I laughed.

“A little late.”

“Then don’t confront anyone else.”

The police investigation moved slowly.

Real investigations do.

Days passed.

Then weeks.

Every piece made it uglier.

The fake certificate wasn’t some bad Photoshop job.

Whoever made it had copied formatting from legitimate records.

The number belonged to a real filing, just not ours.

A person who had produced forged documents for Elaine years earlier eventually cooperated.

Bank records showed Elaine paid him.

Another transaction connected Daniel to part of the payment.

Then investigators recovered archived messages.

Rachel sat beside me when I read them.

Elaine:

Make it convincing. She notices details.

The man:

Why not just file a real license?

Elaine:

Because we don’t know whether she can give Daniel a son.

The man:

Does Daniel know?

Elaine:

Of course.

Another message came from Daniel.

Use the same county format. I don’t want her asking questions.

I read that one three times.

Rachel touched the paper.

“You don’t have to keep reading right now.”

“I do.”

There was more.

Elaine:

If the pregnancy goes well, we can decide later.

Daniel:

She thinks everything is done.

Elaine:

Good. Keep it that way.

At the time those messages were sent, I was twenty weeks pregnant with Lily.

They had already decided my value depended on what came out of my body.

I went to the bathroom and threw up.

Daniel called constantly after he realized investigators had the messages.

I blocked him.

Then he emailed.

I never wanted to hurt you.

I deleted it.

Another arrived.

What we had was real even if the paperwork wasn’t.

Deleted.

Then:

I loved you. I still do.

I kept that one.

Not because I believed it.

Because Rachel told me to preserve everything.

Elaine was called in for questioning.

Before she went, she called me twenty-seven times.

When I didn’t answer, she came to my apartment.

My doorbell camera alerted me.

I watched her stand outside in a beige coat with her handbag clutched under one arm.

I did not open the door.

“What do you want?”

I spoke through the intercom.

She looked directly into the camera.

“Claire, this has gone far enough.”

I almost laughed.

“You came to the wrong address if you want sympathy.”

“This is a family matter.”

“No. It became a police matter when you paid somebody to forge a marriage record.”

Her face tightened.

“You always make everything dramatic.”

“You created a fake legal document.”

“Because you wouldn’t stop pressuring Daniel about marriage.”

I stared at the screen.

“I was pregnant with his child.”

“Exactly.”

Her tone was so matter-of-fact that it scared me more than anger would have.

“Daniel was at an important stage in his career. The family business was changing. His grandfather expected the Price name to continue.”

“Lily was a Price.”

Elaine sighed.

“You know what I mean.”

“No. Say it.”

“Claire.”

“Say it.”

Her patience snapped.

“A daughter was not what the family needed.”

I had expected the answer.

It still hurt.

Elaine continued.

“And after your complications, the doctors couldn’t promise you another pregnancy.”

“So you found Tessa.”

“Tessa was already pregnant.”

There it was.

Another piece.

Daniel had been sleeping with her before Lily died.

“How long?”

Elaine looked away.

“How long had you known?”

“A few months.”

I pressed my forehead to the wall beside the monitor.

“You knew while I was pregnant.”

“Yes.”

“You were helping her.”

“She needed help.”

“So did I.”

“You had always been independent.”

I almost choked.

That old excuse.

You’re strong.

You can handle things.

Tessa needed support.

Daniel needed protecting.

Elaine needed a grandson.

I was useful because I didn’t ask loudly enough.

“When I was in the hospital after Lily died, you told me your heart condition was acting up.”

“I wasn’t feeling well.”

“You were at Tessa’s hospital.”

Silence.

“You were holding Noah.”

Elaine’s mouth flattened.

“He was my grandson.”

“And Lily?”

“She was gone.”

Four words.

She was gone.

As if that erased her.

As if dead children stopped being children.

I sat down on the floor behind my door.

Elaine’s voice softened.

“Claire, listen to me.”

“No.”

“Tessa knows everything now.”

“Good.”

“She’s willing to move forward.”

I looked back at the screen.

“What?”

“She understands Daniel has history with you.”

I genuinely thought I had misunderstood.

Elaine continued.

“You and Daniel were together a long time. Nobody is denying that.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“Withdraw the complaint.”

“No.”

“Let the paperwork issue go.”

“It isn’t a paperwork issue.”

“Daniel can still take care of you.”

I felt cold.

“What does that mean?”

“Financially.”

She paused.

“And emotionally, if you both need that.”

My stomach turned.

“Emotionally.”

“He can spend time with you.”

I stared at her.

“A few nights a month?”

Elaine’s eyes shifted.

She actually had the nerve to look embarrassed.

“You don’t need to say it like that.”

“Like what?”