“He tried to push you off the cliff?” Lindsey asked. “Tried to kill you?”

Lily nodded.

“He didn't want the baby,” Liam said.

“Or me,” Lily said.

“But he probably would have inherited everything you had,” Lindsey said, tapping the financial documents Lily had brought.

“My instincts kicked in,” Lily said. “I heard myself scream, and I started scrambling up the bank. He began tugging my arm, yelling at me. Almost immediately, someone came running—a young man, hiking alone. I was hysterical. I grabbed him and begged him to walk me down to the base lodge.”

“What did Edward do?”

“He said I was just afraid of heights, making the whole thing up. The young hiker looked at me as if I was crazy. He believed Edward, I could see it! I was babbling. Some older couples came along; I'm not sure what they thought, but they helped me get down the mountain. Edward just stalked off. Lindsey, I know he wanted to kill me—do you believe me?”

“I do, Lily,” Lindsey said.

In that moment, Lily knew in her soul that she could completely trust Lindsey Grant Winship. The lawyer's eyes were steady, her voice resolute.

“I wouldn't let him drive me home,” Lily said. “I called my grandmother, and she came to get me.”

“Good for you.”

“I never went back to the apartment in Hawthorne,” Lily said. “And on that ride home with my grandmother, I began to think of how I would get away. I had just seen how convincing he was. I was the crazy one—he was sane. That's what it would be like. He'd never let me get away. My grandmother and I began to plan.”

“And then you ran away.”

“To Cape Hawk,” Lily said. She tried to compose herself. She stared out the window at the Old State House.

“He's not on the birth certificate,” Liam said.

“That's why he's filed this motion to compel a DNA test,” Lindsey said.

“Can we fight it?”

“Yes. We can stall, but he will win. The judge will force you to have Rose tested. You have to prepare yourself, Lily. Edward is going to present himself as the victim here—you took his child away for nine years. You'll see him in court as a hurt, sensitive man, trying to work things out for the good of Rose.”

Lily's heart began to race—she could see him already, his puppy-dog eyes, his boyish grin, his false humility. She tried to imagine the way the judge would view him—as a wronged man.

“What does he want?” Liam asked.

“That's a very good question,” Lindsey said. “Because what he says he wants and what he really wants are two different things. Lily, you'll need all your strength for this. Edward will probably claim to want full custody.”

“Oh God!”

“He doesn't, of course.”

Lily held on tight, stomach muscles rigid as she steeled herself to sit still and hear Lindsey out.