“Why?” I asked, my voice rough. “Why now? After 18 years?”
“Why now?
After 18 years?”
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Lauren smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Because I want my daughters back. I want to give them the life they deserve.”
She pulled out a folded document and placed it on top of the envelope. “But there’s one condition.”
The room felt smaller suddenly, like the walls were closing in.
“What condition?” Emma asked, her voice trembling slightly.
Lauren’s smile widened. “It’s simple, darling. You can have all of this… the gowns, the money, everything. But you have to choose ME over your father.”
The words hung in the air like poison.
“But you have to choose
ME
over your father.”
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“You have to acknowledge publicly that he failed you,” she added. “That he kept you in poverty while I was out working to build a better future. That you’re choosing to come live with me because I can ACTUALLY provide for you.”
My hands clenched into fists at my sides. “You’re insane.”
“Am I?” She turned to face me, her expression triumphant. “I’m offering them an opportunity. What have you given them? A cramped apartment and some sewing lessons? Please!”
Emma reached for the document, her fingers brushing over it uncertainly. “Dad, what does it say?”
“You have to acknowledge publicly
that he failed you.”
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I took it from her, my hands shaking as I read the typed words aloud. It was a contract… stating that Emma and Clara would denounce me as an inadequate father and credit Lauren with their success and well-being.
“She wants you to sign away your relationship with me,” I said softly, my voice breaking. “In exchange for money.”
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