Evelyn's breathing became uneven.
Then she whispered, "She said she would help me."
Marcus frowned.
"Help you with what?"
A long silence followed.
Finally, Evelyn answered.
"With the house."
I stared at Marcus.
"What house?" he asked.
Evelyn's voice trembled.
"My house."
Marcus looked confused.
"Mom, your house is paid off."
Evelyn began crying harder.
"No, baby. It isn't."
I felt the air leave my lungs.
Marcus leaned forward.
"What are you talking about?"
His mother whispered, "I borrowed money against it."
"How much?"
She didn't answer.
"Mom, how much?"
Finally, she said it.
"Two hundred and eighty thousand dollars."
Marcus went completely still.
Evelyn continued through tears.
"Vanessa said she would pay everything if you two got married."
I stared at the phone.
There it was.
The promise.
The arrangement.
The reason Evelyn had been willing to sacrifice her relationship with her son and granddaughter.
Vanessa had offered to save her house.
In exchange for helping destroy our marriage.
Marcus spoke so quietly that I could barely hear him.
"Mom, you sold your family."
Evelyn sobbed.
"Marcus, please."
He closed his eyes.
Then he said, "You need to speak to the investigators and tell them everything."
"Please don't let them arrest me."
"Tell the truth, Mom."
He ended the call.
I reached for his hand.
He didn't move.
For several minutes, he stared straight ahead.
Then he whispered something that broke my heart.
"I spent my whole life believing my mother would always protect me."
I leaned against him.
He finally began crying.
And I held him the way he'd held me so many times before.
But the next morning, the situation became even more disturbing.
Danielle called before breakfast.
"Nia, I need you and Marcus to come to my office."
I heard tension in her voice.
"What happened?"
"We received a copy of a document Daniel submitted."
My stomach tightened.
"What document?"
She paused.
"An agreement signed by Vanessa."
I glanced at Marcus.
"What agreement?"
Danielle took a breath.
"It outlines payments to Daniel in exchange for helping separate you and Marcus."
I covered my mouth.
May you like
Then she added the detail that made my blood run cold.
"There's also a payment bonus listed if Daniel succeeds in obtaining unsupervised access to Lily."
