Chapter 14: The Daughter I Never Got to Raise
We didn’t leave Lauren’s house until the police arrived.
But even then, I knew something was wrong.
Because the police officers who came weren’t surprised.
They weren’t confused.
They weren’t asking enough questions.
They acted like they already knew what they were walking into.
Christopher noticed too.
The moment one of the officers mentioned Richard Cole’s name, his expression changed.
“How do you know him?”” Christopher asked.
The officer hesitated.
“Everyone knows Richard Cole.””
That answer bothered me.
Because it wasn’t an answer.
When we finally returned home, it was after midnight.
Again.
Another night where my life had changed.
Another night where sleep felt impossible.
I carried Daisy upstairs.
Christopher followed.
But this time, he stopped at the nursery door.
He watched me place her in the crib.
“You love her.””
I didn’t turn around.
“Yes.””
The answer surprised even me.
Because it was true.
I loved her.
Not because she was connected to Christopher.
Not because she was the daughter I had always wanted.
But because she was Daisy.
A tiny person who had entered my life needing someone.
“She’s yours,” Christopher whispered.
I looked at him.
“No.””
His face changed.
“What?””
“She’s not mine because of paperwork.””
I looked back at the crib.
“She’s mine because I’m choosing her.””
A tear fell down his face.
“She would have loved you.””
I froze.
“Who?””
“Lauren.””
I looked at him.
“Why?””
“Because you’re everything she wished she could have given Daisy.””
The words hurt.
Because I knew what I had.
And I knew what Lauren lost.
That night, after Christopher finally fell asleep, I stayed beside Daisy.
I watched her breathe.
I thought about the daughter I had imagined for twenty-two years.
I had pictured birthday parties.
School dances.
Shopping trips.
Graduations.
I had imagined teaching a little girl how to become a woman.
But life had given me something different.
Not a daughter who grew beside me.
A daughter who arrived carrying a mystery.
Around three in the morning, my phone buzzed.
A message.
From an unknown number.
I opened it.
My heart stopped.
It was a photograph.
A picture of me holding Daisy in the hospital.
Taken from a distance.
Below it were words.
YOU WERE WARNED.
My hands shook.
Someone had been watching.
Someone had been close enough to photograph us.
I immediately woke Christopher.
“Chris.””
He opened his eyes.
“What happened?””
I handed him the phone.
The moment he saw it, he sat up.
“We need to leave.””
“What?””
“Now.””
“Why?””
“Because they’re closer than we thought.””
I looked toward Daisy.
“Where would we go?””
“I don’t know.””
That answer terrified me.
Christopher always knew.
Now he didn’t.
A knock came downstairs.
Both of us froze.
Nobody knocked at three in the morning.
Christopher quietly grabbed the phone.
“Stay here.””
“No.””
He looked at me.
“Rebecca.””
“I’m done staying behind.””
He wanted to argue.
But he stopped.
Because he knew I was right.
We moved downstairs together.
The front door was slightly open.
I knew immediately.
We had locked it.
Christopher stepped forward.
Inside the house, everything looked normal.
Until we reached the kitchen.
The notebook.
The evidence.
The thing we had hidden in the locked drawer.
Was gone.
And sitting in its place was another item.
An old hospital bracelet.
Christopher picked it up.
His face changed.
“What?””
He handed it to me.
I read the name.
BABY GIRL BENNETT.
Then I noticed something written underneath.
Not Daisy’s name.
Another name.
A name that made Christopher step backward.
“Christopher?””
His voice was barely audible.
“That’s impossible.””
“What?””
He looked at the bracelet.
Then at me.
“That was my daughter’s name.””
I stared.
“Daughter?””
He nodded.
“The name Lauren wanted to give her.””
My heart raced.
“What was it?””
Christopher whispered:
“Emma.””
The room became silent.
Because Daisy had another name.
May you like
A name nobody had told us.
A name that had been hidden for twenty-two years.
