“He’s being processed. Arraignment is tomorrow morning. With Mercer’s testimony and the evidence we’ve gathered, we’re looking at multiple felony charges: conspiracy, kidnapping, attempted murder. He’s looking at twenty years, minimum.”
“Thank you, Detective,” Edward said sincerely. “For everything.”
As he ended the call, he shared the news with Martha, intentionally keeping his voice low so Lily wouldn’t overhear from her bedroom.
“That’s wonderful news,” Martha said, relief evident in her voice. “You must feel much safer knowing he’s behind bars.”
“I do,” Edward admitted. “Though, strangely, it feels almost secondary now.” He glanced toward Lily’s room. “Finding her—whether she’s Emma or not—has put everything else into perspective. The company, the money, even seeing Robert brought to justice… none of it matters compared to this.”
Martha smiled, a knowing look on her lined face. “That’s what parenthood is. Nothing else ever quite compares to the importance of your child.”
That evening, Martin arrived at the apartment with a thick folder of legal documents. While Lily did her homework in her room, the three adults gathered around the dining table to discuss the next steps.
“Assuming the DNA test confirms what we all now believe,” Martin began, “we’ll need to petition the court to legally ‘resurrect’ Emma Harrison. It’s a complex process, but I’ve laid the groundwork.” He slid several documents toward Edward.
“What does this mean for Martha?” Edward asked, the question that had been foremost in his mind.
Martin turned to Martha with professional courtesy. “Mrs. Miller, you’ve been raising Lily (Emma) for the past two years under extraordinary circumstances. While technically this could be interpreted as…”
“…as kidnapping,” Martha finished for him, her voice steady despite the fear visible in her eyes.
“No,” Edward said firmly. “Martha found an injured child with no ID and no memory. She sought medical care, checked missing person reports, and provided a home when the system might have failed her. There was no criminal intent.”
Martin nodded. “That’s exactly how we’ll present it, and I believe any reasonable judge will agree. The goal here is to establish a legal guardianship that recognizes both of your roles.” He pulled out another document. “This is a draft for a co-guardianship agreement. Edward will have primary physical custody as Emma’s biological parent, but Martha will have established visitation rights and remain a legal guardian.”
Martha studied the document, emotion playing across her face. “This is more generous than I expected.”
“It’s what’s best for her,” Edward said simply. “She loves you, Martha. Separating her from you would only cause her pain. Besides,” he added with a small smile, “my house is certainly big enough for both of you, if you’d consider moving in. The commute from here to Emma’s school is getting complicated.”
Martha looked up sharply. “Move into your house? Are you serious?”
“Completely. The east wing has a separate entrance and its own small kitchen. You’d have privacy and independence, but you’d be close enough that Emma wouldn’t have to choose between homes.”
Before Martha could respond, Edward’s phone rang. It was Detective Brennan again.
“Harrison,” he answered, listening intently to the detective’s urgent tone. His expression darkened. “When? Are you sure? Yes, I understand. We’ll be careful.”
He ended the call, his face grim. “Robert Sterling is out on bail. His company lawyers pulled some strings with a sympathetic judge. He’s out with an order to surrender his passport and wear an ankle monitor.”
“But he’s still a threat,” Martin said, reading Edward’s expression.
“Brennan thinks so. He’s arranging for police protection, but it won’t be in place until morning.” Edward glanced toward Lily’s room. “I don’t want to scare her, but we need to be careful.”
Martha stood up immediately. “I’ll pack her things. We should stay at your house tonight. I assume you have security systems in place.”
Edward nodded, grateful for her practical response. “State-of-the-art. I’ll call Mrs. Winters to have rooms ready for both of you.”
Within the hour, they had explained to Lily in carefully chosen words—emphasizing caution without causing panic—that they would be staying at Edward’s house for a few days. The girl took it with surprising calm, excited by the prospect of spending more time in the room she was increasingly remembering as her own.
As they drove through the darkening city streets, Edward’s thoughts turned to Robert Sterling. They had been friends once, before money and power had corrupted their relationship. The betrayal still stung, but strangely, Edward found it hard to summon the rage he’d felt immediately after the kidnapping. His perspective had shifted so fundamentally since finding Lily.
At the house, Mrs. Winters had prepared the guest rooms for Martha and turned down the bed in Emma’s room for Lily. Once settled, they gathered in the kitchen where the housekeeper had left a simple dinner warming in the oven. Midway through the meal, the security system chimed, indicating the front gate had been activated.
Edward tensed, checking his phone to see the security camera feed. Relief washed over him at the sight of Detective Brennan’s unmarked police car.
“It’s the detective,” he assured Martha and Lily, standing to disarm the alarm. “He probably wants to update us on the security arrangements.”
Brennan entered looking exhausted, nodding a greeting to Martha and Lily before pulling Edward aside. “Sterling’s ankle monitor went offline 20 minutes ago,” he said without preamble. “He cut it. I’ve got units searching, but I wanted to warn you personally.”
Edward glanced toward the kitchen where Lily sat finishing her dinner, unaware of the potential danger. “Should we leave? Go somewhere he wouldn’t think to look?”
