I hung up. The second my thumb touched the screen, my knees felt weak. I braced myself against the wall, trying to steady my breath.
James was suddenly at my side.
“Cara, what happened? Who was that?”
I whispered, “Connor. And our parents have been sending him pictures of Lily. For years.”
James’ face drained of color. Behind him, I saw my mom freeze, her eyes widening in a way I had never seen. It was the expression of someone who realizes a secret they thought was buried had just been dragged into the open. My dad stiffened, his jaw flexing twice before he forced out a cold, clipped sentence.
“He has no right to contact you.”
I turned on him sharply.
“You gave him the right. You gave him everything. You gave him my daughter.”
My words cut through the room like a blade. The relatives fell silent, watching the confrontation unfold. Lily’s tablet continued streaming the moment to thousands more. Laura covered her mouth. Maria’s eyes filled with tears. James shook his head slowly, disbelief etched across his face.
My mom stammered, “We were trying to help. We thought he might step up if he had updates. We wanted Lily to have a normal life someday.”
Normal. I almost laughed, but the sound in my throat was broken.
“You gave my daughter’s information to a man who abandoned us. And you did it behind my back.”
My dad barked that it was their responsibility to fix the mistake I made. Those words echoed in my ears, cold and sharp.
Before I could respond, the front door swung open so abruptly that everyone jumped. A tall figure stepped inside, brushing snow off his coat. It was Bradley Hunter, my cousin, the one who had become a lawyer and loved telling everyone he handled complicated family disputes and high-profile mediations. He looked around the room, eyes alert, lips tight. He saw me and immediately started walking toward me with a folder in hand.
I felt my stomach drop.
“Bradley, what are you doing here?”
He didn’t smile. He spoke in that calm, professional voice he used in courtrooms.
“I got a call. From someone who believes Lily’s situation needs formal review. I’m here on behalf of a concerned party.”
My throat tightened.
“Connor,” I said under my breath. “It has to be Connor.”
Bradley continued, “I have documents here outlining a proposed arrangement for shared custody and financial planning. It’s in everyone’s best interest to sign before this gets more complicated publicly.”