Chapter 5
The lawyer comes that afternoon.
His name is Mr. Henderson, and he's a serious man in a sharp suit with eyes that miss nothing. He listens intently as Ethan and I tell him everything—about Victoria's threats, about the forged evidence, about the seven years I spent in hiding.
When we finish, he leans back in his chair, steepling his fingers.
"This is... complicated," he says finally. "But not impossible. Victoria's actions constitute kidnapping, fraud, and emotional distress, at the very least. If we can prove what she did, she could face serious jail time."
Jail time.
The thought makes me feel strange. Part of me wants Victoria to suffer for everything she's done. But another part of me remembers the woman who was once Ethan's wife, who raised my daughter for seven years. It's complicated.
"What about custody?" Ethan asks. "Elena's rights as Lily's mother?"
Mr. Henderson nods. "We'll need to do a DNA test to establish maternity, but assuming that comes back positive, Elena has every right to be in Lily's life. Full custody, joint custody—we can argue for whatever arrangement is in the child's best interest."
He looks at me. "How involved do you want to be, Ms. Elena?"
"She's my daughter," I say without hesitation. "I want to be her mother. Fully. Completely. I missed seven years of her life. I don't want to miss another second."
Mr. Henderson nods. "Understood. We'll file for full custody, with reasonable visitation for Victoria if she requests it—though given her actions, the judge may limit that significantly, or deny it altogether."
"Visitation?" I say, my voice rising. "After everything she did? She stole my baby. She lied to all of us. She threatened to kill us!"
"I understand your concern," Mr. Henderson says calmly. "But the court will consider the fact that Victoria has been Lily's primary caregiver for seven years. They won't want to completely cut her out of Lily's life without good reason. That said, her actions in taking Lily and deceiving both of you will weigh heavily against her."
Ethan puts his hand on my arm, calming me.
"We'll fight this," he says. "Whatever it takes."
Mr. Henderson stands. "I'll start drawing up the paperwork. In the meantime, I'd suggest documenting everything. Any contact from Victoria, any memories you have of the threats, any evidence you can find. And for your safety, I'd recommend staying away from places where she might be."
After he leaves, the house feels heavy.
Lily has been playing in her room, unaware of the serious conversation happening downstairs. I go to check on her, finding her sitting on her bed, drawing in a sketchbook.
"Whatcha drawing?" I ask, sitting beside her.
She turns the book toward me. It's a picture of three people—two women and a man—holding hands. The woman on the left has long brown hair, like me. The man has dark hair, like Ethan. The woman on the right has blonde hair, like Victoria.
My heart aches.
"Who's that?" I ask gently.
"That's you," she says, pointing to the left woman. "That's Daddy. And that's... that's Victoria."
She looks up at me, her eyes big and serious.
"Is she bad?"
I take a deep breath, trying to find the right words. How do you explain something like this to a seven-year-old?
"Victoria made some very bad choices," I say carefully. "She hurt people. She hurt me. She hurt Daddy. And she lied to all of us."
Lily is quiet for a moment.
"But she was nice to me," she says softly. "She took me to the zoo. And bought me ice cream. And helped me with my homework."
Tears fill my eyes. I pull her close.
"I know, baby," I whisper. "I know she was. That's what makes this so hard. Sometimes people can be nice in some ways and do very bad things in other ways. It's confusing. And it's okay to feel sad about it."
Lily snuggles against me.
"Do you hate her?" she asks.
I think about Victoria. About the woman who stole my daughter, who destroyed my life, who made me spend seven years in fear. But I also think about the woman who raised Lily, who loved her in her own way, who was the only mother Lily knew for most of her life.
"I don't hate her," I say finally. "But I'm very angry at her. And I'm very sad about what she did."
Lily nods, like she understands.
"I'm sad too," she says.
We sit like that for a long time, holding each other.
Later that evening, as I'm helping Lily get ready for bed, my phone buzzes. It's a text from an unknown number.
My hands shake as I open it.
You think you've won? You have no idea what I'm capable of. I'm taking back what's mine.
May you like
I drop the phone, my heart pounding.
Victoria.
