Maybe a neighbor.
Maybe Lily had heard something on television.
There were a hundred innocent explanations.
But my mind immediately chose the darkest one.
I swallowed hard.
“What does this man look like?”
Lily thought about it.
“He’s tall.”
Not helpful.
“He has dark hair.”
Still not helpful.
“And Mommy makes dinner for him.”
My fingers tightened around the coffee mug.
“Mommy makes him dinner?”
“Uh-huh.”
“All the time?”
Lily nodded enthusiastically.
Then she said the sentence that made the room feel like it was spinning.
“And he told me he’s my real daddy.”
I looked toward the staircase.
Melissa was still upstairs.
I could hear the hair dryer running.
My first instinct was to storm upstairs.
To demand answers.
To put Melissa’s phone on the table and tell her to unlock it.
But something stopped me.
If there really was another man, confronting Melissa immediately would give her time to warn him.
