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Then, a phone call would come, not one of her handwritten letters. She'd threaten me, Lilly, or on a few occasions, even you and Audrey. Said that if she couldn't be with me, she wanted money for raising my child. For keeping the secret from her husband.
The first time I questioned her about why she wouldn't come clean to him, she ended the call. Next, I received an email from an unknown sender with a picture of Lilly sleeping in her crib—nothing else, no context or message. I didn't know what it meant, but I couldn't reach Emily for days.
Eventually, I drove to San Diego and started following her. Everything seemed normal. Lilly was fine. She sent another handwritten letter with new pictures, and your mother and I chalked it up as a random occurrence.
Then, she called again. She demanded more money than we had already given her. The amount was outrageous, and when I told her so, she hung up.
I received another email with a picture of Lilly. This time, she was playing in the yard—again, no message. Something wasn't right, and Payton decided to contact a PI your grandfather sometimes used when their regular guy was already on a job.
Regular guy?Is he talking about George? Nate's mouth is pressing in a thin line as if he has come to the same conclusion. Did George know about any of this? Nate makes no indication to stop the video and confront his employee, though.
We had him look into Emily's past as well. The information he showed us...her childhood...it wasn't a good one. There were holes in her past. She'd disappear for months at a time until her husband came into the picture. But all the evidence led to her having...mental problems. I don't know if her husband knew about it or if she was such a good actor around people that she fooled everyone. She had fooled me for months.
Brooks sighsand clutches a picture in his hand. My heart is hammering against my ribcage. I want Nate to stop this video. I've heard enough, but at the same time, I need to know the rest.
After that, we looked into getting custody of Lilly. Our attorney even said we had a good chance if we could prove that Lilly was in physical danger. With Emily's husband not being her biological father or having legally adopted her, we could sue for sole custody. However, neither Payton nor I would've kept Lilly from him. Not if he was...safe.
There issuch a long pause that I begin wondering if Brooks is going to say anything else.
The next time Emily called, I informed her that I had looked into requesting shared custody. Your mother and I had agreed that we didn't want to spook her right off the bat with taking Lilly away; we would've accepted joint custody. Emily didn't take that...well.
Well?Please don’t say what I think you’re going to say. I’m so high-strung that my entire body feels like it’s vibrating.
The next day, I received an email with another picture. Lilly had a bruised eye and a split lip. S-she was b-barely a year o-old.
I’m goingto be sick. Tears are streaming down Brooks’s cheeks as he recalls everything. Nate's hands cover his mouth, not making any attempt to conceal his crying. Someone was hurting Lilly. Nate's mother knew about all of it. My mind starts to take off on its own.
This time, the email had a message. Either I would pay the mother of my child the agreed-upon amount every month on the same day—meaning the five figures Emily previously demanded—or there would be no daughter.
We didn't know what to do. Payton wanted to take Lilly from Emily against her will. But when we received another email with more...photos, I agreed to pay. Emily, or whoever did this to my little girl–I don't believe her husband had anything to do with it...they were serious.
I...I couldn't risk my daughter's life.
My hands are shaking so badlyI tuck them under my armpits and clamp my elbows to the side of my body. Brooks doesn't go into any details about what kind of pictures the second email contained, but I can guess. This is some fucked-up shit, and it all revolves around Lilly. How is it possible that my parents, who supposedly cared so much for her, didn't know any of this? Or did they? I want to confront my father, but I can't get out of the chair. My legs won't obey.
Nate’s complexion has turned a chalkish gray with a hint of green. His leg is bouncing so fast my messed-up brain associates the tapping sound of his foot with that Irish dance-tap show Mom was obsessed with when we were kids—River-something. What the fuck is wrong with my head?
I concentrate on breathing through my nose as the video continues to play mercilessly. How much more is there?
Payton and I met with Emily. She had Lilly with her but refused to let me hold her. Nate, she looked so much like you and Audrey. The same blonde hair, the same eye color. She was such a happy baby, smiled the entire time.
During that meeting, we agreed to pay Emily the sum she had demanded under the condition of regular updates and me being able to see Lilly. I wanted to be part of her life. I had to.
Payton cried the entire drive home, but we knew we would risk Lilly's life if we came after her in any way at this time. We hoped that if we played along and bided our time, we’d have a better chance in the future.
I can barely seethe screen. I have to untuck my arms and wipe my eyes. I have no words for what is being revealed in front of me. Has Lilly seen this? Her father loved her. He wanted her. Hell, even Nate’s mother wanted Lilly. We had it all so fucking wrong.
A few years later, we received the demand to increase the amount, and we complied without hesitation. Emily had kept her end of the deal, I visited with Lilly regularly, and our PI also kept an eye on her. From what we were able to see, she was safe and happy.
We wanted to wait a few more years before starting the legal procedures of getting custody. We hoped that if Lilly was older, the likelihood of her getting physically hurt was less.
What we didn't consider was Emily finding out about the private investigator. To this day, I don't know how, but she saw it as a violation of our agreement.
All the colorhas left Brooks’s face, and the blood in my veins runs cold. Nate has gone completely still. I don’t think he’s even breathing. Hell, I know whatever comes next will break me, and the man on the screen is not even my father.
I received an email—the first one in years. But instead of a picture of Lilly, it contained two photographs. One of Payton and one of Audrey. From that morning.
Fuck.
