Chapter 7 - The Foundation Tower Meeting
The elevator in the Blackwell Foundation tower went up so fast my ears popped. I held my bear with both arms against my chest and watched the numbers change.
Marcus had his hand light on my shoulder. Not holding me tight, just there. Lily stood on his other side in her pink dress, her bow a little crooked from the car ride. The Bodyguard was behind us with his sunglasses tucked into his suit pocket, and a brown leather folder under his arm. The caseworker — Ms. Daniels — had met us in the lobby. She wore a gray blazer and carried a clipboard and she smiled at me but her eyes kept flicking to Marcus.
"This will just be a conversation, Emma," Marcus had told me in the parking lot. "You and Lily can wait in the other room. I need to tell Ms. Daniels the truth about something."
The doors opened to a quiet floor with gray carpet and glass walls. Everything smelled like clean air and coffee. A receptionist nodded at Marcus and said, "Mr. Blackwell," and unlocked a corner office for us.
The office was big and bright with windows that looked out over downtown. There was a long wooden table and a couch and a private dressing suite off to the side with a white door left open. Lily pulled me by the hand toward it.
"Come on, we can wait in there," she whispered. "There's a mirror and chairs."
I followed her, my sneakers silent on the carpet. My dress was still the torn brown one — Ms. Daniels had said I could get new clothes after — and I could feel the hem brushing my legs. I sat on the small velvet bench inside the dressing suite and Lily sat next to me, shoulder to shoulder. The door was open about a foot, and through the gap I could see the edge of the conference table where Marcus and Ms. Daniels and the Bodyguard sat down.
I clutched my bear tighter without thinking about it. My fingers found the worn spot on his ear.
At first they talked about paperwork. I heard Ms. Daniels say "temporary placement" and "county procedure" and Marcus saying "I understand." His voice was low and careful, the same way he'd asked me where my mom was in the park.
Then Ms. Daniels said, "Mr. Blackwell, I need to ask directly. What is your prior relationship to Emma's mother?"
A pause. I could hear the air conditioner humming.
"Her name was Claire," Marcus said. "Claire Dawson. She and I were together about six years ago. Before I married Lily's mother."
I stopped breathing for a second. Lily looked at me, her eyes big. She squeezed my arm.
"We dated for a little over a year," Marcus went on. His voice didn't shake but it got slower. "We broke up when she moved away for work. Up north. We just... we separated. It was quiet. No fight. I didn't know she was pregnant. She never told me. I didn't know Emma existed until I saw her in Lincoln Park."
Ms. Daniels's pen scratched on paper. "When did you marry Lily's mother?"
"About five years ago. A year after Claire and I split."
I pressed the bear harder against my chest. His fur was warm from my hands.
The Bodyguard cleared his throat. "Ms. Daniels, I have the timeline if you want to see it."
I heard the leather folder open on the table. He kept talking, his voice flat and even.
"This is Mr. Blackwell's old work calendar from that year. And these are printed messages from his private phone, with his permission. You can see the dates. He and Ms. Dawson were in contact until late March. The last message is her telling him she got the job and was moving the next week. Her pregnancy with Emma would have overlapped that window."
Ms. Daniels was quiet while she looked. Paper rustled.
"These are private, but you're voluntarily submitting them?" she asked.
"Yes," Marcus said right away. "I want the court to see everything. I didn't hide this."
Lily leaned toward the door gap and whispered, "That's why you look like me." Her voice was very small. Not mean, just soft.
I didn't know what to say. I just nodded once and held my bear with both hands so tight my knuckles went white. My cheek felt hot where the faint mark was.
Back at the table, Ms. Daniels said, "I appreciate your candor, Mr. Blackwell. This helps explain why you became involved, but it also complicates a custody claim. Wealth and a possible biological tie don't automatically grant rights. The court will need objective proof."
"I know," Marcus said. "That's why I'm asking for it. I want a court-ordered DNA test. For me and Emma. And Lily, as a comparison, with my wife's consent. I don't want to assume anything. I want to do it the right way."
Another pause. Then Ms. Daniels said, "You want to request that voluntarily? Before a judge orders it?"
"Yes," Marcus said. "Whatever the result is, I want it on record. If Emma is my daughter, she deserves to know, and I have a responsibility to her. If she's not, she still deserves protection until we find what is best for her. I'm not going anywhere either way."
I heard a chair move. The Bodyguard said, "I can file the motion this afternoon."
May you like
Lily turned to me and put her hand over mine where I was gripping the bear. "My dad will help you," she whispered. "No matter what."
I looked down at our hands — hers clean and mine with a little dirt still under the nails — and I felt my eyes sting. I didn't cry. I just breathed in and out and listened to the grown-ups keep talking in low voices on the other side of the door, and I knew they were talking about me and about my mom, and that for once they were trying to tell the truth.
