Chapter 2 - The Suitcase Wasn’t Packed for Diane
Dominic did not let Diane out of his sight long enough to wonder about the suitcase right away.
First, he got the children out of the kitchen.
He led Lily to the downstairs bathroom, gently rinsed sauce from her hair, and helped her wash her face while Owen stood beside her, still pressing his reddened cheek.
Lily trembled so hard Dominic had to kneel and hold both her shoulders.
“You’re okay, baby,” he told her quietly. “You’re okay now.”
But Lily’s lower lip kept shaking.
“She said I was bad,” she whispered.
Dominic had to swallow before he could speak.
“You are not bad.”
When the noodles were washed out and Lily changed into a soft cotton T-shirt from the laundry room, Dominic sat both children at the dining table with glasses of water and crackers. Then he returned to the front hall.
The black suitcase was still there.
He crouched beside it.
At first, he assumed it belonged to his mother. Maybe she had packed in a huff after some argument. Maybe she had planned to leave before he came home.
Then he saw the luggage tag.
Not Diane Russo.
No initials that belonged to her.
Instead, written in careful blue ink, were two words:
LILY RUSSO
Dominic went still.
Slowly, he unzipped the suitcase.
Inside were not Diane’s clothes.
There were tiny T-shirts.
Children’s pajamas.
Lily’s pink sneakers.
Her toothbrush.
Her favorite stuffed yellow duck.
A folded cardigan.
A bottle of children’s shampoo.
And tucked into the side compartment, Owen’s green dinosaur flashlight—the one he never let anyone borrow.
Dominic stared at the contents in disbelief.
This wasn’t random.
This wasn’t an overnight bag thrown together in anger.
Someone had packed for a child.
His child.
Then he found the papers.
A manila folder lay flat beneath the clothing. When Dominic pulled it out, he saw the words printed across the top:
Temporary Guardianship Authorization
The name of the proposed temporary guardian made his blood run cold.
Diane Russo
His own name appeared on the signature line below.
But the signature wasn’t his.
It looked like his.
Enough to fool someone who didn’t know him well.
Not enough to fool him.
He heard a tiny voice behind him.
“Daddy?”
Dominic turned.
Lily stood in the doorway, barefoot and small, her damp hair combed back from her face. Owen stood just behind her.
Dominic held up the suitcase slowly.
“Who packed this?”
Lily’s face changed at once.
May you like
And suddenly she began to cry again.
---
