His Dead Wife Was Raising Their Daughter
CHAPTER 1 - The Photograph in the Wallet
"Mister! You dropped this!"
Alexander Ward turned and saw a little girl running toward him with his brown leather wallet.
"Thank you so much."
He opened it to make certain nothing was missing.
The girl stood on her toes and looked inside. Her eyes settled on the faded photograph behind his identification card.
"Why do you have my mom's picture?"
Alexander's smile disappeared.
"Your mom?"
"She lives with me."
His hands began to shake.
The woman in that photograph was Emma Laurent, the wife he had buried seven years earlier.
At twenty-three, Alexander had traveled to Denmark for a three-month engineering contract. Emma was pregnant when he left. Two weeks later, her father called and said complications had taken both Emma and their unborn child.
Alexander received a death certificate and a silver urn.
He had never recovered.
"That's not possible," he whispered.
"Why not?"
"Because she was my wife. She died years ago."
The girl studied him.
"My mommy's name is Emma. She works in the greenhouse across the park."
Alexander could barely breathe.
"What is your name?"
"Lily Laurent."
"And how old are you?"
"Six."
The answer struck him like a blow.
Lily took his hand and led him toward a glass greenhouse beside the community garden.
A young woman was arranging white roses near the entrance. Her blond hair was shorter, and exhaustion had softened her face, but Alexander recognized her immediately.
"Mommy!" Lily called. "I found the man from your wedding picture!"
Emma looked up.
The roses slipped from her hands.
She stared at Alexander as though she had seen a ghost.
"No," she whispered. "My father told me you died overseas."
Alexander removed their photograph from his wallet.
"Your father told me you and our baby were dead."
Lily looked between them.
"Mommy, is he my dad?"
Emma's face crumpled.
Before she could answer, a black car stopped outside the greenhouse.
Her father stepped out.
Victor Laurent had spent seven years keeping them apart, and he had just discovered that his lie was finally collapsing.
