Chương 6
The sadness in his voice was impossible to ignore.
“You really care about her.”
Daniel swallowed.
“She is the most important person in my life.”
Evelyn looked away.
Because those words were exactly what made everything harder.
If Daniel had been cruel, it would have been easier.
If he had been selfish, it would have been easier.
But he was someone who had made painful choices while believing he was protecting a child.
A person could do the wrong thing for reasons that were not entirely wrong.
Evelyn understood that.
But she still needed answers.
“What else is in those documents?”
Daniel looked at the papers in her hands.
“One more thing.”
“What?”
His expression became serious again.
“Something about who Lily's biological family really is.”
Evelyn felt her heartbeat change.
The question she had avoided asking finally reached her.
“Are you saying someone lied about that?”
Daniel nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
“And you know who?”
“I know enough to believe the truth is close.”
Evelyn looked toward Lily.
The little girl smiled faintly when she saw them looking at her.
That innocent smile made the weight of the secret almost unbearable.
Evelyn turned back to Daniel.
“Then we find the truth.”
Daniel nodded.
“Together.”
She did not answer immediately.
Trust would not return because of one conversation.
Three years of silence could not disappear overnight.
But for Lily's sake, she knew they could not keep living inside a mystery.
The three of them had entered the hallway carrying anger, fear, and confusion.
Now they stood there carrying something different.
A possibility.
A chance to finally uncover what had been hidden.
Daniel looked at the documents one more time.
“There is someone we need to talk to.”
Evelyn's eyes narrowed.
“Who?”
Daniel took a breath.
“The person who started the lie.”
The person who started the lie.
Evelyn felt a chill move through her despite the warmth of the hallway.
For years, she had believed the pain in her family came from circumstances nobody could control.
Now she was beginning to understand that some of the pain came from choices people had made.
“Who is it?” she asked.
Daniel looked toward the banquet hall doors.
“Someone who has been close to Lily since the beginning.”
Evelyn's expression tightened.
“Someone I know.”
Daniel nodded.
“Yes.”
The answer was enough to make her heart sink.
There were only a few people she had trusted completely.
Only a few people who had been present during the most important moments of Lily's life.
“Tell me the name.”
Daniel remained silent for a moment.
Not because he did not know.
Because he knew saying it would change the way Evelyn looked at someone forever.
“It was Margaret.”
Evelyn froze.
The hallway suddenly felt smaller.
“Margaret?”
Daniel nodded.
“She knew more than she ever admitted.”
Evelyn looked away.
Her memories immediately began searching through years of conversations, moments, and small details she had ignored.
Margaret had always appeared helpful.
She had always been the person with answers when everyone else was confused.
She had always been there when Evelyn needed support.
“No,” Evelyn whispered.
Daniel watched her carefully.
“I know it is difficult to accept.”
“You are accusing her.”
“I am telling you what I found.”
Evelyn looked back at him.
“What exactly did you find?”
Daniel reached into the envelope again.
“This.”
He handed her another set of papers.
Evelyn looked through them slowly.
The more she read, the more her expression changed.
There were messages.
Records.
Notes from conversations.
Pieces of information that connected in ways she had never imagined.
“She knew,” Evelyn said quietly.
Daniel nodded.
“She knew.”
Evelyn's hands began to tremble.
“Why would she do this?”
Daniel shook his head.
“I don't know.”
“She was supposed to help us.”
“I know.”
“She was supposed to protect Lily.”
“I know.”
The repetition made the pain stronger.
Because Daniel was not trying to defend Margaret.
He was acknowledging the betrayal.
Evelyn looked toward the bench where Lily sat.
The little girl was quietly playing with the ribbon on her dress.
She looked peaceful.
She looked unaware of how many adults had made decisions around her.
Evelyn's heart hurt.
She had spent years trying to create a world where Lily felt safe.
But behind that world were secrets she never knew existed.
Daniel lowered his voice.
“There is something else.”
Evelyn looked at him.
“What?”
“Margaret did not act alone.”
The words made her go still.
“What does that mean?”
Daniel hesitated.
“It means there were other people involved.”
Evelyn closed her eyes briefly.
She had thought finding one person responsible would bring answers.
Instead, every answer seemed to open another door.
“How many people knew?”
Daniel looked serious.
“I don't know.”
“But you have an idea.”
“Yes.”
Evelyn waited.
Daniel looked at Lily.
“More people than we should have.”
The sadness in his voice revealed how much that bothered him.
Evelyn walked slowly toward the bench.
She sat beside Lily and gently fixed the girl's dress.
“Are you tired, sweetheart?”
Lily shook her head.
“I just want to know why everyone is sad.”
Evelyn looked at her.
There was no easy answer.
So she chose the honest one.
“Sometimes grown-ups make mistakes that take a long time to understand.”
Lily thought about that.
“Did you make a mistake?”
The question caught Evelyn off guard.
She looked down.
“Yes.”
She answered softly.
“Everyone does.”
Lily nodded.
“Can people fix mistakes?”
Evelyn looked across the hallway at Daniel.
He was watching them quietly.
“Yes,” she said.
“But fixing them can take time.”
Lily seemed satisfied with that answer.
She leaned against Evelyn's shoulder.
Daniel looked away for a moment, hiding his emotion.
Seeing Lily trust Evelyn so completely reminded him why the truth mattered.
Children should not inherit the consequences of adult secrets.
After a few moments, Evelyn stood.
“We need to find Margaret.”
Daniel nodded.
“She will not tell us everything easily.”
“I know.”
Evelyn's voice became stronger.
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“But she will tell us.”
Daniel noticed the change in her expression.
