Chapter 2 - The Silent House on Elm Street
I grabbed the heavy binder to my chest.
"Julian is alive?" I repeated in horror.
"He faked his death, Clara," Mark said.
"Why would your brother fake his death?"
"Because he was fleeing massive debt."
"And my mother helped you cover it up?"
"Your mother was deep in debt too."
My world spun completely out of control.
My mother had died two years ago.
She carried this dirty secret to her grave.
"Does Julian know where Lily is now?"
"He was the man on our porch."
The stranger was Mark's own brother.
I hadn't recognized him after six years.
His face had been altered by scars.
He looked nothing like his old photos.
"He wants fifty thousand dollars more," Mark said.
"Or he goes to the police tomorrow."
"For what?" I demanded through tears.
"For illegal adoption and kidnapping charges."
My knees nearly gave out beneath me.
Kidnapping?
I thought I was raising an orphan.
I thought I was giving my sister's child love.
"We need to pack," Mark ordered sternly.
"We aren't running away, Mark."
"If the police come, they take Lily!"
"I am her legal mother!" I yelled.
"The papers are forged, Clara!"
The word hung in the cold air.
Forged.
My entire life was built on sand.
Every kiss goodnight was a lie.
Every birthday party was a hidden crime.
I ran upstairs toward Lily's room.
She was peacefully fast asleep on her bed.
Her small hands held a stuffed bear.
I sat on the edge of her mattress.
Tears spilled freely down my cheeks.
I couldn't let them take her away.
My phone vibrated inside my pocket.
It was an unknown local phone number.
I pressed the green button and listened.
"Don't trust my brother," a voice said.
It was the stranger from the porch.
Julian.
"Julian?" I whispered into the receiver.
"Meet me at the old diner on Elm."
"Why should I trust you?" I asked.
"Because Mark didn't tell you the truth."
"What truth?" my voice broke completely.
"Lily isn't my daughter, Clara."
"Then whose daughter is she?"
"She is your sister's daughter."
"And Mark is her real biological father."
The phone line went dead instantly.
The room seemed to tilt sideways.
Mark was Lily's real father?
He had cheated on me with my sister?
I stared at the sleeping little girl.
She had Mark's sharp blue eyes.
She had my sister's soft golden hair.
How had I been so blind for years?
I walked down the stairs like a ghost.
Mark was packing a dark leather bag.
"Who were you talking to?" he asked.
I held up my shaking phone.
"Julian called me," I said plainly.
Mark stopped moving completely.
"What did he tell you, Clara?"
"He told me about you and my sister."
Mark dropped the leather bag heavily.
He buried his face in his hands.
"It was only one night," he sobbed.
"One night while you were away."
"She got pregnant and kept it secret."
"Then she died in that terrible accident."
"And you paid my mother to hide it?"
"I wanted to keep the baby, Clara!"
"You made me believe we adopted an orphan!"
"Because you were heartbroken over your sister!"
"You used my grief to hide your affair!"
"I loved you too much to lose you!"
"That isn't love, Mark," I whispered.
"That is pure, selfish cowardice."
Sirens echoed in the far distance.
Red and blue lights flashed through windows.
Two police cars pulled into our driveway.
Mark ran toward the front window.
"Who called the police?" Mark panicked.
The front door burst wide open.
Two armed officers entered the foyer.
Behind them stood a woman in a suit.
A child protective services agent.
"Mark Harris, you are under arrest," an officer said.
"For forged custody documents and fraud."
Mark looked back at me desperately.
"Clara, tell them I'm her father!"
"Is there a legal paternity record?" the agent asked.
"No," Mark admitted in a whisper.
"Then the child comes with us tonight."
The agent walked toward the staircase.
"No!" I screamed, blocking her path.
"She doesn't know you! She's terrified!"
"Stand aside, ma'am," the officer commanded.
Julian stepped into the doorway behind them.
A cold smile crossed his scarred face.
"She belongs in state custody now," Julian said.
"Until the custody hearing tomorrow morning."
They marched Mark out in heavy handcuffs.
The agent carried Lily down the stairs.
Lily was crying and reaching for me.
"Mommy! Don't let them take me!"
"I'm coming for you, Lily!" I sobbed.
They closed the police car door tight.
The red lights faded down the street.
I stood alone in the quiet foyer.
Julian walked back onto the porch.
"Give me the house deed," Julian demanded.
"And I'll testify that you're a good mother."
He was blackmailing me for everything.
I looked at my empty, silent house.
My husband was a lying traitor.
My daughter was taken by strangers.
My life was completely in ruin.
I picked up the silver locket off the table.
Inside, behind the photos, was a hidden clasp.
I pried it open with a fingernail.
May you like
A tiny memory micro-card slipped out.
My dead sister's handwriting was on it.
