Chapter 4: The Call I Was Never Supposed to Answer
The voice on the other end of the phone belonged to a stranger.
But the fear on Simone’s face told me he wasn’t a stranger to her.
“Who is this?”” I asked.
The man didn’t answer immediately.
I could hear breathing.
Heavy.
Uncertain.
Like he had been carrying something for a long time and was finally deciding whether to put it down.
“Darius, my name is Andre Coleman.””
I glanced at Simone.
Her eyes widened.
“No,” she whispered.
That one word was enough.
Not confusion.
Not surprise.
Fear.
“Do you know him?”” I asked.
Simone stepped forward.
“Don’t listen to him.””
My grip tightened around the phone.
“Why?””
“Because he’s trying to ruin us.””
The man on the phone heard her.
“You see?”” Andre said quietly.
“She’s still doing it.””
“Doing what?”” I asked.
Simone reached toward me.
“Darius, please.””
I stepped back.
That hurt her.
I could see it.
But not as much as it hurt me to realize I had spent years learning how to protect my daughter while failing to notice someone needed protection from the person I trusted.
“Tell me who he is,” I said.
Simone shook her head.
“It’s complicated.””
“Then make it simple.””
She looked away.
Andre spoke again.
“I worked with Simone.””
I waited.
“Where?””
“At the company where she used to manage events.””
Simone’s face changed.
Used to.
That was a detail I didn’t know.
“What does this have to do with Lily?”” I asked.
The silence on the line lasted too long.
Then Andre answered.
“She told people she had a problem with your daughter.””
My stomach dropped.
“What problem?””
Simone immediately interrupted.
“That’s not true.””
Andre continued.
“She said Lily was going to make things harder.””
I looked at Simone.
“What does that mean?””
She didn’t answer.
The room suddenly felt smaller.
The mirrors.
The lights.
The flowers.
Everything that had looked beautiful an hour ago now felt like a stage set for a performance.
“Darius,” Simone said softly, “please don’t let a stranger come between us.””
I almost couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“A stranger?””
“Yes.””
“You’re worried about him coming between us?””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I’m worried about losing you.””
I looked at Lily.
She was watching everything.
Children always know when adults are lying.
They may not understand the details.
But they understand the feeling.
Andre spoke again.
“I called because I saw what she was doing.””
“What she was doing?””
“With Lily.””
My jaw tightened.
“Explain.””
Andre took a breath.
“Before today, she asked me questions.””
“What kind of questions?””
“About custody.””
The word hit the room like a glass breaking.
Custody.
I stared at Simone.
“What?””
She immediately shook her head.
“No.””
Andre continued.
“She wanted to know how difficult it would be if a father lost primary custody.””
My heart started pounding.
“That’s insane.””
“I know.””
“Why would she ask that?””
Nobody spoke.
Then Simone whispered:
“Because I was scared.””
I turned toward her.
“Scared of what?””
She wiped a tear from her cheek.
“Scared that after we got married, you would always choose Lily over me.””
The honesty should have helped.
It didn’t.
Because the answer was worse than a lie.
She wasn’t scared of losing me.
She was scared she wouldn’t be the center of my life.
And my daughter had been standing in the way.
I looked at Lily.
She was holding Nia’s hand.
Her eyes were fixed on the floor.
She had heard everything.
I crouched down.
“Lily.””
She looked up.
“Did Simone ever talk to you about me?””
She hesitated.
That hesitation hurt.
“Sometimes.””
“What did she say?””
Lily looked at Simone.
Then at me.
“She said when people get married, things change.””
My chest tightened.
“What else?””
“She said you wouldn’t have as much time for me.””
Simone closed her eyes.
“Darius…”
I stood.
“No.””
She stopped.
“You don’t get to explain this away.””
“I never wanted to hurt her.””
“But you did.””
The words came out quietly.
That made them heavier.
Nia moved closer to Lily.
“Darius, we should go.””
She was right.
Every instinct I had was screaming to get my daughter out of that room.
But before I could move, Andre said something else.
“Darius.””
“What?””
“There’s one more thing.””
I looked at the phone.
“What?””
A pause.
Then:
“She didn’t just ask about custody.””
My stomach turned.
“What else?””
“She asked how someone could make a child feel unwanted without leaving evidence.””
Nobody moved.
Not even Simone.
The only sound was Lily crying softly.
I looked at the woman in the wedding dress.
The woman who had promised to love my daughter.
And I finally understood why the haircut hurt so much.
It wasn’t about hair.
It was about a message.
A seven-year-old girl had been told, in the most painful way possible, that she needed to become someone else to deserve her own family.
I ended the call.
Slowly.
Simone looked at me.
“Darius…”
I shook my head.
“I need the truth.””
“You have it.””
“No.””
I looked at the clippers sitting on the table.
“I have pieces.””
Then I picked up Lily’s flower basket.
“We’re leaving.””
Simone stepped forward.
“Please don’t do this.””
I stopped.
Because the next thing she said changed the way I saw the entire morning.
“Your daughter was never supposed to be the problem.””
I turned around.
“What does that mean?””
Simone’s face went pale.
Like she had said something she didn’t mean to say.
And before she could explain, another voice came from the hallway.
May you like
A woman’s voice.
“Because Simone had a different plan for today.””
