Chapter 3 - The Call from Sarah
I didn’t sleep that night.
I lay in bed next to Emma, staring at the ceiling while the fan turned slow circles above us.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw it again.
Cake in her face.
Mark laughing.
Emma’s small voice saying she wasn't my real daughter.
I replayed eight years of memories in my head, looking for the clues I’d missed.
Around three in the morning, Emma stirred and asked if Daddy was gone.
I told her he was at Grandma's house for a while.
She asked if he was coming back, and I honestly didn't know the answer.
Emma whispered that she didn't want him to come back if Grandma came too.
My heart cracked a little more as I assured her Grandma was never coming back.
The next morning, Mark texted me repeatedly, begging for a chance to talk.
I ignored him.
Linda texted too, calling me ridiculous and demanding I stop punishing an old woman for a harmless mistake.
I blocked her number.
I made pancakes with sprinkles for Emma, trying to bring some normalcy back to our lives.
But she was too quiet.
She asked to see the adoption papers, mentioning they were in Daddy's safe in the closet.
I didn't know about any safe.
I told her we would find them and read them together.
As I was cleaning up, my phone buzzed with an unknown number.
It was Sarah, Mark's first wife.
My blood turned to ice.
She told me Mark had called her and she felt I deserved the truth.
She revealed that Emma wasn't adopted at all.
May you like
The pantry spun around me as I grabbed a shelf to stay upright.
She explained that Emma was Mark's biological daughter.
