Chapter 3

The second Mara saw me, she flinched like she’d been burned and ducked behind Daniel.

"Evelyn, you're back! Please don't be mad at Daniel, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have stayed at the house this long. I shouldn't have caused this misunderstanding. Please come back, Daniel can't live without you. I'll stay far away from now on, I swear."

She grabbed Noah and Owen's hands, making a big show of turning to leave.

"I'll take the boys and go back to my place right now. We'll never come back. Just please forgive Daniel and go back to living a good life."

Daniel immediately grabbed her arm, his face darkening as he glared at me.

"Haven't you caused enough of a scene? Mara is willing to leave. What more do you want?"

"We already apologized. Don't make this uglier than it has to be. Stop pushing us."

Here we go again.

Their perfectly rehearsed routine. One plays the saint, the other plays the victim.

Looking at them, I just felt sick.

My gaze drifted past Daniel's face and landed on Noah and Owen.

The boys' eyes, their brows—they were carbon copies of Daniel.

In my past life, I never suspected a thing.

I thought it was just the Harper family genes. I thought it was perfectly normal for nephews to look like their uncle.

Until after Lily died. When I was packing up our things, I found two paternity tests.

One for Noah. One for Owen.

The conclusion on the reports was crystal clear: Daniel Harper is the biological father.

I broke the silence.

"Daniel. Don't you think Noah and Owen look an awful lot like you?"

Daniel went chalk-white.

He instinctively took a step back, his voice cracking as he barked, "Are you out of your mind? What's so strange about kids looking like their uncle?"

Mara's whole body jerked.

I took a step forward. "The eyes, the expressions. Even the way they throw a temper tantrum is exactly the same."

I locked eyes with Daniel, pronouncing every word with lethal precision.

"I'm getting this divorce. And everything you and Mara owe me—everything you owe Lily—I'm taking back. Piece by piece."

Daniel's lips moved, but all he could squeeze out was a pathetic threat.

"You're going to regret this, Evelyn."

"I never regret making decisions that protect my daughter."

Daniel looked at me, then at Mara, before finally turning and dragging them away.

They didn't say another word. They just looked humiliated and desperate.

I turned and went back into the motel room.

Lily had finished her dinner and was sitting obediently on the bed, waiting for me.

I took a washcloth to wipe her mouth. As I did, her jacket sleeve slipped up, exposing her thin wrist.

I froze.

On the inside of her wrist was a scar the size of a dime.

"What is this?"

My voice shook.

Lily flinched like a frightened animal, frantically trying to pull her sleeve back down.

"N-nothing..."

I gently wrapped my fingers around her wrist. I didn't squeeze, but I didn't let her pull away either.

"Look at Mommy. Tell me, how did you get this?"

Lily bit her lip, tears instantly pooling in her eyes.

"It was... it was Mara."

She sobbed, "Owen tried to take my candy, and I said no. Mara got mad and burned me with a cigarette. She said if I told anyone, she'd drag me out to the woods outside of town and leave me there..."

A bomb went off in my head.

Chapter 3

The second Mara saw me, she flinched like she’d been burned and ducked behind Daniel.

She grabbed Noah and Owen's hands, making a big show of turning to leave.

"I'll take the boys and go back to my place right now. We'll never come back. Just please forgive Daniel and go back to living a good life."

Daniel immediately grabbed her arm, his face darkening as he glared at me.

"Haven't you caused enough of a scene? Mara is willing to leave. What more do you want?"

"We already apologized. Don't make this uglier than it has to be. Stop pushing us."

Here we go again.

Their perfectly rehearsed routine. One plays the saint, the other plays the victim.

Looking at them, I just felt sick.

My gaze drifted past Daniel's face and landed on Noah and Owen.

The boys' eyes, their brows—they were carbon copies of Daniel.

In my past life, I never suspected a thing.

I thought it was just the Harper family genes. I thought it was perfectly normal for nephews to look like their uncle.

Until after Lily died. When I was packing up our things, I found two paternity tests.

One for Noah. One for Owen.

The conclusion on the reports was crystal clear: Daniel Harper is the biological father.

I broke the silence.

"Daniel. Don't you think Noah and Owen look an awful lot like you?"

Daniel went chalk-white.

He instinctively took a step back, his voice cracking as he barked, "Are you out of your mind? What's so strange about kids looking like their uncle?"

Mara's whole body jerked.

I took a step forward. "The eyes, the expressions. Even the way they throw a temper tantrum is exactly the same."

I locked eyes with Daniel, pronouncing every word with lethal precision.

"I'm getting this divorce. And everything you and Mara owe me—everything you owe Lily—I'm taking back. Piece by piece."

Daniel's lips moved, but all he could squeeze out was a pathetic threat.

"You're going to regret this, Evelyn."

"I never regret making decisions that protect my daughter."

Daniel looked at me, then at Mara, before finally turning and dragging them away.

They didn't say another word. They just looked humiliated and desperate.

I turned and went back into the motel room.

Lily had finished her dinner and was sitting obediently on the bed, waiting for me.

I took a washcloth to wipe her mouth. As I did, her jacket sleeve slipped up, exposing her thin wrist.

I froze.

On the inside of her wrist was a scar the size of a dime.

"What is this?"

My voice shook.

Lily flinched like a frightened animal, frantically trying to pull her sleeve back down.

"N-nothing..."

I gently wrapped my fingers around her wrist. I didn't squeeze, but I didn't let her pull away either.

"Look at Mommy. Tell me, how did you get this?"

Lily bit her lip, tears instantly pooling in her eyes.

"It was... it was Mara."

She sobbed, "Owen tried to take my candy, and I said no. Mara got mad and burned me with a cigarette. She said if I told anyone, she'd drag me out to the woods outside of town and leave me there..."

A bomb went off in my head.