Daniel held Emma’s letter against his chest.
He could barely bring himself to read the words written by the woman he had loved.
But Lily was watching him.
He knew he needed to be strong for her.
He slowly unfolded the letter again.
“My dearest Daniel,
If you’re reading this, it means something terrible has happened.
I know your heart, and I know you would never abandon us.
Please promise me one thing. If anything happens to me, find Lily and give her the life we dreamed of together.
Your daughter deserves to know how much her father loves her.
Don’t let anyone convince her that she was unwanted.
I love you.
Forever, Emma.”
Daniel covered his face and cried.
For five years, he had believed he had lost both his wife and his daughter.
Now he understood that Emma had wanted him to raise Lily.
But Margaret had taken that chance away.
Daniel turned toward her.
“Why did you do it?”
Margaret’s eyes filled with tears.
She finally stopped pretending.
“Because I was afraid.”
“Afraid of what?”
“Emma wanted to leave. She wanted to take Lily away from our family. I thought if you came back, I would lose my granddaughter forever.”
Daniel stared at her.
“So you told a little girl her father was dead?”
Margaret began crying.
“I didn’t know how to fix it anymore. Every year that passed made it harder to tell the truth.”
Lily slowly stepped toward her grandmother.
“Grandma?”
Margaret looked down.
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“Why did you tell me Daddy was dead?”
Margaret couldn’t answer.
Lily looked at Daniel and held his hand.
“I don’t want Daddy to die again.”
Daniel immediately pulled her into his arms.
“Listen to me, baby girl. Daddy isn’t going anywhere. I promise.”
But the story wasn’t over.
Rose suddenly approached Daniel with another document.
“There’s something Emma arranged before she died.”
Daniel looked at the paper.
It was a legal document appointing him as Lily’s guardian.
But there was something unusual.
At the bottom was a second signature.
Daniel recognized it immediately.
It belonged to someone who had been standing inside that ballroom all evening.
Someone who had known the truth.
Someone who had helped Margaret hide it.
Daniel slowly turned toward the crowd.
And his eyes landed on his own older brother.
