Only then did I step into the hallway and answer the call. Melissa’s voice was unsteady—panicked, fraying at the edges.

“Frank, please listen,” she said. “I didn’t know about the trust clause. I didn’t know he planned for this.” She took a sharp breath. “They’re saying I lied. They’re talking about charges. You have to help me.”

I leaned against the wall, staring at the courthouse seal, my anger cooling into something harder. “Where were you for nine years?” I asked.

“I was falling apart,” she said. “After Daniel died, I owed people money. I panicked. I thought disappearing would make it stop. I kept telling myself I’d come back once I got my life together.” Her voice dropped. “Then I heard Daniel left something for Lily. I thought… I thought I could fix everything.”

Claire stepped beside me and silently gestured for the phone to be put on speaker.

Melissa rushed on, desperation spilling out. “If you tell them you agreed to keep Lily—if you say we had an understanding—”

“We did,” I cut in. “The one you signed. The one you pretended never existed.”

Silence followed, then a quiet, broken whisper. “Lily hates me.”