Chapter 3: The Woman Who Never Stopped Watching Us
I read the message again.
*DON'T LET HER LEAVE WITH MY DAUGHTER.*
My daughter.
Not our daughter.
Not Lily.
My wife had written those words as if she knew something I didn't.
And suddenly, the wedding dressing room felt much smaller.
I locked the door.
Vanessa watched me do it.
“What are you doing?””
“Making sure nobody leaves until I understand what's happening.””
“You can't keep me here!””
“I'm not going to hurt you. But I'm not letting you walk out without explaining why my wife is warning me about you.””
Vanessa looked toward Lily.
“Daniel, please. She shouldn't be hearing this.””
I turned to my daughter.
“Sweetheart, would you like to sit in the hallway with Mr. Brooks? He's right outside, and he'll stay with you.””
Lily shook her head immediately.
“I don't want to go with anybody.””
I crouched beside her.
“You're safe. I promise.””
She looked at Vanessa.
“Is she going to take me away?””
My heart broke.
“No, baby. Nobody is taking you anywhere.””
I opened the door slightly and called for my security manager.
“Brooks, I need you here.””
A moment later, Marcus Brooks stepped into the room.
He was a former police officer who had worked with my family for years.
He took one look at my face and stopped smiling.
“Everything all right, Daniel?””
“No. I need you to stay with Lily. Keep her away from the glass and don't let anyone take her out of your sight.””
Marcus nodded.
“Understood.””
I handed him the phone with the message.
His expression changed.
“Is this real?””
“I don't know yet.””
He looked at Vanessa.
“Should I call the police?””
“Yes,” I answered.
“But first, I want to know what happened to my wife.””
Vanessa sank into a chair.
Her expensive wedding gown spread around her like a pool of white silk.
“I didn't kidnap Alicia.””
Nobody had accused her of that yet.
I stared at her.
“Why would you say that?””
She pressed both hands against her face.
“Because that's what you're thinking.””
I walked toward the window.
Below us, the hotel courtyard was full of guests.
A few people were taking photographs near the flower-covered entrance. A waiter carried a silver tray through the lobby. Somewhere downstairs, a violinist was playing the song Alicia and I had chosen for our first dance years ago.
It was supposed to be my second chance at happiness.
Instead, I was standing in a wedding dressing room trying to understand why my missing wife had contacted my future bride.
“Start from the beginning,” I said.
Vanessa lowered her hands.
“Three years ago, Alicia called me.””
I turned around.
“What?””
“Not yesterday. The first time was three years ago.””
The room went silent.
I felt the floor shift beneath me.
“You knew Alicia before she disappeared?””
Vanessa nodded.
“How?””
“She was worried about something.””
“What something?””
“I don't know all the details.””
I laughed once, without humor.
“You've known my wife for three years, and you expect me to believe you don't know why?””
Vanessa looked toward Lily.
“Not in front of her.””
I stepped closer.
“Then choose your words carefully.””
She took a trembling breath.
“Three years ago, Alicia called me from a hotel. She said she was in danger. She told me someone had been following her.””
“Who?””
“She didn't say.””
“Why didn't she tell me?””
Vanessa shook her head.
“She said she couldn't trust anyone.””
I stared at her.
“Anyone?””
“She specifically told me not to tell you.””
My jaw tightened.
“And you obeyed?””
“She was terrified, Daniel.””
“So was I! I was the one looking for her!””
Vanessa began sobbing.
“I know.””
“No, you don't know. You don't know what it was like to wake up every morning and wonder whether my wife was alive. You don't know what it was like to explain to a little girl that her mother might never come home.””
I pointed toward Lily.
“She used to wait by the front door every evening. She thought Alicia was coming back with groceries. She kept asking when Mommy would finish her trip.””
Vanessa looked down.
I continued.
“And when she finally stopped asking, I thought it was because she was healing.””
Lily was watching me.
Her eyes were full of tears.
I took a breath and lowered my voice.
“Why did you keep this from me?””
Vanessa's lips trembled.
“Because Alicia asked me to.””
“That isn't enough.””
“She said if I told you anything, it would put you and Lily in danger.””
I looked at the phone.
“Then why did she call yesterday?””
Vanessa hesitated.
“She wanted to know if the wedding was really happening.””
I stared at her.
“Why would that matter?””
Vanessa's face crumpled.
“Because she said she was coming back.””
My chest tightened.
“Coming back where?””
“To the city.””
“When?””
“Today.””
I looked toward the window.
The courtyard below seemed to blur.
“Today?””
Vanessa nodded.
“She said she wanted to see Lily.””
“Where?””
“I don't know.””
“Where was she planning to meet us?””
“She didn't tell me.””
“Then how did she expect to find us?””
Vanessa looked at the purse beside her.
I followed her gaze.
“What's inside?””
She didn't answer.
I walked over and picked it up.
“Daniel, don't.””
I opened the purse.
Inside were a lipstick, a wallet, a folded handkerchief, a small jewelry box, and a white envelope.
My name was written on the envelope.
Not printed.
Handwritten.
I recognized the handwriting immediately.
The slightly uneven capital D.
The long tail on the final letter.
Alicia's handwriting.
My hands went numb.
I pulled out the envelope.
On the front were four words.
*For Daniel. If I return.*
I looked at Vanessa.
“How long have you had this?””
She whispered, “Three years.””
Three years.
I turned the envelope over.
It was sealed.
The edges were slightly worn, as if someone had carried it around repeatedly.
I opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
Alicia stood in front of a small house with a red door. She was wearing a gray sweater, and her hair was pulled back.
She looked thinner than I remembered.
But she was smiling.
And beside her stood another woman.
I didn't recognize the woman.
She was tall, with short hair and a dark coat.
On the back of the photograph, Alicia had written a date.
October 14.
Three years ago.
Below it were six words.
*If something happens, find Evelyn Cross.*
I read the name aloud.
“Evelyn Cross?””
Vanessa closed her eyes.
I looked at her.
“Who is Evelyn?””
She shook her head.
“I can't.””
“Can't what?””
“I can't tell you.””
I slammed the photograph onto the vanity.
“You have had this for three years! You knew my wife was alive, you knew she was afraid, and you let me believe she had disappeared without a trace!””
“I didn't know she was alive the entire time!””
“But you had this photograph!””
Vanessa covered her ears.
“Please, Daniel!””
I stepped back.
My anger was becoming difficult to control, and Lily was still in the room.
I forced myself to breathe.
Then I heard a tiny voice.
“Daddy?””
I turned.
Lily had slipped one hand into the pocket of her blue dress.
She was holding something.
A small silver object.
My heart skipped.
“Sweetheart, what is that?””
She walked toward me carefully.
“Mommy told me to keep it.””
I crouched.
She opened her palm.
The little silver star necklace lay across her fingers.
I stared at it.
“Where did you get this?””
“From my room.””
“When?””
“Yesterday.””
I looked at her face.
“Did Mommy give it to you?””
Lily nodded.
“She came to the window.””
Everything stopped.
“What?””
“She came outside my bedroom window.””
I felt the blood drain from my face.
“When, Lily?””
“Last night.””
Vanessa made a small choking sound.
I looked at my daughter.
“Baby, are you sure?””
Lily nodded.
“She wore a blue hat. She told me not to wake you.””
I swallowed.
“What did she say?””
Lily's eyes moved toward Vanessa.
“She said the lady who was going to marry Daddy was dangerous.””
Vanessa began shaking her head.
“No. No, that's not what happened.””
Lily continued.
“Mommy said I had to give Daddy the star when he was alone.””
I held out my hand.
“Can I see it?””
Lily placed the necklace in my palm.
The star was slightly heavier than I remembered.
There was a tiny seam along one edge.
I turned it over.
A small circular indentation was almost invisible beneath the silver surface.
I pressed it.
A section of the star opened.
Inside was a tiny folded piece of paper.
My fingers trembled as I unfolded it.
There was an address.
A time.
And one sentence.
*Come alone. Ask Evelyn what happened at the hospital the night Lily was born.*
I stared at the words.
The night Lily was born?
I looked up.
Vanessa was no longer crying.
She was staring at the note as if she had just seen a ghost.
I turned toward her.
“What happened at the hospital?””
She backed away.
“Daniel, you need to listen to me.””
“What happened?””
She looked at Lily.
Then she whispered:
“Alicia didn't disappear because someone was trying to kill her.””
My stomach tightened.
“Then why?””
Vanessa's voice broke.
“Because she discovered that the baby you brought home from the hospital…”
She stopped.
I couldn't move.
“What are you talking about?””
Vanessa looked directly into my eyes.
And then she said the words that destroyed the last three years of my life.
“Daniel, Evelyn Cross was the nurse who signed Lily's birth records. And she wasn't the only person who knew that something was wrong.””
Outside the dressing room, someone knocked three times.
Marcus opened the door slightly.
“Daniel?””
I turned.
“What?””
He looked pale.
“There is a woman downstairs asking for you.””
“Who?””
Marcus swallowed.
“She says her name is Alicia.””
My knees nearly gave way.
I looked at Lily.
My daughter was staring at the door.
Then she whispered:
“That's not Mommy, Daddy.””
Marcus frowned.
“What do you mean?””
Lily slowly pointed toward the hallway.
“Mommy said the woman who comes to the wedding might look like her…”
May you like
She tightened her grip on my hand.
“…but she isn't the woman who gave birth to me.””
