Emma's POV
I park in front of the Millbrook Police Station and grip the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turn white.
The building looks exactly the same. Red brick. White trim. American flag waving out front. Seven years and nothing changed except me.
Everything changed about me.
"Is this where the police officer works?" Lily unbuckles herself and presses her face against the car window. "The one who used to be important to you?"
"Yes." My voice sounds hollow. Empty.
"Why did he stop being important?"
The question stabs through me. How do I answer that? How do I explain to a six-year-old that sometimes you hurt people you love because someone else convinces you they weren't good enough?
"It's complicated, sweetheart."
"That's what you always say when you don't want to talk about something."
She's right. Too smart for her own good.
I check my phone. No new messages. No calls. Kara said to come here, to find Daniel, to trust him. But what if Daniel won't help me? What if he takes one look at me and tells me to leave?
I wouldn't blame him.
"Mommy, are we going inside or are we just going to sit in the car forever?"
I take a deep breath. "We're going inside. But Lily, I need you to be on your very best behavior, okay? This is important."
"Is it scary important or regular important?"
"Both."
Lily considers this. Then she reaches over and pats my arm. "It's okay to be scared sometimes. You told me that."
My heart melts. I lean back and kiss her forehead. "You're right. I did say that. Thank you for reminding me."
We get out of the car. The October air is cool and crisp. Leaves crunch under our feet as we walk toward the entrance. With each step, my heart beats faster.
Daniel is inside this building.
Daniel, who I kissed under the stars.
Daniel, who promised to wait for me while I went to college.
Daniel, who I ghosted without explanation.
The front doors feel heavier than they should. I push them open and step into the lobby. It smells like coffee and old paper. The walls are covered with community notices and wanted posters.
A woman sits behind the front desk, typing on a computer. She looks up when we enter and smiles. "Can I help you?"
My mouth goes dry. "I need to see Detective Daniel Rivers."
"Is this regarding an ongoing case?"
"No. It's... personal. But also official. I think someone might be in danger."
The woman's smile fades. "What's your name?"
"Emma Cole." I pause. Should I use my married name? No. That person doesn't exist anymore. "Emma Moreau Cole. But he knew me as Emma Moreau."
Recognition flickers in the woman's eyes. She knows that name. Knows who I am. Probably knows I'm the girl who broke Daniel's heart.
Small towns remember everything.
"Have a seat. I'll see if Detective Rivers is available."
Lily and I sit in plastic chairs near the window. Lily swings her legs and hums. I clasp my hands together to stop them from shaking.
Minutes pass. Five. Ten. Each second feels like an hour.
What if he refuses to see me? What if he's not even here? What if
"Mommy, why are your eyes closed?"
I open them. "Just thinking."
"About the scary important thing?"
"Yes."
"Will it hurt?"
The question catches me off guard. "Will what hurt?"
"Seeing the person you used to love. Does it hurt when you see people from before?"
Before. She means before Marcus. Before we ran. Before our life became a series of hiding places and fake names and looking over our shoulders.
"Sometimes," I admit. "But sometimes it's good too. Like remembering who you used to be."
"Who were you?"
I think about that. Who was Emma Moreau before Marcus? Before the fear? Before I learned to doubt everything including myself?
"I was braver," I say quietly. "I laughed more. I believed things could work out okay."
"You can be that person again," Lily says with the simple confidence of a child. "You just have to decide to."
If only it were that easy.
Footsteps echo from the hallway. Heavy boots on tile floor. Getting closer.
My heart jumps into my throat. Is it him?
But a different officer walks past, carrying a stack of files. Not Daniel.
I force myself to breathe. In and out. Slow and steady.
The desk officer is on the phone now, speaking in low tones. She glances at me several times. Then she hangs up and walks over.
"Detective Rivers will see you. He's finishing up with something, but he said to wait in his office. Second floor, room 214."
"Thank you."
We take the stairs because I need the extra time. Need to prepare myself. My legs feel like rubber with each step.
Room 214. The door is half open. I can see a desk covered with papers. A corkboard on the wall with photos and notes. A window overlooking Main Street.
Empty. Daniel isn't here yet.
Part of me wants to run. Grab Lily and leave before he shows up. Before I have to face what I did.
But Kara's words echo in my head: "He's the only cop in this town Marcus doesn't own."
I need Daniel's help. More importantly, Lily needs his protection.
So I step inside the office and sit in the visitor's chair. Lily climbs into my lap even though she's getting too big for that. She senses my fear and wants to comfort me.
Or maybe she's scared too.
We wait.
One minute. Two. Three.
Then footsteps in the hallway. Steady. Purposeful. Coming toward room 214.
They stop just outside the door.
I hold my breath. Hold Lily a little tighter.
"Mommy, you're squeezing," she whispers.
I loosen my grip but don't let go.
The footsteps start again. Coming through the door now.
My heart pounds so loud I'm sure everyone in the building can hear it.
A shadow falls across the floor. A figure appears in the doorway.
Tall. Broad shoulders. Dark hair that's a bit longer than it used to be.
I can't see his face yet. He's backlit by the hallway lights.
Then he steps into the room and I see him clearly.
Daniel.
Seven years older. Seven years of life lived without me. His face is more angular, his jaw stronger. He wears a detective's badge on his belt and carries himself with quiet authority.
But his eyes. Those warm brown eyes I remember from a thousand stolen moments.
They're looking right at me.
For a frozen moment, neither of us moves. Neither of us speaks.
Time stops.
Then his lips move. One word. My name.
"Emma?"
It's a question. Like he can't quite believe I'm real. Like maybe I'm a ghost from his past come back to haunt him.
I stand up, lifting Lily with me and then setting her down. My legs barely hold me.
"Hi, Daniel." My voice cracks. "I'm sorry to just show up like this. I know I have no right to ask you for anything. I know I hurt you. I know"
"Stop." He holds up one hand. His face is unreadable. "Just... stop for a second."
Silence fills the room. Heavy and thick.
Daniel studies me like he's trying to solve a puzzle. His eyes move from my face to Lily and back again. I see him notice the resemblance. See him realize this child is mine.
"You have a daughter," he says quietly.
"Yes. This is Lily. She's six."
He does the math instantly. Six years old means she was born during my marriage to Marcus. During the years I vanished from Millbrook and cut ties with everyone.
"I heard you got married," Daniel says. His voice is carefully neutral. "Someone from high school mentioned it. Said you moved away."
"I did. But I'm back now. And I need help."
"What kind of help?"
"The dangerous kind."
His expression shifts. Professional now. Cop mode activated. "Are you in trouble?"
"I think so. I'm not sure. Everything is so confusing and I don't know what's real anymore and" I'm rambling. Stop. Breathe. Start over. "My ex-husband is Marcus Cole. We divorced three years ago. I thought I was safe from him. But he found me. He's been calling me, sending things. And there's something else. Something impossible."
"What?"
"My best friend Kara. Kara Brennan. You remember her?"
Pain flashes across Daniel's face. "Of course I remember Kara. She died seven years ago. I was at her funeral."
"I thought she died too. We all did. But Daniel..." I pull out my phone and show him the texts. The photo of me and Kara at the lake. "I think she's alive. I think she's been hiding all this time. And I think Marcus tried to kill her."
Daniel takes my phone. Reads through the messages. His expression darkens with each one.
"These could be faked," he says. "Someone could be using Kara's old accounts to manipulate you."
"I know. That's what I thought. But I saw her. Just twenty minutes ago. On Main Street. She was wearing a red jacket and she looked at me and Daniel, it was her. I swear it was her."
"Emma"
"I know how this sounds. I know I sound crazy. But someone has been watching my house. Someone took a photo of Lily at school. Someone wants me here in Millbrook. And Karaor someone pretending to be Karatold me you're the only cop I can trust. That Marcus has other officers working for him."
Daniel's jaw tightens. "That's a serious accusation."
"I know. But I don't have anyone else to turn to. I'm scared. For me. For Lily. For whatever is happening that I don't understand yet." My voice breaks. Tears well up. "I know I don't deserve your help. I know I walked away from you without explanation. I know you probably hate me and"
"I don't hate you." His voice is soft. Gentle. The Daniel I remember. "I was angry for a long time. Hurt. But Emma, I never stopped caring about what happened to you. When you disappeared, I tried to find you. Tried to make sure you were okay."
"You did?"
"Of course I did. You were" He stops. Shakes his head. "It doesn't matter now. What matters is keeping you and your daughter safe."
Relief washes over me. "So you'll help?"
"Tell me everything. Start from the beginning. Don't leave anything out."
I open my mouth to answer. To explain about the postcard and Marcus's calls and all of it.
Then Lily tugs on my sleeve. "Mommy, someone's watching us."
"What?"
She points toward the window. "A lady. Outside. She's staring at us."
Daniel and I both turn to look.
Standing on the sidewalk below, looking up at the second-floor window, is a woman in a red jacket.
Dark hair. Pale face. Same height and build as Kara.
She meets my eyes through the glass. Then she presses something against the window. A piece of paper with words written in marker: "THEY'RE COMING. GET LILY OUT NOW."
Before I can react, before I can move, a black SUV screeches to a stop beside her.
Three men in dark suits jump out.
Karaor whoever she isdrops the sign and runs