Chapter 5 - The Evidence That Changed the Story AgainThe next morning, Willa sat at the breakfast table, slowly moving cereal around her bowl. The paper medal rested beside her cup. “Can Daddy have this later?” “That decision belongs to you.”
She considered my answer for several seconds. “I made it when I thought I was his only little girl.” “You are still his daughter.” “But I’m not his only child.” “Maybe not.”
She pushed the medal toward the center of the table. “Then he has to earn it first.”
Children often tell the truth plainly because adults have not yet taught them how to hide disappointment behind polite language.
Callum arrived at nine carrying a folder and two cups of coffee. He hugged Willa, waited until she went into the living room, and then followed me into the study.
“I limited the review to private records,” he said. “There has been no media contact.” “I do not want to ruin Everett’s life.”
Callum placed the folder on my desk. “Consequences are not the same as destruction, Laurel. Protecting someone from every result of their choices is not love.”
The words were difficult to hear because I knew they were true. Everett’s company had become financially careless. My family’s guarantees had protected him, but his own secrecy had created the crisis.
Then Callum handed me a second document. “Celeste Rowe is not legally married to Everett.”
I looked up. “He said their divorce might never have been completed.” “It was completed eight years ago. The records are valid.”
My confusion deepened. “Then she lied to him.” “It appears that way.”
“What about Camden?” Callum hesitated. “We found no legal acknowledgment of paternity, no court filing, and no confirmed test.”
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I stared at the page. “Everett has been supporting him for three years.” “That proves Everett believed the claim, not that the claim was true.”
My anger remained, but another feeling began to rise beside it. Everett had deceived me. Yet perhaps someone had also deceived him.
