Chapter 7 - THE NIGHT LILY VANISHED
The court ordered supervised contact between Marcus and Lily. Emma opposed even that, but Maya warned that refusing could appear unreasonable.
The first visit took place at a family-services center under camera supervision. Marcus brought no gifts. He sat across from Lily and apologized without excuses.
"I made you feel second," he said. "You were never second. I was wrong."
Lily watched him carefully. "Did you buy the piano for Ethan because you love him more?"
"No. I bought it because I felt guilty, and I let guilt become more important than you."
It was the first honest answer Marcus had given.
Lily did not forgive him, but she allowed him to hug her before leaving.
That evening, Emma took Lily to a temporary apartment arranged through a domestic-violence advocacy group. At 9:12 p.m., the building fire alarm sounded. Residents crowded into the stairwell. Emma held Lily's hand until smoke from a burned trash bin filled the hallway and people pushed between them.
For five seconds, Emma lost her grip.
When she turned back, Lily was gone.
Security footage showed a woman in a paramedic jacket leading Lily through a service exit. The woman's face was hidden, but the walk was unmistakable.
Rebecca.
Marcus arrived before police finished searching the building. Emma struck him across the face when he tried to approach.
"This is because of you."
He did not defend himself. "Tell me how to help."
The kidnapper sent one demand: Marcus had to sign a statement taking full responsibility for the falsified DNA test, forged school documents, and attempted custody fraud. If he refused, Lily would disappear permanently.
Maya realized Rebecca was trying to shift every crime onto Marcus.
Police traced the message to a rural tower near an abandoned summer camp. Marcus recognized the location. He and Rebecca had attended a corporate retreat there years earlier.
Against police orders, Marcus drove ahead of the tactical team.
Emma followed him.
Inside the camp's old music hall, they found the missing piano standing beneath a leaking roof.
May you like
A single note sounded in the darkness.
Then Lily's voice called, "Mommy?"
