Chapter 1 - DON’T COME IN
The apartment door swung open.
Claire Bennett stepped inside holding a small birthday gift bag in one hand and a ring of keys in the other.
“Surprise—”
Lily rushed one step ahead.
Then stopped.
Her entire body went rigid.
“MOM! DON’T COME IN!”
Claire froze.
Lily spun around, grabbed her wrist with both hands, and pulled hard toward the hallway.
The gift bag nearly fell.
“Lily—what’s wrong?”
Her daughter shook her head violently.
“You can’t see this!”
Claire looked past her.
The apartment was supposed to be simple.
A company-paid place Daniel used three nights a week when work kept him downtown.
Small living room.
Laptop on a side table.
Warm lamp.
One bedroom.
Nothing unusual.
Except there was another doorway farther inside.
A child’s room.
Claire had never known a child’s room existed there.
Then she smelled something sharp.
Fresh paint.
Cleaning solvent.
Maybe adhesive.
Lily pointed inside with a trembling finger.
“Mom, please.”
Claire stepped around her.
Lily tried to hold her back.
Claire pulled free and moved one step farther.
Then she saw whatever Lily had seen.
The keys slipped from her hand.
They hit the floor.
“Oh my God.”
Lily covered her mouth and cried.
Claire reached backward and pulled her daughter close without taking her eyes off the room.
“Dad did this?” Lily whispered.
Claire could not answer.
Because the room beyond the doorway was almost identical to Lily’s bedroom at home.
Same pale walls.
Same owl-pattern pillow.
Same arrangement of books.
Same string of paper stars above the bed.
Same framed school photograph.
Same small wooden jewelry box Claire had bought Lily in Boston.
But the one at home was still there.
These were duplicates.
Then Claire noticed the birthday banner.
It was not for Lily.
A single name had been carefully painted across it.
EMMA.
And beneath it:
AGE NINE.
Claire stared.
Lily whispered:
“Who’s Emma?”
Claire had no idea.
Then the laptop on the side table chimed.
A calendar reminder appeared.
EMMA’S BIRTHDAY — 6:00 P.M.
Today.
May you like
The same day as Daniel’s birthday.
The day Claire and Lily had come to surprise him.
