Chapter 6 - The Father Who Thought I Was Dead
I barely slept.
Every time I closed my eyes, another person who was supposed to be dead appeared.
First Evelyn.
Now apparently me.
The next morning, Mom came to Evelyn’s house.
She looked older than she had two days earlier.
I didn’t hug her.
She noticed.
“Can we talk?”
Evelyn remained in the kitchen but gave us space.
Mom sat across from me.
“Margaret told you.”
“Yes.”
Mom closed her eyes.
“I didn’t know.”
“Who is my biological father?”
“His name is Daniel Mercer.”
Mercer.
The name appeared in the trust company.
“Is he connected to Hale & Mercer?”
Mom nodded.
“His family founded it.”
I stared at her.
“So the people managing my trust are his family?”
“I didn’t know they were managing anything for you.”
“Where is he?”
Mom took a breath.
“Chicago.”
“Does he know I’m alive?”
“Not yet.”
My anger returned.
“How can everyone know things about my life except me?”
Mom reached toward me.
I pulled my hand away.
She stopped.
“You’re right.”
I had never heard her say that so quickly.
“When I became pregnant, Daniel and I were seventeen.”
She told me they had been together for almost two years.
Her father hated him.
Daniel came from money.
But that wasn’t the issue.
Grandfather believed Daniel’s family looked down on him.
When Mom became pregnant, both families fought.
Daniel wanted to help raise me.
Grandfather forbade it.
After the bridge accident, Grandfather told Mom that Daniel had left the state.
“He showed me a letter.”
“What did it say?”
“That Daniel wanted nothing to do with me or the baby.”
“Was it fake?”
Mom nodded.
“I learned that yesterday.”
Daniel’s father, meanwhile, received another lie.
Grandfather told him Claire and the baby had died.
Because my grandmother really had died in that crash and Evelyn had disappeared, the story sounded believable.
Daniel was seventeen.
Grieving.
His family moved away.
Life continued.
Two teenagers who had wanted to raise a child were separated by one man’s lies.
“Then Dad?”
“Michael came later.”
My father—the man I called Dad—met Mom when I was two.
He adopted me legally.
“He has always considered you his daughter.”
I said nothing.
Because twenty-four hours earlier, he had considered me disposable.
Mom looked down.
“I know that doesn’t excuse what happened.”
“No.”
“He hasn’t stopped blaming himself.”
“That doesn’t fix it.”
“No.”
She wiped her eyes.
“I’m learning that sorry doesn’t fix everything.”
That was the first thing she had said that made me believe she was actually listening.
Later that afternoon, Daniel Mercer learned I was alive.
Margaret insisted he be told before anybody else could manipulate the story again.
I didn’t want to meet him immediately.
So we arranged a video call.
Evelyn sat beside me.
Mom stayed in another room.
The screen connected.
A man appeared.
Early thirties.
Dark hair.
Gray sweater.
He looked confused.
Then he saw me.
His face collapsed.
He covered his mouth.
For nearly thirty seconds, he couldn’t speak.
“Lily?”
I nodded.
He started crying.
Not quietly.
Not carefully.
He bent forward like someone had hit him.
I felt uncomfortable.
Then guilty for feeling uncomfortable.
Finally he whispered, “They told me you died.”
“I know.”
“I went to the bridge.”
“What?”
He wiped his face.
“Every year.”
I swallowed.
“Why?”
“Because I thought that was where I lost both of you.”
Mom overheard from the next room.
I heard her crying too.
Daniel looked at me.
“I don’t expect anything from you.”
“Okay.”
“You don’t have to call me Dad.”
“I already have a dad.”
Pain crossed his face.
“I know.”
That surprised me.
He wasn’t competing.
He wasn’t demanding.
He simply wanted to know I existed.
Then his expression changed.
“There’s something else.”
Evelyn leaned closer.
“What?”
“I found out about the trust six months ago.”
My heart jumped.
“You knew?”
“I knew there was a beneficiary named Lily Harper. I didn’t know it was you.”
“Why did you look?”
“Because somebody tried to borrow against the property.”
Evelyn stood.
“What?”
Daniel nodded.
“A forged authorization.”
“Whose name?”
“Lily’s.”
I almost laughed.
“I’m fourteen.”
“Exactly.”
“Who tried?”
“The request came through a shell company.”
Evelyn asked, “How much?”
“Eight hundred thousand dollars.”
The room went silent.
Daniel continued.
“Our legal team blocked it. We started investigating.”
“Did Ryan know about it?” I asked.
Daniel frowned.
“Who is Ryan?”
“My brother.”
“I don’t know.”
Then my phone buzzed.
A message.
Unknown number.
ONLY I CAN TELL YOU WHY RYAN KNEW ABOUT THE TRUST.
A second message appeared.
DON’T TRUST EVELYN.
Then a photograph loaded.
It showed Evelyn standing beside my grandfather.
The date printed at the bottom was only five years ago.
Evelyn had told us she had not seen him for fourteen years.
May you like
I slowly turned toward her.
“Why did you lie?”
