Chapter 4: The Secret Behind the Threat
Darius didn't move.
For several seconds, he simply stared at Vanessa while Lily held tightly to his hand.
“What did you tell my daughter?”” he finally asked.
Vanessa immediately shook her head.
“She's confused. She's six years old. Children misunderstand things.””
Darius crouched beside Lily.
“Sweetheart, look at me. You're not in trouble. Can you tell Daddy exactly what she said?””
Lily nodded, but her eyes kept moving toward Vanessa.
“She said Grandma was old and couldn't take care of me. She said you were always working, and when she got tired of me, she would send me somewhere far away.””
Margaret covered her mouth.
Lily continued.
“She said I shouldn't tell you because you would be sad. And she said if Grandma came to visit, she would tell you Grandma was stealing things.””
Darius slowly stood.
“Vanessa, answer me.””
His wife threw up her hands.
“This is absurd! I was trying to make her understand that she can't run to your mother every time she doesn't get her way.””
“You threatened to separate my daughter from her grandmother?””
“I never said that!””
Lily suddenly spoke.
“Yes, you did.””
Vanessa turned sharply.
“Lily, stop talking!””
The little girl flinched.
Darius stepped between them.
“Don't raise your voice at her again.””
Vanessa looked at him with disbelief.
“You're taking her word over mine?””
“I'm listening to my daughter.””
“Your daughter has been manipulating you since the day we got married!””
The words hung in the air.
Margaret took a step forward.
“She's six years old, Vanessa. What kind of person accuses a child of manipulating her own father?””
Vanessa grabbed her handbag.
“I'm done with this conversation.””
Darius pointed toward the sofa.
“Sit down. We're not finished.””
“I'm not your employee!””
“No. You're my wife. And I thought you were someone I could trust with my child's safety.””
Vanessa's expression hardened.
“You've made your choice.””
Darius didn't respond.
He carried Lily outside, helped her into the car, and asked Margaret to accompany them.
Before closing the door, he looked back at Vanessa.
“Don't touch anything in Lily's bedroom. Don't contact her school. And don't attempt to take her anywhere.””
Vanessa laughed bitterly.
“You can't keep me away from my own home.””
“Then don't give me another reason to involve the police.””
He closed the door.
Twenty minutes later, Lily was sitting in a pediatrician's examination room.
Dr. Evelyn Brooks was a kind woman in her fifties who had treated Lily since infancy.
When she saw the child's head, her expression became serious.
“Oh, sweetheart.””
She pulled a small stool closer.
“Can I take a look?””
Lily nodded.
Dr. Brooks examined her scalp carefully, checking for irritation, cuts, and signs of injury.
“There's some redness, but I don't see any serious cuts. We'll keep an eye on it.””
Darius stood beside the examination table.
“Will her hair grow back?””
“Yes. The follicles appear intact. It will take time, but she should have normal regrowth.””
Lily looked at him.
“Will I look pretty again?””
Darius immediately took her hand.
“You already look beautiful.””
Dr. Brooks smiled gently.
“Your hair doesn't decide how beautiful you are, Lily.””
The little girl considered that.
Then she asked, “Can I still wear my princess crown?””
“Absolutely.””
After the examination, Dr. Brooks asked Darius if he could speak with her privately.
Margaret stayed with Lily in the waiting area.
Inside the consultation room, the doctor closed the door.
“Darius, I need to ask you something.””
“Of course.””
“Has Lily been behaving differently at home recently?””
Darius frowned.
“What do you mean?””
“Has she become unusually quiet? Does she seem frightened when certain people approach her? Has she started apologizing excessively?””
Darius thought about the past few months.
He remembered Lily apologizing when she dropped a spoon.
Apologizing when she laughed too loudly.
Apologizing when she asked him to read another bedtime story.
He had thought she was simply growing more sensitive.
Now those memories felt different.
“She has been quieter,” he admitted.
Dr. Brooks nodded.
“Children sometimes communicate distress through behavior rather than words. I recommend speaking with a child therapist and documenting everything that has happened.””
Darius rubbed his forehead.
“I should have noticed.””
“Don't spend all your energy blaming yourself. Focus on making sure she feels safe now.””
He nodded.
But before he could leave, his phone vibrated.
A message from James appeared.
*URGENT: We found something concerning about the company receiving the transfers. Please call me.*
Darius stepped into the hallway.
“James, talk to me.””
His assistant sounded nervous.
“Sir, the company is registered under Victor Hayes, but there's something else. The payments weren't ordinary business transactions.””
“What were they?””
“Monthly transfers. Exactly the same amount. And the authorization documents contain a signature that appears to be yours.””
Darius stopped walking.
“I didn't authorize them.””
“I suspected that, sir. There's more. The company recently submitted paperwork connected to a property purchase.””
“What property?””
James hesitated.
“A residential property. The title is registered under Vanessa Carter.””
Darius closed his eyes.
“Send me everything.””
“I will.””
The call ended.
He stood motionless in the hallway.
His wife had been moving money out of their accounts while he trusted her to care for his daughter.
And now Lily had said Vanessa wanted to send her away.
Those two things suddenly seemed connected.
When Darius returned to the waiting room, Lily was drawing a picture.
She had drawn herself wearing a purple dress.
Above her head was a large yellow crown.
Beside her stood Darius and Margaret.
There was no Vanessa.
He sat beside her.
“That's beautiful, princess.””
Lily handed him the drawing.
“It's our family.””
Darius looked at the paper.
Then he noticed something written in small, uneven letters at the bottom.
He recognized Lily's handwriting.
*PLEASE DON'T LET HER SEND ME AWAY.*
His throat tightened.
He pulled her gently into his arms.
“I promise you're staying with me.””
But the promise was about to become much harder to keep.
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Because when James sent the property documents twenty minutes later, Darius discovered that Vanessa had already made arrangements to move Lily somewhere he would never have expected.
And the person helping her was someone Darius knew very well.
