A Child Named Lily
Chapter 06 - A Child Named Lily
The search for Lily led through sealed files, obsolete agencies, and people whose memories had blurred. Adrian learned that money could hire skilled professionals but could not replace a court order or create evidence that had vanished. He followed the lawyers' instructions, even when the waiting felt unbearable.
Emma became his most persistent reminder that Lily wasn't a possession to reclaim. "She's a child," she said during one meeting. "If she's alive, she has people and routines and feelings. Whatever happens, don't make her pay for what the adults did."
He listened.
Records eventually pointed toward an adoption under unusual circumstances. A girl whose original name had been Lily was now living as Lily Anne Foster in suburban Milwaukee with a couple named James and Rebecca Foster. The adoption appeared to have been facilitated through forged consent documents. The Fosters had believed the arrangement lawful and had no idea a living father might be searching.
Adrian stared at the family's photograph on his lawyer's computer. Lily had dark curls, Rose's large brown eyes, and a gap between her front teeth. She stood between her adoptive parents holding a yellow kite.
He reached toward the screen and stopped himself.
"How old?"
"Three and a half."
Three and a half years of scraped knees, bedtime stories, first words, and birthdays he'd never been allowed to attend.
His lawyer explained that an emergency confrontation would only frighten the child and risk making the legal situation worse. The next steps would involve child-welfare specialists, the authorities, and the family court.
Adrian agreed, though it felt like agreeing to leave his heart somewhere he couldn't reach.
That night, he called Emma.
"I found her."
She was quiet for a long time. Then he heard her crying.
"Rose would have been so happy," she whispered.
"I don't know if Lily will ever call me Dad."
"Maybe not soon. She doesn't owe you a word. But you can show up. You can be safe. You can let her know who Rose was."
May you like
Adrian looked at the blue cap on his desk.
"That's what I'll do."
