Chapter 3

I knew there was no way I could explain myself, so I just left the room.

The next day, I went to the mall and bought a hidden camera. I waited until Lily and David were both out, then I snuck into Lily's bedroom and hid it where no one would find it.

After that, I went back to pretending everything was normal and kept up with the housework like nothing had happened.

I'd been waiting around for a while when David's call came through. He sent me the address of a law firm and told me to come over.

When I walked into the conference room, David was there with Lily, and a bunch of lawyers from the firm were standing around them.

He said, "Emily, let's get a divorce."

Lily just sat there quietly off to the side.

"I'll take custody of Lily, and you won't have to pay any child support." David paused, then kept going. "I've already talked to a lawyer. With you hurting a child like this, I've got every right to divorce you."

I hadn't expected David to call me here just to ask for a divorce, but now I was surrounded by lawyers. If I lost my cool, they'd use it against me, so I forced myself to stay calm and sat down across from David to negotiate.

I asked, "You didn't take Lily to preschool today, but you brought her to meet with lawyers?"

The lawyer shot me an angry look. "Ms. Reed, my client realized how serious this situation is, and that's why he had to retain our firm to handle your divorce case. If you don't cooperate, we'll have no choice but to take legal action."

I couldn't help but laugh. "David, just because Lily said I hit her, you believe a child's word? You really think I did it?"

"Ms. Reed, we wouldn't have asked you here if we didn't have evidence."

The woman standing beside the lawyer walked over and grabbed Lily's hand, rolling up her sleeves. My breath caught—Lily's arms were covered in bloody scratches.

"You're disgusting," the woman spat at me. "How could you do this to your own daughter? What kind of monster are you?"

My heart dropped when I saw the marks on Lily's arms, and I rushed forward to take her hand. "Lily, sweetie, what happened to your arms? How did they get like this?"

But Lily shoved me away hard, her face twisted with anger. "Mommy did it. Mommy hit me and made all these marks on my arms. I hate you. I don't want to be with you anymore."

She ran straight into David's arms after that.

"Emily, you heard her yourself," David said, his voice cold. "Would a child this young lie about something like this?"

The lawyer stepped forward, his tone sharp and threatening. "Ms. Reed, child abuse is a serious crime. We could have you arrested right now, but Mr. Carter is being generous. He's only asking for a divorce. I suggest you take the offer while you can."

I forced myself to steady my breathing and meet their eyes. "Call the police then."

"What did you just say?" David looked genuinely confused.

I watched him hold Lily close—closer than he'd ever had her before, actually. Something about this whole scene felt wrong.

"Those injuries on Lily's arms don't make sense," I said, keeping my voice level. "I want to know who really did that to her, so let's call the police and have them do a forensic examination. That'll clear my name."

The woman beside the lawyer scoffed, "You've got some nerve. Once the police get involved, you'll have a child abuse record on your file forever."

"Emily, just sign the papers," David added, almost gently. "There's no need to make this messier than it already is. A criminal record will ruin your career."

So that's what this was really about—David wanted the divorce so badly he'd orchestrated this entire scene.

"David, I'm not refusing to divorce you," I said slowly. "But if you want custody of Lily, then those injuries need to be properly examined and documented by the police. I won't back down on that."

My tone must have gotten through to them, because David's lawyer suddenly looked uncertain. "Mr. Carter, if you're serious about pursuing domestic violence charges against Ms. Reed, we'll need much stronger evidence than this."