The name Emily seemed to suck all the air out of the room.

My wife had been dead for three years.

I had spent those years waking before sunrise, making coffee for one, and staring at the empty side of the bed until Lily called for me from her bedroom.

I had sat through the funeral while people told me Emily was in a better place.

I had listened to police officers explain that rain, poor visibility, and a dangerous curve had contributed to the crash.

I had read the accident report so many times that I knew entire paragraphs by heart.

And through all of it, James had been beside me.

He had held my shoulder at the graveside.

He had taken care of business calls when I couldn’t concentrate.

He had told me that Emily would want me to keep living.

Now Vanessa was telling me my brother had something to do with her death.

“Say that again,” I demanded.

Vanessa glanced at the door.

“Michael, we shouldn’t talk here.””

I laughed once, without humor.

“You were just caught hitting my daughter and planning to steal her inheritance. I think we’ve passed the point where privacy matters.””

“Keep your voice down!””

“No.””

Lily buried her face in my shoulder as voices drifted through the hallway. Someone had undoubtedly noticed the commotion.

I didn’t care.

I stepped toward Vanessa.

“What did James do to Emily?””

She shook her head.

“I never said he caused the accident.””

“You said I should have let you finish the wedding because now he’d know I’d found out.””

“I was angry.””

“What did he do?””

She pressed both hands against her temples.

“You don’t understand the situation.””

“Then explain it.””

She glanced at Lily.

“Not in front of the child.””

I felt my blood boil.

“She’s the child you just hit. You don’t get to decide what she hears anymore.””

Vanessa flinched.

For a moment, I thought she might finally tell me the truth.

Instead, she pointed at Lily.

“She heard things she wasn’t supposed to hear. That’s why I was trying to make her understand that she couldn’t repeat everything.””

I looked down at my daughter.

“What did you hear, sweetheart?””

Lily hesitated.

I brushed a strand of hair away from her swollen cheek.

“You can tell Daddy anything. You’re not in trouble.””

She took a shaky breath.

“Uncle James came to our house when you were at work.””

My heart began pounding.

“When?””

“Lots of times. Before you started dating Vanessa.””

I stared at her.

James had always been welcome in my home. He had a key. He could come and go whenever he wanted.

“What did he do when he came over?””

Lily twisted the fabric of my jacket between her fingers.

“He talked to Vanessa on the phone before she lived with us. And sometimes he talked about Mommy.””

Vanessa moved toward the door.

I stepped into her path.

“You’re not leaving.””

“I need air!””

“You can get air after you tell me what happened.””

She looked at me with open hatred.

“You think you’re some perfect father? You buried yourself in work after Emily died. You barely noticed anything happening in your own house.””

The words struck a nerve because they weren’t entirely false.

For months after Emily died, I had hidden in the office until midnight, telling myself I was building security for Lily. James had stepped in whenever I couldn’t.

He had become the dependable brother, the one who remembered school events and brought groceries when I forgot to shop.

Had he used my grief to get close to my daughter?

I tightened my hold on Lily.

“What did you tell James about Emily?””

Vanessa swallowed.

“He said the accident was supposed to scare her.””

My knees almost buckled.

“Scare her?””

“That’s all I know.””

“Why would James want to scare my wife?””

Vanessa looked away.

“Because she was going to change her will.””

I remembered Emily sitting at the kitchen table six weeks before her death, a folder open beside her coffee.

She had asked me whether I thought it was wise to place Lily’s inheritance in a protected trust.

I had told her we could discuss it with our attorney.

James had overheard us.

He had laughed and said, “You’re planning for a disaster that isn’t going to happen.””

Two months later, Emily was gone.

I had never connected those conversations to the accident.

“Keep talking,” I said.

Vanessa shook her head.

“James told me that Emily had discovered money missing from an investment account. She was threatening to report it.””

“What money?””

“I don’t know.””

“How much?””

“I don’t know!””

She slammed her palm against the vanity.