Chapter 2 - The Paper Trail
I walked back into the party room with the printed documents folded neatly inside my leather tote bag.
The scene before me was surreal. Logan was standing by the DJ booth, pointing at a playlist, while Sienna was actively distributing 'Emma & Mason' party favor bags to a group of children I had never seen before.
My daughter, Emma, sat alone on a plastic bench near the shoe cubbies, holding her pale yellow cardigan tight around her chest.
I walked directly to Emma and knelt in front of her. "Hey, sweetie."
Emma looked up, her lower lip trembling. "Mommy, Mason told the other kids that this is his house now."
"His house?" I asked gently.
"He said he's moving into my bedroom because his mom likes the big garden," Emma whispered, a single tear spilling over her eyelashes. "Is Daddy giving my room away?"
A cold, methodical rage settled into my bones. Logan wasn't just having an affair; he was orchestrating an entire domestic takeover, using our daughter's birthday as the dry run to break Emma's spirit and force her into submission before I even knew what hit me.
"Nobody is taking your room, Emma," I said, wiping her cheek with my thumb. "And nobody is taking your birthday. I promise you."
"Camille!" Logan's loud, booming voice cut through the room as he strolled over, holding a paper cup of punch. "Why are you hovering over her? She should be playing! Sienna bought a giant race-car piñata for the kids!"
Sienna joined him, offering a sweet, patronizing smile. "Camille, really. Children adapt so quickly if you just let them. Mason is thrilled to have a big sister figure."
I stood up slowly, facing both of them. I didn't yell. I didn't raise my voice. I simply stared at Sienna until her smile faltered.
"Sienna," I said, my voice carrying a razor-sharp edge. "How did you know Patrice's bakery was handling Emma's original order?"
Sienna blinked, her hand instinctively rising to flutter at her throat. "Oh... Logan mentioned it, of course."
"Logan didn't know," I replied smoothly. "I placed that order from my personal email address three weeks ago using my maiden name account. The invoice was sent to my private inbox. The only way you knew Patrice's name was if you were logged into my personal computer at our house."
Logan stepped between us, his chest puffing out. "Okay, Camille, that's enough paranoia for one afternoon. Sienna helped me organize this because you were working late every night! Someone had to step up and make this party happen!"
"You didn't organize a party, Logan," I said, pulling out my phone and tapping a quick video recording button, holding the phone casually at waist height. "You committed identity theft to alter a commercial contract in my name."
Logan scoffed, but his eyes darted nervously toward my tote bag. "What are you talking about?"
"The signed family authorization form at the front desk," I said softly. "The one with my forged signature dated October 4th—a day I was in Chicago conducting a federal tax audit."
Sienna's head snapped toward Logan. "What form?"
Logan's jaw tightened, a red flush creeping up his neck. "Camille, drop it. We are in public. Don't make a fool of yourself."
"Oh, I'm not making a fool of myself, Logan," I said, taking Emma's small hand in mine. "I'm giving you ten minutes to take down that sign, remove your girlfriend's guests from my reserved space, and put Emma's mermaid banner back up. Otherwise, I will call the local police department and report a criminal fraud in progress right here in front of everyone you invited."
Sienna gasped. "You wouldn't!"
May you like
"Try me," I whispered.
Logan stared at me, his confidence fracturing for the very first time. He had counted on my desire to protect Emma from a scene. He hadn't counted on the fact that protecting Emma meant burning his trap to the ground before he could set it off.
