PART 6 — THE GIRL WHO CALLED ME DAD
“Dad?”
The little girl stood beside the black SUV.
Nora ran toward her.
“Lily!”
The girl threw her arms around Nora.
I remained frozen.
I couldn't take my eyes off her.
Her eyes.
Her nose.
The small scar above her eyebrow.
Everything about her felt strangely familiar.
Not because I had seen her recently.
Because some part of me remembered her.
A memory flashed.
A little girl sitting on my shoulders.
Her laughter.
My hands holding hers.
Then darkness.
I staggered backward.
Victor caught me.
“She was taken from you when she was three.”
I looked at him.
“Why don't I remember?”
“Because you were never supposed to.”
Lily looked at me again.
“Dad?”
Nora turned.
“Lily, don't.”
The girl frowned.
“But Mom said I should know him.”
My heart stopped.
“Mom?”
Lily nodded.
“She told me to find you when the time came.”
“Who?”
She looked at me.
“Emily.”
I closed my eyes.
My wife was alive.
She had my sons.
She had known Lily was alive.
And she had been controlling everything from the shadows.
I stepped toward Lily.
Nora moved between us.
“Don't.”
“I won't hurt her.”
“I know.”
“Then let me talk to her.”
Nora hesitated.
Lily reached around her.
“It's okay, Mom.”
Nora froze.
I stared.
“Mom?”
Nora began crying.
“She calls me that.”
“Why?”
“Because she doesn't remember her real mother.”
I looked at Lily.
“What do you remember?”
She thought for a moment.
“A house.”
“Which house?”
“The one with the lake.”
My heart pounded.
The lake house.
Emily's hiding place.
“Who brought you there?”
“Mom.”
“Emily?”
Lily nodded.
“She said I couldn't meet you yet.”
“Why?”
“Because Uncle Daniel was watching.”
I looked at Victor.
He looked equally stunned.
“Daniel knew?”
Lily nodded.
“He came to see me.”
“When?”
“Many times.”
I felt sick.
“Why didn't he tell me?”
“Mom said he was protecting you.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
I couldn't believe it.
Not anymore.
Everyone claimed they were protecting me.
Everyone had lied.
I turned to Victor.
“Where is Daniel?”
“We don't know.”
“He took the boys.”
Victor shook his head.
“Not Daniel.”
“You said—”
“I said he was involved.”
“What does that mean?”
Victor looked toward Lily.
“Your brother was trying to keep Meridian from reaching her.”
“And my sons?”
“I think Daniel took them to the lake house.”
I stared.
“Why?”
“Because Emily told him to.”
I pulled out my phone.
There was one new message.
From an unknown number.
COME TO THE LAKE HOUSE. ALONE.
Underneath:
BRING LILY.
I looked at Victor.
“It's a trap.”
“Yes.”
“Then why are we going?”
“Because your children are there.”
We drove toward the lake.
Nora sat in the back with Lily.
Victor drove.
I watched the road.
The closer we got, the stronger the memories became.
A hallway.
A locked room.
Emily crying.
My father shouting.
Then a little girl.
Lily.
She was holding my hand.
I remembered her.
I remembered everything.
Not all of it.
But enough.
I turned to Nora.
“Lily wasn't adopted.”
Nora looked down.
“No.”
“She was given to you.”
“Yes.”
“By Emily.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because Emily believed someone would kill her.”
I looked out the window.
“And she thought I was the danger?”
Nora shook her head.
“She thought you would become the danger if you remembered.”
I didn't understand.
“Why?”
Nora hesitated.
“Because of what happened after the fire.”
The lake house appeared ahead.
Dark.
Silent.
No cars.
We stopped.
Victor turned off the engine.
“Stay here.”
I opened the door.
“No.”
Victor grabbed my arm.
“You don't understand what you're walking into.”
“I have two sons inside.”
“And a daughter.”
I looked at Lily.
She was staring at the house.
Then she whispered,
“Mom is inside.”
Everyone froze.
“What?”
Lily nodded.
“She told me she'd be waiting.”
I ran toward the house.
The front door was unlocked.
Inside, the lights were on.
A photograph sat on the table.
My family.
Emily.
Caleb.
Mason.
Lily.
And me.
All together.
The date was written underneath.
The date was tomorrow.
I stared.
“How?”
Victor entered behind me.
“It's a prediction.”
“No.”
I pointed at the photograph.
“That's impossible.”
Then I heard footsteps upstairs.
“Dad!”
Caleb.
I ran.
The bedroom door opened.
Both boys rushed into my arms.
I dropped to my knees.
I held them so tightly they could barely breathe.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
“Who brought you here?”
Caleb looked behind me.
“Mom.”
I froze.
“Where is she?”
He pointed down the hallway.
“She said you had to remember first.”
Mason added,
“She said Uncle Daniel would help.”
I stood.
“Where is Daniel?”
The boys exchanged a look.
“He's downstairs.”
I ran.
Daniel was sitting at the kitchen table.
His hands were tied.
His face was bruised.
I stopped.
“Who did this?”
He looked at me.
“You.”
I stared.
“What?”
“You did this to me.”
“No.”
Daniel smiled sadly.
“Not today.”
He nodded toward the basement door.
“Open it.”
I did.
Inside was a small room.
On the wall were photographs.
Hundreds of them.
My life.
My childhood.
My marriage.
My children.
And one photograph that made my blood turn to ice.
It showed me standing beside Emily.
But Emily wasn't my wife yet.
She was holding Lily.
And I was holding another baby.
A baby boy.
Underneath the photograph:
THE FIRST TWO CHILDREN OF DANIEL CARTER.
I stared.
“Another child?”
Daniel's voice came from behind me.
“You had three children.”
I turned.
“What happened to the third?”
He looked toward the darkest corner of the room.
“He's the reason Emily disappeared.”
A voice suddenly came from the shadows.
“Not disappeared.”
I froze.
Emily stepped into the light.
Alive.
Tears filled her eyes.
“Hidden.”
I couldn't speak.
She looked at me.
Then at Lily.
Then at the twins.
“I never wanted you to remember this way.”
I whispered,
“Who is the third child?”
Emily's face collapsed.
Before she could answer, the basement door slammed shut.
A man's voice came through the speakers.
“Tell him, Emily.”
Emily looked terrified.
The voice continued.
“Tell Daniel what happened to his first son.”
Then the lights went out.
And somewhere in the darkness, a child began crying.
