Chapter 4 - The Child He Tried to Use
Emily’s fear arrived like a physical blow.
Her hands became numb. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears.
Rachel was already reaching for her phone.
“Call the police,” Emily said.
“I am.”
“No,” Emily corrected, forcing herself to breathe. “Call Detective Harris. The one handling the financial case.”
Rachel nodded and moved quickly.
Daniel had taken Lily before. Not in this way, but emotionally.
He had canceled weekends with her because of “business emergencies.” He had promised to attend school plays and then sent flowers instead. He had been present just enough to call himself a father, but absent enough to make Lily constantly wait for him.
But taking her from school without Emily’s permission?
That was different.
That was a threat.
Emily called Daniel again.
He did not answer.
She called six more times.
Nothing.
Then a text arrived.
DANIEL: Meet me at the lake house. Alone. No police. No Rachel. We need to fix this before you destroy our family.
The lake house.
Daniel’s private retreat outside the city. He had bought it three years earlier and told Emily it was for “family weekends.” They had only gone twice.
Vanessa had gone far more often.
Emily knew because she had found the charges.
Rachel shook her head when she saw the message.
“You cannot go alone.”
“He has Lily.”
“He wants you terrified and isolated.”
“And if I don’t go?”
Rachel looked at her with sympathy and steel.
“Then we make sure he cannot hurt either of you.”
Detective Harris arrived twenty minutes later with a small team.
He was a quiet man in his fifties, with tired eyes and a reputation for being impossible to intimidate.
“This is not a custody disagreement anymore,” he told Emily. “Daniel Carter is under investigation for financial crimes. He has removed your daughter from school without authorization and is using her location to pressure you.”
“Can you find him?”
“We’re working on it.”
Rachel pulled Emily aside.
“Daniel still has no access to the accounts, but he may have cash. He may be desperate.”
Emily stared at Daniel’s message.
“He doesn’t think he did anything wrong,” she said.
“No,” Rachel replied. “Men like Daniel often believe consequences are something that happens to other people.”
The police traced Daniel’s vehicle halfway to the lake house.
Then the signal disappeared.
He had abandoned the car.
Emily’s stomach sank.
“He’s smart enough to know we’d track it,” Detective Harris said.
Her phone rang again.
Daniel.
This time, she answered.
“Put Lily on the phone.”
Daniel sighed.
“You always make everything hostile.”
“Put my daughter on the phone.”
A pause.
Then Lily’s small voice came through.
“Mommy?”
Emily closed her eyes.
“Hi, sweetheart. Are you okay?”
“Daddy says we’re going on a trip.”
“No, baby. You’re not going anywhere. I need you to listen to me.”
Daniel took the phone back.
“That’s enough.”
“Daniel,” Emily said, her voice low, “if you hurt her—”
“I would never hurt my daughter.”
“But you’ll hurt me through her.”
He didn’t deny it.
Instead, he said, “Come to the lake house. You have one hour.”
The call ended.
Detective Harris looked at Emily.
“We have a location now.”
Emily reached for her coat.
Rachel stopped her.
“You don’t have to go in.”
“Yes,” Emily said. “I do.”
The lake house was surrounded by dark woods and heavy rain. Police vehicles waited out of sight on the access road.
Emily walked toward the front door alone.
Daniel opened it.
He looked exhausted, unshaven, and furious.
Behind him, Lily sat on the couch holding her stuffed rabbit.
The moment she saw Emily, she ran forward.
“Mommy!”
Emily dropped to her knees and caught her.
Daniel stood over them.
“You see?” he said. “She’s fine.”
Emily held Lily close.
“You used her to force me here.”
“I wanted to talk to my wife.”
“You don’t have a wife,” Emily whispered. “Not anymore.”
Daniel’s face twisted.
“You think you can take everything from me? My company? My home? My daughter?”
“No,” Emily said. “You gave those things away yourself.”
A siren sounded in the distance.
Daniel froze.
Emily had not come alone after all.
May you like
And this time, he had nowhere left to run.
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