Chapter 4
On the third day, Andy was finally discharged from the hospital.
I took him home.
Emily was slouched on the living room couch, the TV blasting at full volume, but her eyes were somewhere else entirely.
When she saw us walk in, she got up. "You're back? Andy, are you hungry? How about I make you some Pasta?"
Andy held onto my hand, his steps faltering for a moment.
Then he walked straight to his room.
The door slammed shut behind him.
Emily's smile froze on her face.
"Is he still sulking?" she asked.
I set my backpack down and sat across from her.
"Emily, we need to talk," I said.
"About what?" she asked.
"Lily Young," I said.
The moment I dropped those two words, Emily's face went paper white.
Emily stammered, "How do you even know that name?"
"When you put yourself down as her emergency contact, did you honestly think I'd never look into it?" I shot back.
Emily's breathing was visibly rapid, her hands clasped and wringing together in anxiety.
"Please, just let me explain, " Emily pleaded.
"Let me ask you one thing first," I said, my voice cold.
"What?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"Tell me the truth, Is Lily your daughter?" I pressed.
The air in the room felt like it had been sucked out.
Emily's lips moved, but no sound came out.
"Emily," I said, my voice low and steady.
"Yes," she finally whispered.
Her answer was so soft, barely more than a whisper, but I caught every word.
But I heard it loud and clear.
It was like getting slapped right across the face.
I leaned back against the couch and shut my eyes for a second.
Even though I'd guessed it before, actually hearing her say it out loud just felt crazy.
It was so absurd I felt like laughing.
"When did this happen?" I asked.
Emily kept her head down, her voice barely above a whisper. "It was senior year. The year I graduated. I got pregnant when I was with James. He went abroad, and I never told him.
"When I couldn't hide it anymore, I gave birth and left her with my mom to raise."
"With your mom?" I echoed.
No wonder.
Emily always said she had to spend a few days at her mom's every month, claiming her mom was lonely.
I never questioned it.
"And then what? When did James find out?" I asked.
Emily kept her head down, her voice barely above a whisper. "He came back two years ago. He saw Lily, got a DNA test done and took her to live with him.
"But he's always swamped with work, so most of the time he has a nanny look after her, pick her up from preschool and all that. Sometimes he asks me to help out."
Sometimes.
I let out a cold laugh.
"You're down as her emergency contact. You're the one picking her up and dropping her off. And during the stampede, you were the first to throw yourself in front of her. Emily, and you call that just 'sometimes'?" I said.
She shot her head up. "I'm not there all the time! It's just every now and then..."
"'Every now and then?' Is that your excuse for trampling your own son underfoot?" I snapped.
I raised my voice.
I knew I shouldn't be yelling.
But I couldn't help myself.
Emily started crying.
Her tears streamed down her face.
"I know I've let Andy down but Lily is my flesh and blood too. I just couldn't stand by and watch her, " Emily choked out.
"And what about Andy?" I stared at her. "Isn't he your flesh and blood too?"
She was crying so hard she couldn't even get a word out.
"Emily, have you ever thought about this?" I asked, my voice low and heavy.
"You chose Lily over Andy. But have you ever wondered, will Andy ever pick you again?"
Emily's sobs caught in her throat.
She looked over at Andy's bedroom door.
It was shut tight.
Like it slammed shut on every dream a five-year-old could ever have.
I stood up.
"I want a divorce," I said.
Emily's head snapped up. "David!"
"Just calm down, " she said.
"I am calm," I said, my voice steady.
I looked at her.
Then I said, "You hid this from me for six years. You raised someone else's kid in our marriage. And when my own son was fighting for his life, you picked the girl you had with someone else.
"Is that enough for you to see why I'm so calm?"
Tears were still streaming down Emily's face, but her eyes had changed.
It wasn't guilt anymore.
It was fear.
"You...you want custody of Andy?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"What do you think?" I replied, my tone icy.
"He's my son! I'm not going to, " she protested.
"On the day of the stampede, you pried his hand off," I said, my voice cold and unyielding.
That was all I said.
Emily looked like she'd just been slapped across the face, her lips trembling, unable to get a single word out.
I walked over to Andy's room and knocked on the door.
"Andy, Dad's coming in," I said softly.
The door opened just a crack.
Andy was standing there, his eyes red-rimmed, but he wasn't crying.
He heard it all.
Every word. Every bit of it.
He looked up at me and said softly, "Dad, you always keep your promises."
I crouched down to meet his eyes.
"When have I ever lied to you?" I asked.
He reached out his little hand and hooked his pinky around mine.
"Pinky promise," he said.
"Pinky promise," I echoed.
*****
Turned out, getting divorced wasn't nearly as easy as I thought it'd be.
Emily called her mom over the very next day.
My mother-in-law sat on the living room couch, dabbing at her tears and slapping her thigh in frustration.
"David, Emily just made a mistake, that's all. But come on, what couple doesn't have their ups and downs? You're a big man, don't take it to heart, " she said.
I sat across from her, not even bothering to offer her a glass of water.
"Mrs. Foster, you know about Lily, right?" I asked.
Her hand froze mid-air, the tears still clinging to her fingers.
"Lily lived with you for three years. You didn't just know, you were an accomplice," I said coldly.
"How can you say that? What do you mean, accomplice, " she protested.
"I've been married for six years, and all that time I've been kept in the dark. My son was almost trampled to death, and his own mother was shielding someone else's kid instead of her own. Tell me, what do you call that, huh?" I said.
Emily's mom opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
"I'm not here to debate who's right or wrong. I just want one thing: a divorce, and Andy comes with me," I said.
"No way!" Emily burst out of the bedroom. "Andy is my son! Why should you get to take him..."
"Emily," I said, locking eyes with her.
"If you won't agree to a divorce, we'll settle this in court. I've got all the evidence: you hid your pregnancy history during our marriage, and you left your own kid behind when it mattered most. Who do you think the judge will side with?"
Emily froze.
"And," I went on, "do you really want to drag this into court? The teachers at Green Sprout Preschool all know you're listed as an emergency contact.
"If we go legal, they'll dig into everything, everyone at your workplace, your friends, your besties. They'll all find out you had a daughter before we got married, that she's been living with your mom, and you kept it from me for six years.
"Is your reputation really that important to you, Emily?"
Her face went pale, and she was shaking all over.
Emily's mom rushed over and grabbed her arm. "Emily, don't agree! He's just trying to scare you..."
"Mom!" Emily suddenly shouted.