Chapter 6
The next morning, I opened a safe I'd barely touched since Danielle died.
Inside were our wills.
Insurance papers.
Marriage certificates.
And the documents establishing Lily's trust.
Danielle's parents had contributed money.
I had added more after selling part of my business.
The trust was meant to provide for Lily's education, health, and future.
I read through the documents carefully.
Then I called David.
"Vanessa has no authority over the trust, correct?"
"Correct. You're one trustee, and Danielle's brother, Anthony, is the other."
I exhaled.
Anthony had always been protective of Lily.
He lived in North Carolina with his wife and children.
After Danielle's death, he promised to help me raise her.
But over the past year, we had barely spoken.
Vanessa always complained when he visited.
She said he criticized our marriage.
She accused him of treating Lily like she belonged to Danielle's family instead of mine.
Eventually, I stopped inviting him as often.
I now regretted that decision.
"David, call Anthony."
"I think you should speak with him yourself."
I stared at the papers.
He was right.
I dialed Anthony's number.
He answered on the second ring.
"Marcus?"
His voice was cautious.
"Anthony, I need to talk."
Silence.
Then he said, "Is Lily okay?"
The question nearly broke me.
"She's safe now."
"What happened?"
I told him everything.
The bowl.
The storage room.
The recordings.
The boarding school application.
Anthony didn't interrupt.
When I finished, I heard him breathing heavily.
Then he asked, "Where are you?"
"At the lake house."
"I'm coming."
"Anthony—"
"I'm coming, Marcus."
The call ended.
He arrived four hours later.
When Lily saw him, she screamed with happiness.
"Uncle Anthony!"
She ran across the living room.
He dropped his bag and caught her.
"My girl!"
She wrapped her arms around his neck.
I watched them.
My chest tightened.
Lily was smiling.
Really smiling.
Anthony kissed her forehead.
"I missed you, princess."
She looked at him.
"Why didn't you come anymore?"
His expression changed.
He glanced toward me.
I felt ashamed.
"I should have invited him more often, sweetheart," I said.
Lily nodded.
Then she took Anthony's hand.
"Come see my bunny."
He followed her into the bedroom.
I stood alone in the living room.
For months, Vanessa had convinced me that Danielle's family was interfering.
But the truth was simpler.
They loved Lily.
And I had allowed someone to push them away.
Later, Anthony joined me on the porch.
His expression was serious.
"Marcus, I tried to tell you something was wrong."
I looked down.
"I know."
"No. You don't."
He leaned forward.
"Last Christmas, Lily told my wife she wasn't allowed to talk about Danielle."
My stomach tightened.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Anthony stared at me.
"We did."
I blinked.
"What?"
"I called you. You told me Vanessa said Lily was confused."
I remembered.
A brief phone conversation.
A rushed explanation.
I had been boarding a flight.
I told Anthony we'd talk later.
We never did.
"I should have listened."
He nodded.
"Yes."
His honesty hurt.
But I deserved it.
Anthony continued.
"Danielle wanted Lily to grow up surrounded by family. She didn't want anyone to make her feel alone."
My eyes filled.
"I failed her."
Anthony shook his head.
"You failed to see what was happening. Now you have a responsibility to change that."
I stared at the lake.
"I am."
He looked toward the house.
"Then start by making sure Lily never has to earn love again."
I nodded.
We sat quietly for a while.
Then I showed him the emails David had obtained.
Anthony read them carefully.
His expression darkened.
"Why was Vanessa asking about the trust?"
"That's what we're trying to understand."
He pointed toward a sentence.
"Look here."
I leaned closer.
The email discussed whether a child living in a residential program could have certain expenses paid from a trust.
I felt cold.
Anthony shook his head.
"She thought she could use Lily's money to pay for sending Lily away."
I swallowed.
"Maybe."
He looked at me.
"Marcus, don't guess. Let the lawyers establish the facts."
I nodded.
He was right.
Still, the possibility made me sick.
That evening, David called again.
He had obtained more records from the consultant's office through counsel.
The documents suggested Vanessa had described herself as having authority to make educational decisions for Lily.
She had also discussed using trust distributions to cover residential fees.
But she had never been appointed trustee.
And she had no independent authority to commit Lily's funds.
David explained that the documents might support claims of misrepresentation.
I listened carefully.
Then I asked, "Can we stop her?"
"We're taking steps to prevent unauthorized actions and preserve evidence."
I looked toward Lily's room.
"Good."
There was a pause.
Then David said, "Marcus, there's one more thing."
I closed my eyes.
"What now?"
"Vanessa has retained an attorney. She claims Nia fabricated the recordings."
I felt anger rise.
"That's a lie."
"Her lawyer says she'll challenge the authenticity of the videos."
I thought about Nia.
She had risked her job.
She had protected my daughter.
And now Vanessa wanted to destroy her credibility.
"What can we do?"
"Preserve the original files. Have them independently examined if necessary. And make sure Nia has legal support."
I nodded.
"I'll pay for independent counsel if she wants it."
"That's reasonable, but let her attorney represent her interests."
After the call, I found Nia in the kitchen.
She was washing dishes.
"Nia?"
She turned.
"Yes, sir?"
I explained what Vanessa was claiming.
Nia went pale.
"She's saying I made it up?"
I nodded.
Tears filled her eyes.
"But Lily was there."
"I know."
"She was crying."
"I know."
Nia covered her mouth.
"I should have called someone sooner."
I pulled out a chair.
"Please sit."
She obeyed.
I looked directly at her.
"You protected Lily when you could. You recorded what happened. And you told me."
She began crying.
"I'm scared."
"I understand."
I gave her the contact information for an independent attorney.
"You don't have to face this alone."
She took the paper.
"Thank you."
That night, after everyone was asleep, I received another message from the unknown number.
This time, it contained an audio file.
I pressed play.
Vanessa's voice filled the room.
"If Marcus finds out about the trust, everything falls apart."
A man's voice answered.
"Then make sure the child is out of the house before he does."
I stopped breathing.
The recording ended.
May you like
And for the first time, I heard Adrian Wells's voice clearly.
I knew then that someone had been planning to remove my daughter long before the metal bowl hit the floor.
