Page 65 of Chasing Football Dreams

"She's a liar. She's not your daughter,"

"What are you talking about?" Shane asked, entertaining Benjamin's remark.

"He believes that I am a fraud," I held my composure even though it had cracks and was ready to fall apart.

My gaze drifted up the stairs when I heard footsteps and saw the jerk from the diner coming down.

"A fraud? Why would you say that?" I looked back at Shane and saw a look in his eyes that was tearing him apart.

"Because he is the one that broke into our home and took me from you,"

Everyone's gazes swing over to me. The room felt like it was getting smaller until it was squeezing the breath from my lungs. Dizziness became my friend and anxiety soon caught up.

"If you don't believe me go up to his study. Underneath his desk is a hidden lever that opens a bookcase. There is a bed in there made for a child,"

I reached for Duncan when my legs gave a slight wobble it was alerting me that I had run out of adrenaline. He reactedwithout hesitation wrapping his arm around my waist and guiding me away from the attention.

"Breathe. Zoey. Breathe," He coached me until we got outside and he got me seated. He kneeled in front of me, cupping my face between his hands.

"What happened in there?"

Tears pricked my eyes as I felt the emotions of what happened upstairs play out in front of me as I told him.

"I can't be dead sure what I saw in my head was the truth. I can't decipher if it was real or planted in my brain,"

I didn't realize Shane followed us out. I only grasped his presence when I heard a shuddering gasp. I tried to jump to my feet but my body wouldn't let me. Duncan held me down as he got to his feet to face Shane.

"He slapped you?"

Chapter Thirty

It took me seventeen years to believe in miracles and eleven years to find a piece of courage in me. It took me a decade to stand up for myself, and I will not run scared now.

"Yes. And he is going to convince you that I was looking for it,"

"He is in cuffs, Zoey. He can't hurt you anymore,"

My forehead creased at his confession.

He came over and sat beside me. A look of surprise was all over Duncan's face as he sat on the other side of me.

"We suspected Benjamin from the moment you disappeared. We got the police to investigate but they couldn't find anything,"

"What?" All this time I thought I was being delusional.

"Benjamin hated me from the moment I got drafted. He made sure the coaches kept me benched. His egotistical behavior showed in so many ways,"

"Until it caught up with him and he started making small mistakes that started costing him to be benched," I noted.

Shane's lips twitched but he never smiled. "Benjamin's daughter has been sick from the day she was born. With everyoperation, the chances looked good but her condition worsened until there was nothing they could do for her,"

"He took her death badly and when we thought he was getting over it, you were born and he got attached. He brought expensive gifts, offered to take care of you, and always wanted to hold you. We didn't think much of it but his obsession with you got troublesome to the point we had to keep him away from you,"

"Benjamin got agitated not seeing you and desperately showed up, uninvited begging to see you,"

"He got desperate enough to take me," I noted.

Shane nodded. "There was no proof that it was him,"

---