Chapter 2 - The Cry Inside the Wall
I wanted to scream at Claire.
I wanted to demand how a grown woman could place a steel trap where a six-year-old child might reach.
But then I heard the scratching again.
It came from behind the open panel.
A faint, desperate sound.
I looked down at Lily.
"Sweetheart, step back."
She immediately grabbed my sleeve.
"Daddy, please."
"I promise I'll be careful."
I moved the fallen trap away from her.
Then I crouched beside the opening and used my phone's flashlight to look inside.
The space was deeper than I'd expected.
Our hallway shared a wall with an enclosed storage passage left over from an old renovation.
I'd never had any reason to open it.
At first, the beam illuminated dust, broken plaster, and old electrical conduits.
Then two tiny eyes reflected the light.
A kitten.
A small black-and-white kitten was curled against the far corner.
Its body trembled.
One paw appeared caught beneath a narrow piece of fallen wood.
"Oh, my God."
Lily dropped beside me.
"That's Button!"
I looked at her.
"You named it?"
She nodded through her tears.
"She came into the garden when it rained. She was so little."
I looked back into the wall.
The kitten let out another weak cry.
I reached inside, shifted the loose wood, and gently lifted her into my hands.
She weighed almost nothing.
Her fur was dusty.
Her tiny heart raced against my palm.
Lily began crying harder.
But these tears were different.
"She's alive, Daddy."
I wrapped the kitten in my suit jacket.
Then I turned toward Claire.
"Explain."
Claire looked from the animal to Lily.
"I didn't want a filthy stray inside my house."
"Your house?"
"You know what I mean."
I held up the trap.
"Why was this inside the wall?"
"Because I thought there were rodents."
"You knew there was a kitten."
"No, I didn't."
Lily shook her head.
"Yes, you did."
Claire's eyes flashed.
"Lily, stop lying."
I moved between them.
"Don't speak to her."
Claire stared at me.
"You're believing a child over your wife?"
"I'm believing what I'm seeing."
I examined the opening again.
The trap had been positioned directly beside the only place Lily could slide food into the wall.
The thought made my hands shake.
How many times had Lily reached into that gap?
How close had her fingers come?
I set the trap on a high shelf where no child could touch it.
Then I picked Lily up.
"We're leaving."
Claire blocked the hallway.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"To the veterinarian. Then somewhere my daughter can sleep safely."
Her expression changed.
"You can't just walk out because of a misunderstanding."
I stared at her.
"You struck my daughter."
"Marcus—"
"You placed a trap where she could reach it."
"I already explained that."
"No. You gave me excuses."
Claire stepped closer.
Her voice dropped.
"You're going to regret humiliating me."
For a moment, I thought I'd misheard.
"What did you say?"
She forced a smile.
"Nothing. You're upset. We'll discuss it when you're calm."
I carried Lily past her.
In the garage, my daughter refused to let go of my shirt.
I carefully secured her in the back seat.
Button lay inside an old picnic basket padded with a clean towel.
Before starting the engine, I called the emergency veterinary clinic.
They told me to come immediately.
Then I called my younger sister, Naomi.
She answered on the second ring.
"Marcus? Everything okay?"
"No."
One word.
That was all I could manage.
Her voice sharpened.
"What happened?"
"Can Lily stay with you tonight?"
"Of course. Why?"
I looked through the rearview mirror.
My daughter was stroking Button's head with one finger.
"Claire hit her."
There was silence.
Then Naomi said something I would never forget.
"I was afraid this day would come."
My fingers tightened around the steering wheel.
"What?"
"Get Lily somewhere safe first."
"Naomi, what do you mean?"
"Marcus, just get her here. I'll tell you everything."
The call ended.
I sat there staring at my phone.
My sister knew something.
Something she'd never told me.
At the veterinary clinic, the doctor examined Button and treated her injured paw.
Thankfully, there were no broken bones.
She was dehydrated and underfed, but the veterinarian believed she would recover.
Lily held my hand throughout the examination.
When the doctor left, I crouched beside her chair.
"Baby, I need to ask you something."
She looked frightened again.
"Am I in trouble?"
Those five words nearly destroyed me.
"No."
I held her face gently.
"You are never in trouble for telling Daddy the truth."
Her eyes filled.
"Claire said you wouldn't believe me."
I felt my chest tighten.
"What else did she say?"
Lily stared at the floor.
"She said if I told you about Button, she'd send her away."
I waited.
"And?"
My daughter pressed her lips together.
"She said you'd get tired of me too."
I pulled her into my arms.
For a long time, neither of us spoke.
Then Lily whispered against my shoulder.
"She said you already had a new family."
I closed my eyes.
I had spent the past year working late, trying to provide everything my family needed.
A larger college fund.
A beautiful vacation.
Security.
And while I was doing that, my daughter had been taught she was unwanted.
I kissed her hair.
"You're my family, Lily. You always have been."
She didn't answer.
She just held me tighter.
We reached Naomi's house after sunset.
My sister opened the door before I could knock.
The moment she saw Lily's cheek, her face changed.
She took my daughter inside, prepared warm milk, and settled Button in a quiet room.
Once Lily was distracted, Naomi pulled me into the kitchen.
"I need to show you something."
She took out her phone.
Three photographs appeared on the screen.
Each showed Lily at different family gatherings.
In every picture, my daughter looked frightened.
In one, Claire was gripping her upper arm.
In another, Lily was standing alone outside while everyone else ate.
I stared at the images.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Naomi's eyes filled.
"I tried."
My stomach dropped.
"What?"
"Six months ago, I told you Claire was treating Lily badly."
I remembered the conversation.
I'd called my sister overprotective.
I'd accused her of disliking my new wife.
Naomi looked at me sadly.
"You told me to stop interfering in your marriage."
I covered my face.
Then she placed another photograph in front of me.
It showed Claire standing in our driveway beside a man I didn't recognize.
He was holding a large brown envelope.
Naomi touched the screen.
"This is the part that worries me most."
"Who is he?"
"I don't know his name."
She swallowed.
"But I've seen him at your house three times."
I looked closer.
The man was standing beside Claire's car.
Behind them, our front door was open.
"When?"
"Always when you were away."
My phone vibrated.
A message from Claire.
I opened it.
The words made my stomach turn.
If you take Lily away from me, Marcus, I'll make sure everyone knows why you really married me.
I looked at Naomi.
"What does she mean?"
My sister shook her head.
"I don't know."
Then another message appeared.
And this time, Claire had attached a photograph.
It showed an old document bearing my late wife's signature.
May you like
Underneath it, Claire had written five words.
Ask yourself who owns everything.
