Chapter 10
We moved into our new house two weeks later.
It was small.
A little cottage on the shore of Lake Michigan, an hour outside the city.
It had a big front porch.
A backyard big enough for a swing set and a garden.
A fireplace in the living room.
No bad memories.
No ghosts.
Just us.
We spent the first week painting the walls.
Putting together furniture.
Laughing at how bad we were at hanging curtains.
It was the first time in our marriage that the house felt like ours.
Truly ours.
No Margaret dropping by unannounced.
No Lila starting fights.
No lies.
No secrets.
Just quiet.
Peace.
One night, three months after we moved in, we were sitting on the front porch, watching the sunset over the lake.
Daniel had his arm around me.
I was leaning against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
It was steady.
Strong.
Alive.
We’d been through so much.
We’d almost lost each other.
A dozen times.
But we were here.
Together.
Daniel reached into his pocket.
He pulled out a small, velvet box.
My heart skipped a beat.
We were already married.
We had been for six years.
But I knew what this was.
He opened the box.
Inside was a new ring.
A simple, perfect diamond on a thin silver band.
Not the big, flashy one Margaret had helped him pick out all those years ago.
This one was us.
Simple.
Real.
“Emily,” he said.
His voice was soft.
Serious.
“The first time I asked you to marry me, I was a kid. I thought love was enough. I thought as long as we loved each other, nothing bad could ever happen. I was wrong. Love isn’t enough. Not if you don’t choose each other. Every single day. Not if you let other people come between you. Not if you don’t fight for each other, harder than you fight for anything else.”
He took my left hand.
He slipped the old ring off.
He put the new one on.
It fit perfectly.
“I’m asking you again,” he said. “Right here. Right now. Will you marry me? All over again. For real this time. No mothers. No sisters. No lies. No secrets. Just us. Choosing each other. Every day. For the rest of our lives.”
I kissed him.
Hard.
“Yes,” I said, crying. “A thousand times yes.”
We sat there for a long time, watching the sun go down.
Daniel’s hand rested on my stomach.
Softly.
Gently.
We hadn’t told anyone yet.
Not Mia.
Not Lila.
Not the doctor.
But I knew.
I’d known for a week.
The test was positive.
We were having a baby.
A little girl, we hoped.
Or a boy.
We didn’t care.
As long as it was ours.
Healthy.
Loved.
Daniel squeezed me a little tighter.
“Everything’s going to be okay now, isn’t it?” he said.
I smiled.
“Yeah,” I said. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
It was almost true.
Almost.
My phone buzzed on the porch rail beside me.
I picked it up.
It was a number I didn’t recognize.
A voicemail.
I hit play.
A woman’s voice came on.
Cold.
Familiar.
Even after all these months.
“Hello, Emily. It’s me. Margaret’s lawyer. I’m calling to let you know that before she died, Margaret filed a last-minute will. One that names Lila as the sole beneficiary of a $2 million life insurance policy she took out on Daniel three months ago. And in the event of Daniel’s accidental death… the money goes to a charity of my choice. Unless, of course, you and Daniel agree to drop all claims to the estate and the company. And sign a statement saying all the accusations against Margaret were lies. You have 30 days. If you don’t… well, accidents happen, don’t they? Just ask Richard. Just ask Daniel. I’d think very carefully about what you do next, Emily. Very carefully.”
The voicemail cut off.
I stared at the phone.
My blood ran cold.
Daniel felt me tense up.
“What is it?” he said.
I looked at him.
At his kind, trusting face.
At the ring on my finger.
At his hand resting on my stomach, where our baby was growing.
I thought about Margaret.
Dead and buried.
But still finding ways to hurt us.
Still finding ways to fight.
From the grave.
I deleted the voicemail.
I put the phone down.
I turned to Daniel and smiled.
“Nothing,” I said.
“Just spam.”
I leaned back against his chest.
I watched the last of the sun disappear behind the lake.
I knew then the fight wasn’t over.
Not by a long shot.
But this time was different.
This time, Daniel was on my side.
This time, we were a team.
This time, whatever came for us—whoever came for us—we’d face it together.
May you like
And we’d win.
No matter what.
