Chapter 4 - The Midnight Visitor
The sudden, aggressive knocking on the penthouse door froze all three of them in place. Lily whimpered softly, burying her face into the crook of Ivy’s neck. Daniel walked swiftly toward the entryway, his footsteps heavy against the wooden floorboards. He glanced through the digital peephole, and his muscles instantly locked into a defensive posture.
It wasn't Eleanor. It was Richard, Eleanor’s husband, standing alone in the dim hallway, his tie loosened and his posture slumped with exhaustion.
Daniel pulled the door open just enough to block the entrance, his broad shoulders filling the gap. "What do you want, Richard? If Eleanor sent you—"
"Eleanor didn't send me," Richard interrupted, his voice raspy and defeated. He looked older than his fifty-five years, the expensive wedding tuxedo looking like a costume on his tired frame. "May I come in, Daniel? Just for five minutes. Please."
Ivy stepped into the hallway from the living room, her face pale. "Don't trust him, Daniel. He always covers for her."
"I’m not covering for her anymore," Richard said quietly, holding up his empty hands to show he meant no harm. "Ivy... I watched her destroy your life six years ago, and I stayed silent because I was a coward. I won't be a coward tonight."
Daniel hesitated, his instincts warring with his desire for the truth. Finally, he stepped aside and pulled the door open wider. "Ten minutes, Richard. Then you leave."
Richard stepped into the foyer, looking around awkwardly before his eyes landed on Lily, who was peering at him cautiously from behind the kitchen island. A wave of deep remorse washed over the older man's face. He pulled a thick manila envelope from inside his suit jacket and placed it gently on the entryway console table.
"What is that?" Ivy asked, stepping closer while keeping Lily safely behind her.
"Proof," Richard replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "Everything Eleanor did. The bank statements showing the bribes she paid to forge your signature. The medical clinic records she falsified. The emails she sent to Daniel’s private inbox pretending to be you, telling him you never wanted to see him again."
Daniel stepped forward, his hand hovering over the envelope. He looked at Richard with a mixture of disbelief and burning anger. "Why are you giving this to us now? Why didn't you stop her at the wedding?"
"At the wedding, I was still under her thumb," Richard admitted, looking down at his polished shoes. "When you announced that Ivy was your daughter and walked out, something inside me broke. I looked at Eleanor’s face, and I didn't see a wife anymore. I saw a tyrant who destroyed her own family for the sake of social status."
Richard turned toward the door, his hand resting on the brass handle. He paused, looking back over his shoulder.
May you like
"She’s already filing an emergency grandparent's custody petition for Lily," Richard warned quietly. "You have less than twelve hours before her lawyers ambush you."
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