Chapter 1: The Suitcase on the Lawn
The first thing Michael noticed when he pulled into the driveway was his daughter's suitcase lying in the middle of the lawn.
The second thing he noticed was Emily sitting beside it, barefoot, wearing the same sweatshirt she'd had on that morning.
And the third thing was his wife standing behind the front window, watching him like she'd been expecting this moment.
Michael slammed on the brakes.
"What the hell is going on?""
He barely remembered leaving the car running before rushing toward his seventeen-year-old daughter.
Emily looked up.
Her cheeks were wet, her eyes swollen, and her hands were wrapped around her knees.
"Dad?""
Michael dropped beside her.
"Sweetheart, why are you sitting outside?""
Emily glanced toward the house.
"Vanessa said I don't live here anymore.""
For several seconds, Michael couldn't speak.
He looked at the suitcase, then at the front door.
"Where's your phone?""
Emily swallowed.
"She took it.""
"Who took it?""
"Vanessa.""
The front door opened.
Vanessa appeared wearing a cream-colored sweater, perfectly arranged hair, and the expensive gold earrings Michael had bought her for their anniversary.
She looked irritated rather than embarrassed.
"Michael, you're home early.""
He stood slowly.
"Why is my daughter sitting outside with her belongings?""
Vanessa sighed.
"Please don't start.""
"Don't start what?""
"Making another scene over Emily.""
Michael stared at her.
"She's seventeen. Why is she outside?""
"Because she refuses to respect the rules of this house.""
Emily lowered her head.
Vanessa folded her arms.
"I've been dealing with her attitude for months. She ignores me, deliberately disobeys me, and makes every single day miserable.""
"That's not true," Emily whispered.
Vanessa immediately turned toward her.
"See? That's exactly what I'm talking about.""
Michael stepped between them.
"Vanessa, enough. Tell me what happened.""
His wife exhaled dramatically, as if he were the unreasonable one.
"I asked Emily to clean up the kitchen. She refused. Then I discovered she'd been going through my private things.""
Emily looked up sharply.
"I wasn't going through your things!""
"Then explain why you were in my bedroom.""
"I was looking for Mom's photograph.""
The air changed.
Michael's expression tightened.
Vanessa's face became noticeably colder.
"Your mother has been dead for six years, Emily. You cannot keep using her as an excuse for everything.""
Emily's lips trembled.
"I just wanted the picture Dad gave me.""
Michael looked at his daughter.
"What picture?""
"The one from the old wooden box in your closet. The one of Mom holding me when I was little.""
Vanessa laughed without humor.
"Convenient story.""
"Vanessa," Michael warned.
But she continued.
"Your daughter has become obsessed with your first wife. She keeps digging through old photographs, asking questions about things that happened before I came into this family, and making it impossible for us to have a normal marriage.""
Michael looked confused.
"She's allowed to remember her mother.""
"Remember her? Michael, she treats that woman like some kind of saint.""
Emily wiped her face.
"Because she was my mother.""
Vanessa stepped closer.
"And I'm the woman who has been taking care of you for six years.""
Emily stood suddenly.
"You told me you were throwing my mother's things away!""
Vanessa's eyes flashed.
"Watch your mouth.""
"You said she was a liar!""
"Emily!"" Michael raised his voice.
Both women fell silent.
He turned toward Vanessa.
"Did you throw her mother's belongings away?""
Vanessa hesitated.
"I removed some things that were cluttering the house.""
"Where are they?""
"I donated them.""
Emily made a small, broken sound.
"Her letters too?""
Michael turned.
"What letters?""
Emily looked at him with an expression he'd never seen before.
"Mom wrote letters. I found them in the attic last week. There were dozens of them.""
Vanessa's face lost some of its color.
Michael noticed.
"What letters, Vanessa?""
His wife quickly recovered.
"Old nonsense. Emily found some papers and decided to turn them into another emotional crisis.""
Emily shook her head.
"They weren't nonsense. They were letters Mom wrote to Dad.""
Michael felt something tighten in his chest.
"To me?""
Emily nodded.
"Some of them had your name on them.""
Vanessa took a step forward.
"Michael, please. She's manipulating you.""
He didn't look at her.
"Emily, where are those letters?""
"She took them.""
Michael slowly turned toward his wife.
"Give them back.""
Vanessa's jaw tightened.
"I threw them away.""
"All of them?""
"Yes.""
Emily covered her mouth.
Michael stared at Vanessa as though he were looking at a stranger.
Then he noticed something in Emily's hand.
A small silver locket.
He recognized it immediately.
It had belonged to Sarah, his first wife.
"Where did you get that?""
Emily held it against her chest.
"Mom gave it to me before she died.""
Vanessa's voice sharpened.
"She wasn't supposed to have that.""
Michael turned.
"What?""
Vanessa blinked.
For the first time that afternoon, she seemed to realize she'd said too much.
Emily looked between them.
"Mom told me never to let anyone take it.""
Michael knelt again.
"Sweetheart, what else did your mother tell you?""
Emily opened her mouth.
Then she looked at Vanessa.
Her stepmother's expression was no longer angry.
It was frightened.
"She told me that if I ever found the letters, I should ask you why you stopped looking for her.""
Michael went completely still.
Because six years earlier, when Sarah died, he'd been told something very different.
He had been told that she stopped writing because she wanted nothing more to do with him.
He had been told that she spent her final months refusing to see him.
And he'd believed it.
Michael stood.
"Vanessa, go inside.""
"Michael—"
"Now.""
She stared at him, then turned and disappeared through the front door.
Michael helped Emily pick up her suitcase.
"You aren't going anywhere, sweetheart.""
Emily's voice cracked.
"She said you agreed.""
Michael looked at her.
"I never agreed to that.""
"She said you told her I was becoming a problem.""
His stomach twisted.
He had said something similar once, during an argument about Emily's behavior.
But he'd never imagined Vanessa would use those words to throw his daughter out.
"Emily, listen to me. Whatever happened between the adults in this house, none of it makes you unwanted.""
She began crying.
He pulled her into his arms.
For a moment, she was six years old again, the little girl who used to fall asleep against his shoulder while Sarah read bedtime stories.
Then Emily whispered something that made his blood run cold.
"Dad, there's something else.""
He pulled back.
"What is it?""
Emily looked toward the upstairs window.
"I heard Vanessa on the phone this morning. She said she finally found what Mom had hidden.""
Michael frowned.
"What did she find?""
Emily reached into the pocket of her sweatshirt and pulled out a small folded piece of paper.
"She didn't find everything.""
Michael unfolded it.
There were only seven words written in Sarah's familiar handwriting.
Michael, if you're reading this, ask Vanessa about the hospital.
His fingers went numb.
May you like
Because Vanessa had told him for six years that she had never met Sarah.
And suddenly, Michael wasn't sure he'd ever known his wife at all.
