Sal stopped again and cleared his throat. Roxie was mortified at these words being so casually spoken. She wanted to stop him, but it was like a runaway train, and nothing was going to put the brakes on it at this point.
“Then Lily was born. The moment the doctor placed her in my arms, my life changed. She was no longer an object to be used to get what I wanted. She was my darling little girl. She looked up at me with those perfect eyes, and she opened that tiny mouth and let out a squall like you wouldn’t believe. I fell in love for the first time in my life. I was in shock at how much I loved this tiny, screaming human.”
There was a smile in Sal’s voice as he read these words, and there was a smidgeon of hope in Roxie’s heart that her sister had truly felt love, maybe for the only time in her life.
“I knew then that I couldn’t tell Kian about the baby. If I did, he wouldn’t support me; he would take her away. Sure, he might throw some cash at me like a street bum, but he would take this precious girl away from me. He wouldn’t want his daughter to be raised by trash like me. So, I decided in that moment I was going to change my life. I was going to get a great job and take care of my Lily on my own. I was planning on telling both you, Roxie, and Kian about Lily when she was older. But I was so ashamed of what I’d done and who I had become that I had to do something with my life to make you both proud of me before I could do that. I was beginning to get back on track, too.”
Sal turned the page and continued.
“Then I met Greg. He was charismatic and said all the right things. I even thought I was actually falling in love with him. I hadn’t ever been with a man before that I didn’t want something from. But I got pregnant and things changed. He began hitting me, and I started to grow worried that he’d hurt Lily, so I broke it off. He’s threatened to kill me, and I’m writing this because I think he might actually do it. You know I made a lot of mistakes in the past, and I was afraid to go to the cops. I was afraid they’d take Lily from me. I know that’s stupid, and I’m trying to work up the courage to do just that, but my past has been so bad. I can do it for my baby girl, I know I can. I just need some time to figure it out. That is, if I have more time. I just don’t know.”
Sal had to pause as he cleared his throat.
“I know you will take care of our daughter, Kian. I know you will love her. Please don’t tell her what a monster I was. Please tell her I loved her with all my heart, and she was wanted. I made Roxie’s life a living hell for a lot of years, and Lily is the only family she has left in this world. I know as Lily’s father, you have every right to take her, but you need to know that Lily and Roxie need each other. I’m leaving full custody of my precious Lily to Roxie Gilbert and Kian Forbes. Take care of her together. And though Kian isn’t the father of this precious baby inside me, I also leave her to Roxie Gilbert and Kian Forbes. I wish I had money to give you, Roxie. I wish I had anything at all worth keeping, but, sadly, I haven’t gotten my life on track enough to do that.”
Sal again cleared his throat before he finished.
“I truly am sorry for what I did, Roxie. I thought I hated you, thought I’d sought the perfect revenge, but now I’m devastated at what I did. Don’t blame Lily for my mistakes, and don’t let her go. You two need each other. We’re the end of the line, and our family needs to continue to show the world that our destiny isn’t decided by where we’re born, but by what we make of ourselves. I love you more than I can ever express. I hope I’m the one to read this letter to remind myself of who I can be instead of who I’ve always been, but if you’re the one hearing it, then go home to Kian and be a mama to my babies. And, also, it’s okay to cry about this situation, and to mourn me, but don’t do it too long because I want you to be happy that I grew up and didn’t turn into the same kind of parent as our father. I woke up, Roxie, and I loved big, and my Lily loves me. That’s so much more than many people in this world can ever say. So, continue the love with Lily, and you and she will save each other.”
Sal turned and gazed at Kian directly.
“And for Kian Forbes, wake the hell up and stop your destructive behavior. You have a daughter to set an example for now. And everyone in this damn town knows you are head over heels for my sister, so suck up some pride and tell her. She will forgive you for your transgressions, if you ask. It was a great night, baby, and I don’t regret it for a second because you gave me Lily, which gave me my life back. Carry on, people, and live. I believe in ghosts, and I will be haunting your asses if you don’t do what I say.”
Sal stopped, and Roxie waited for him to go on, but he was silent as he shut the folder. Roxie didn’t know what to think or say as she sat there a little stunned. Her sister certainly had enjoyed writing that letter.
“Do they know who this Greg is?” Kian asked, murder in his voice.
Roxie turned to look at him, and he was now standing, his body tense, his hands clenched into fists. He looked capable of murder at that moment, and though Roxie knew he was mad at her, she was certainly glad she’d never put that light into his eyes.
“No, there are no pictures, no real name, and no evidence,” Sal said.
“But the police are investigating,” Kian demanded. It wasn’t a question.
“Yes, but Pamela didn’t have a lot of clout, and it’s not high profile,” Sal said. That’s when Roxie noted the bit of smugness in his eyes. She almost smiled. She now knew that the power of the Forbes name would go into this investigation. The mother of Kian Forbes’s daughter had been brutally murdered. The killer would be found. That gave Roxie the slightest sense of peace.
“It hasn’t seemed real until now,” Roxie said quietly. “Can I have a copy of her letter? I want to read it again . . . privately,” she said, the last word coming out a whisper.
“I want a copy as well,” Kian said, his voice not quiet at all.
Sal pulled two copies out of his desk, obviously anticipating their requests. “She told me to read this out loud with both of you in the room. She wanted to make sure you heard her final words. I’m sorry for your loss, and again sorry I didn’t do anything to help her,” he said.
“She made a lot of mistakes in life, but at least she was trying to make up for that,” Roxie said, quick to defend her sister now that she was gone. “And she’s reached out to me a lot in the past few years, and I was only barely interested. I have a lot to make up for with Lily.”
“She’s not your redemption,” Kian snapped. His words made the hair on the back of Roxie’s neck stand up, and she jumped from her seat as she turned to face him.
“I know that,” she yelled. It felt good to feel anger instead of fear, anguish, or guilt. “I might have abandoned my sister, but Lily is my blood, too, Kian, and you can’t take her from me no matter how much power you wield. Pamela kept her from you out of fear. Are you going to prove her right and take away my only living relative?” she challenged.
His eyes glowed hot embers as they glared at one another. She didn’t back down, and neither did he. This might just get nuclear before one of them put up the white flag.
“Yelling certainly won’t get us anywhere,” Sal said, trying to get in between them.