Chapter 8 - The file under the sofa
The blue file Ryan pulled from beneath the sofa had belonged to Megan.
After her death, Adam gave it to me.
Inside:
Birth certificate.
Paternity acknowledgment.
Custody order.
School records.
Photographs.
A list of Ryan’s doctors.
Insurance information.
Copies of my visitation calendar.
No secret inheritance.
No hidden fortune.
A parent file.
Ryan took it from my apartment the morning of the incident.
He said:
“If you won’t tell her, I will.”
I panicked.
I drove him to the mansion anyway.
Why?
Because I finally intended to tell Claire.
I called and said:
“I’m bringing someone home. We need to talk.”
Claire thought:
Business associate?
Relative?
I did not clarify.
When we arrived, Lily ran downstairs.
Ryan had met her only in photographs.
She had never seen him.
He looked at her as though she had personally occupied the life he was owed.
Claire asked:
“Who’s this?”
I said:
“Ryan. His mother recently died. I’ve been helping the family.”
True.
And cowardly.
Then Claire’s phone rang.
She stepped into the kitchen.
Ryan whispered:
“You’re doing it again.”
I said:
“Give me ten minutes.”
He shoved the file under the sofa cushion because he was afraid I would take it.
May you like
Then Lily began showing him the house.
She did not know she was walking through a minefield.
