The following morning, investigators accompanied me to the house to collect important belongings. I found my twenty-six letters inside Derek’s locked office drawer. Every envelope was unopened. Beside them sat my daughter’s birthday cards and the care packages I had carefully prepared. Some gifts were still wrapped. I felt sick realizing that Lily had been waiting for messages from her mother that never reached her. Then I discovered a folder containing printed bank statements and several documents connected to our family savings. There were withdrawals I couldn’t explain, including payments made shortly before Derek booked his cruise.

As I examined the paperwork, my phone rang. It was Derek’s mother, Patricia. She sounded surprisingly angry that I had returned early. I asked why she had taken Lily’s father and sister on a cruise while my daughter remained alone. Patricia insisted she believed Lily was staying with a trusted babysitter. When I mentioned the photograph, her voice suddenly changed. “Hannah, you don’t understand what’s happening,” she said. Then she admitted that Derek had told everyone I was experiencing serious emotional problems overseas. According to him, I had asked the family not to contact me. I realized the lies were much bigger than I imagined.