Chapter 13 - THE EVIDENCE AGAINST ME
I stared at the piece of paper in the officer’s hand.
My name was written across the top.
My handwriting.
My signature.
Or at least…
That was what it looked like.
“What is that?” I asked.
The officer studied my face.
“We found it inside the garage.”
I took a step closer.
“Can I see it?”
He hesitated.
Then he handed it to me.
The second my fingers touched the paper, my stomach dropped.
Because whoever created this…
knew me.
The handwriting looked almost perfect.
The signature looked almost perfect.
But I knew one thing.
I never wrote it.
“This isn’t mine.”
The officer looked at me.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
My voice became stronger.
“I have never written this.”
Tove stood behind the officers.
Quiet.
Watching.
Almost relieved.
And that scared me more than anything.
Because she wasn’t surprised.
She wasn’t confused.
She looked like someone waiting for a plan to work.
Rachel arrived twenty minutes later.
The moment she saw the paper, her expression changed.
“This is what they wanted.”
The officer looked at her.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Mr. Cullen’s attorney.”
She examined the paper carefully.
Then looked at me.
“Don’t say anything else until we understand what happened.”
I nodded.
But inside, I was screaming.
Because I knew exactly what was happening.
They were building a story.
A story where I was the problem.
A story where I was the dangerous parent.
A story where Tove was the victim.
The next morning, everything got worse.
The news spread quickly.
Not the truth.
The version Tove wanted people to believe.
A headline appeared online.
Father Investigated After Disturbing Incident Involving Young Daughter
I stared at the screen.
My hands shook.
“This is impossible.”
Rachel sat across from me.
“No.”
She looked serious.
“This was planned.”
“How?”
“She created doubt.”
I looked at her.
“She made people question you before anyone knew the facts.”
I felt exhausted.
Because that was the part that hurt the most.
People believed the story before they knew my daughter.
Before they knew Mireya’s fear.
Before they knew what happened in that house.
Then my phone rang.
The number was unknown.
I answered.
“Hello?”
A voice whispered.
“Cullen?”
I froze.
“Who is this?”
“It’s someone who knows what Tove did.”
My heart started racing.
“What do you mean?”
A pause.
Then the person said:
“I was there the night she threw the inhaler.”
I stood up.
“Who are you?”
But the call ended.
I looked at Rachel.
“She knows someone.”
“Can you trace it?”
She shook her head.
“No.”
Then my phone received a message.
A photo.
A woman standing outside my house.
A woman I recognized.
Tove’s old assistant.
May you like
And underneath the picture were five words.
She knows the whole story.
