Chapter 9 - THE FIGHT
Daniel swung first.
Eric ducked.
Daniel’s fist missed his face and hit the edge of a chair.
People screamed.
My father pulled me backward.
Daniel lunged again.
Eric shoved him away.
“Get control of yourself.”
“You ruined my life!”
Eric laughed.
“I didn’t sleep with your wife.”
Daniel attacked him again.
This time two hotel employees grabbed Daniel from behind.
He fought them.
“Let go of me!”
Margaret was crying.
“Daniel, stop!”
The baby screamed louder.
Lily woke up too.
Two infants crying while two families watched Daniel come apart.
I took Lily from my mother.
She pressed her face into my chest.
That instantly ended whatever satisfaction I might have felt.
This was not victory.
It was damage.
Necessary damage.
But damage.
Eric pointed at Daniel.
“You want to know who destroyed your life? Look in a mirror.”
Daniel stopped fighting.
His face was red.
His hand was bleeding.
Then Chloe said,
“Eric isn’t the father.”
Daniel laughed wildly.
“I already know that.”
She swallowed.
“The father is someone you know.”
Daniel went still.
So did Eric.
I hadn’t known that.
Chloe looked at Daniel.
“It happened once.”
“Who?”
She cried silently.
“Chloe.”
His voice was low now.
Dangerously low.
“Who?”
She whispered the name.
“Ryan.”
Daniel blinked.
His cousin Ryan.
His best man at our wedding.
The man who had stood beside Daniel during his baptism speech an hour earlier.
Every face turned toward Ryan’s empty chair.
Daniel laughed once.
A broken sound.
“No.”
Chloe said nothing.
“No.”
She looked down.
Daniel backed away.
“Ryan?”
Eric looked almost impressed by the disaster.
Margaret sat down hard.
Daniel’s father swore.
Then Daniel grabbed his phone.
I knew exactly who he was calling.
Ryan answered on speaker.
“Hey, man.”
Daniel said,
“Did you sleep with Chloe?”
Silence.
Then,
“What?”
“Did you sleep with Chloe?”
A longer silence.
Ryan sighed.
“Daniel, where are you?”
Daniel’s face collapsed.
That was the answer.
“You son of a bitch.”
“Listen—”
Daniel threw the phone against the wall.
It shattered.
The hotel manager stepped forward.
“Sir, I need you to leave.”
Daniel turned toward me.
Suddenly, all the rage had a new target.
“You did this.”
I hugged Lily tighter.
“No.”
“You brought them here.”
“I didn’t.”
“You planned this!”
“I planned to show your parents the truth. Everything after that belongs to you.”
He pointed at me.
“You ruined my reputation.”
His father snapped,
“Your reputation?”
Daniel ignored him.
“You wanted to humiliate me.”
I looked straight into his eyes.
“You used our daughter’s medical savings to pay another woman’s hospital bills.”
His jaw tightened.
“You were planning to take Lily from me by pretending I was unstable.”
He said nothing.
“You changed your life insurance beneficiary.”
Nothing.
“You planned to leave after the baptism.”
Still nothing.
“So don’t stand there and tell me I ruined you.”
I stepped closer.
“You did that all by yourself.”
Daniel stared at me.
Then his expression changed.
The anger disappeared.
He became calm.
Too calm.
“Fine.”
He adjusted his jacket.
“You want a divorce?”
“Yes.”
“Then you’ll get one.”
He smiled.
“But you’re not taking Lily.”
My stomach turned.
I knew that smile.
It was the same one he wore when he thought he was in control.
Then he reached into his jacket pocket.
Pulled out a flash drive.
May you like
And said,
“I have months of recordings proving exactly what kind of mother you are.”
