Chapter 12 - LILY CALDWELL
Victor knew the name.
Henry Caldwell was one of the wealthy men in Daniel’s timeline.
The man who died of a stroke after Serena moved into his house.
Victor stared at Lily.
“You’re his daughter?”
“Stepdaughter,” she said. “My mother married Henry when I was seventeen.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because nobody hires the girl who once accused a rich woman of trying to poison her stepfather.”
The room went silent.
Lily sat down.
She explained that Serena had entered Henry’s life after Lily’s mother died. At first Serena was attentive and gentle. Then Henry began having unexplained dizziness, confusion, and blackouts.
Doctors blamed stress.
Lily blamed Serena.
“I found crushed pills in his coffee one morning.”
Victor’s voice was barely audible. “What pills?”
“Blood-pressure medication. Not his prescription.”
“Did you call police?”
“Yes. Serena said I planted them. Henry believed her.”
Henry died six months later.
The official cause was stroke.
Lily changed her last name after college because every search result tied her to what newspapers called a ‘family inheritance dispute.’
“You took this job because of Serena?” Victor asked.
“No. I didn’t know she was here until my second interview.”
“Why stay?”
Lily looked toward Ethan.
“Because when I saw her holding your son, I knew what she was capable of.”
Victor should have been angry about the hidden identity.
Instead he felt sick with the weight of what Lily had risked.
Detective Ellis entered carrying a folder.
“We got a preliminary result on the medication bottle.”
Victor stood.
Mara opened the file.
“The pharmacy never filled that prescription.”
Lily frowned. “Then where did the bottle come from?”
Mara looked at Victor.
“Someone printed a fake pharmacy label.”
“And what was actually inside?”
May you like
Mara’s expression hardened.
“A sedative strong enough to put a toddler in the hospital.”
