Chapter 19 - The Letter He Couldn't Hide
The envelope contained no hidden fortune and no secret marriage. It held a copy of a letter Wallace had written to me, then ordered Pierce to deliver. Pierce never did.
"Dear Grace," it began, "I made you afraid of losing your child because I was afraid of losing control of my son. I have no excuse. I am prepared to admit under oath what I did, if you ever choose to pursue it."
He had included the contact information for an independent attorney and instructed Pierce to release documents confirming that no theft had occurred.
He died before the letter reached me. Pierce had withheld it, afraid the admission would expose his role. Victoria had used what she knew to pressure him into helping redirect the trust money.
I read it once, then put it down.
"Does it help?" Nathan asked.
"It helps prove I wasn't lying. It doesn't give Lily back her first four years with you."
"No," he said. "Nothing does."
Investigators filed charges connected to the assault, forged documents, and attempted financial fraud. Pierce's cooperation didn't erase what he had done. Victoria's lawyers contested the allegations; the criminal case would take months. I wanted a fair investigation, not a spectacle.
The independent paternity test came back with an overwhelming match. Nathan was Lily's biological father. The trust's administrators recognized her eligibility and, under court supervision, began restoring funds that had been improperly moved. Lily's share would be managed by an independent trustee, not by Nathan, me, or any future spouse.
One evening, Nathan arrived for the first of many planned visits at the community center where Lily liked to paint. He had been taking a parenting class. He knew the name of her favorite teacher and remembered that she didn't like the crusts on her sandwiches.
Lily handed him a drawing of a house with three windows and two front doors.
"Why two doors?" he asked.
May you like
"So everybody can come in when they're ready," she answered.
Then she looked at me. "Mommy, there's something I need to ask Daddy. But I'm scared of his answer."
