Chapter 6: The Lie He Told His Daughter
I stared at the message until my eyes started to burn.
*“Ask him why he told Lily that you were the reason he couldn’t be her father.””*
For a moment, I couldn’t understand what I was reading.
Not because the words were complicated.
Because they were impossible.
Me?
The reason?
I had never even known Lily existed.
I had never met her.
I had never spoken her name.
How could I possibly be the reason Brandon wasn’t her father?
I looked at the photo again.
A little girl with dark brown hair sitting beside Brandon.
She was smiling.
And Brandon was smiling too.
It was the kind of smile I remembered.
The one he used when he wanted people to believe everything was perfect.
My stomach turned.
Because now I wondered how many times that smile had hidden something from me.
“Sweetheart?””
My mother’s voice pulled me back.
I looked up.
She was standing in the doorway holding two cups of coffee.
One look at my face, and she knew.
“What happened?””
I handed her my phone.
She read the message.
Then she slowly placed the coffee down.
“He blamed you?””
I shook my head.
“I don’t know.””
But I did know.
Somewhere deep inside, I knew.
Because blaming others was what Brandon did when things became difficult.
The missing money.
My mother.
The marriage.
Every problem needed someone else to carry the weight.
And somehow, that person was always me.
I called Evelyn.
She answered quickly.
“Margaret?””
“I need to know something.””
“What?””
“Can you find out if Brandon ever mentioned me in connection with Lily?””
There was a pause.
“What do you mean?””
“I mean… did he tell anyone that I was the reason he couldn’t have a relationship with his daughter?””
Evelyn was quiet.
Then she said:
“I’ll look into it.””
Two hours later, I was sitting in her office again.
The same chair.
The same desk.
But I felt like a completely different person than the woman who had walked in days earlier.
Before, I thought I was dealing with a broken marriage.
Now I was discovering an entire hidden life.
Evelyn placed a file in front of me.
“I found something.””
My heart tightened.
“What?””
She opened the folder.
“Statements from people connected to Hannah’s family.””
I looked confused.
“How did you get those?””
“Through public records and interviews related to the company.””
I nodded.
“What did they say?””
She looked at the papers.
“Brandon told Hannah’s family that his marriage was complicated.””
I laughed quietly.
“Of course he did.””
“He said you knew about Lily.””
My head snapped up.
“What?””
Evelyn continued.
“He told them you were aware of his daughter but didn’t want involvement.””
I felt a wave of anger.
“That’s a lie.””
“I know.””
“No, he didn’t just lie.””
My hands shook.
“He made me look cruel.””
Evelyn didn’t respond.
She let me process it.
Because she knew I needed to.
Brandon hadn’t just hidden Lily from me.
He had rewritten the story.
He had turned himself into someone trapped.
And me into the person preventing him from being a father.
I thought about all the times he said I was selfish.
All the times he said I didn’t understand him.
Maybe he wasn’t trying to convince me.
Maybe he was trying to convince everyone else.
“Why would he do that?””
Evelyn looked at me.
“Sometimes people create a version of events that makes their choices easier to live with.””
I looked down.
A version of events.
That was exactly what he had created.
A version where he was the victim.
A version where my mother was a thief.
A version where I was the reason he couldn’t be happy.
A version where he never had to admit the truth.
My phone rang.
Brandon.
I looked at the screen.
Evelyn watched me.
“Do you want to answer?””
This time, I did.
“Hello.””
“Margaret.””
His voice sounded tired.
Not angry.
Tired.
“I know you talked to Evelyn.””
I said nothing.
“I know you’re finding out things.””
“Yes.””
A long pause.
“I wanted to tell you myself.””
I looked at the papers on the desk.
“No, Brandon.””
“Please.””
“You had years.””
“I was scared.””
I closed my eyes.
“You keep saying that.””
“Because it’s true.””
“Fear explains a feeling.””
My voice became colder.
“It doesn’t excuse choices.””
He was quiet.
Then:
“I never wanted to hurt you.””
I looked at Evelyn.
She was watching me carefully.
“Then why did you tell people I hated your daughter?””
Silence.
Real silence.
The kind where someone realizes they can’t escape anymore.
“What?””
“You heard me.””
“Who told you that?””
“That doesn’t matter.””
“It does.””
“No.””
I stood up.
“What matters is that you said it.””
“I never said you hated her.””
“You said I didn’t want involvement.””
Another silence.
Then his voice changed.
“Who told you that?””
I almost smiled.
Because he still wasn’t denying it.
“You know what hurts the most?””
He didn’t answer.
“I could have understood the truth.””
“Margaret—”
“I could have been angry. I could have been shocked. I could have needed time.””
My voice cracked.
“But I would have wanted honesty.””
I swallowed.
“You decided I didn’t deserve that.””
“That’s not true.””
“Then what is true?””
He had no answer.
Finally, he said:
“I wanted to protect Lily.””
I froze.
“Protect her from what?””
“From losing her father.””
I felt my anger rise.
“You mean from the consequences of your own decisions.””
“No.””
“Yes.””
I walked toward the window.
“You weren’t protecting your daughter, Brandon.””
I looked outside.
“You were protecting yourself.””
He said nothing.
Then he whispered:
“I made mistakes.””
I closed my eyes.
“Where is Lily now?””
A pause.
“With Hannah.””
“Does she know about me?””
“No.””
The answer came too quickly.
I felt sick.
“Why?””
“Because I didn’t want to confuse her.””
I laughed once.
“You didn’t want to confuse her?””
I shook my head.
“You built an entire life around lies, and now you’re worried about confusion?””
He started saying my name.
I ended the call.
Afterward, I sat in silence.
Evelyn waited.
Finally, she said:
“There’s one more thing you should know.””
I looked at her.
“What?””
She turned her laptop around.
A document appeared.
“I found a transfer made shortly before you left.””
My eyes narrowed.
“What kind of transfer?””
“A large one.””
“How large?””
She looked at me.
“$40,000.””
My stomach dropped.
“Where did it go?””
She clicked.
The recipient appeared.
My heart stopped.
Because it wasn’t Hannah.
It wasn’t the company.
It wasn’t a bank account I recognized.
It was a name I knew.
Someone from my own family.
I stared at the screen.
“No.””
Evelyn watched me carefully.
“Margaret?””
“That’s impossible.””
“Do you recognize the name?””
I nodded slowly.
Because I knew exactly who it belonged to.
Someone I trusted.
Someone who had comforted me after I left Brandon.
Someone who told me I deserved better.
My own sister.
Emily.
I looked at Evelyn.
“Why would she receive money from Brandon?””
Evelyn didn’t answer.
Because neither of us knew.
But as I stared at the transaction date, something felt wrong.
The transfer happened three days before my mother was accused of stealing the $10,500.
Three days before Brandon’s anger exploded.
Three days before he forced me to choose.
And suddenly, I realized something.
The night Brandon hit my mother wasn’t the beginning of his plan.
It was the moment his plan started falling apart.
May you like
Because someone else had been helping him.
And I was about to find out who.
