Page 48 of Yours to Conquer

Interview with Holly Maxwell – Friend of Adrianne Helms

Ms. Maxwell recalled Adrianne with clarity. They were best friends until the day Ms. Helms left for parts unknown. She indicated Ms. Helms had a long-term relationship with a boy named Tate Smith. School records show that Tate Smith attended Rockville High School at the same time as Adrianne Helms. Adrianne dropped out of school halfway through her senior year.

According to Ms. Maxwell, rumor had it, Adrianne was carrying Tate Smith’s child. She said the two had planned to run away together. When asked about Tate Smith’s whereabouts, Ms. Maxwell stated he was sent to a military academy to finish off his senior year of high school. Ms. Maxwell offered that it didn’t surprise her Tate disappeared. His family wouldn’t have been happy about an unexpected pregnancy. She was shocked Adrianne ended up marrying a stranger. No one had heard of Daniel Lloyd before what she describes as “the incident.”

The Incident – Adrianne Helms and Daniel Lloyd

After an extensive investigation into Adrianne and Daniel’s marriage, it is clear that the two had no prior relationship. There is no record of Daniel Lloyd living in or near Dallas at the time of his marriage to Ms. Helms. Most interesting is that there is no record of a Daniel Lloyd with the social security number given on the marriage license. I did an exhaustive search, and it seems as if Mr. Lloyd appeared out of thin air.

The ding of an incoming text draws me away from the report.

What’s happening? Anthony sent out an SOS to Damon. He left a few minutes ago. Kat

I can’t explain right now. I made a huge mistake, and I think I may have lost him forever. I’m glad Damon is going to him. Oh, Kat, I screwed up.

I’m on my way.

No other texts are exchanged. I pick up the report and keep reading.

Interviews with neighbors of Adrianne Helms—Sam Watson, Lorene Helberg

Interviews were conducted with two neighbors who lived in the neighborhood at the time. Both stories are the same. Adrianne was caught in bed with Daniel. Her screams alerted her family. The father walked in to see his daughter naked beneath the man. Once they caught them in a compromising situation, she was married off to Daniel in what can only be described as a shotgunwedding.

Oh, my God… my mom was raped and married off to a stranger. Who in the hell was Daniel Lloyd?

An investigation into Tate Smith?

Tate Smith—son of Congressman Teague Smith of the 12th Districtand his wife, Heidi

The investigation shows Tate being transferred in the middle of his senior year to Melbin Military Academy in Boston, Massachusetts. There is no reason for the transfer listed. Tate was a good student academically but tried to leave the facility several times without permission. Melbin is a strict lockdown facility for rebellious youth. He disappeared on graduation day.

Congressman Smith passed away two years after his son’s graduation. I tracked down the mother. She currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona. I visited with her, and she broke her silence after twenty-five years. She indicated Tate had told them he was going to be a father. Teague was furious. He sent Tate to boarding school and hired an ex-convict on parole to compromise the Helms girl. In exchange for the deed, he would receive a new identity, a pretty wife, and a large sum of money to disappear. The Helms’ devout faith would allow for nothing less than a wedding. She doesn’t know what happened after the incident as the Helms girl was married off and disappeared.

The widow Smith indicated she has only seen her son one time since he left for the Military Academy. He was present at the reading of his father’s will, and he immediately donated the money he inherited to a local home for unwed mothers. She has never seen him again. Ironically, they live in the same town.

I located Tate Smith living in Phoenix, Arizona. He is a prominent businessman working in Cyber Security and is married and has a daughter. See the enclosed pictures.

I look through the papers and pull out the pictures at the very back. One is a handsome-looking man with auburn hair. His green eyes almost glow against his fair creamy complexion. The next image is of her, the girl in the photos. She looks like me, only younger. Herhair is a lighter red, but she has her father’s eyes—my father’s eyes. The information is almost overwhelming. I bury my head in my hands and sob. The front door opens, and Kat runs in.

“What is it?” she asks as she looks at the papers all around me.

I can’t say a word. I pick up the pages of the report I’ve read and hand them to her. She sits next to me and begins to read. We sit in silence as she reads the beginning of my story and I finish the end.

Meeting with Tate, Amy, and Layla Smith

I met with the Smith family at a local restaurant. After explaining my purpose, Mr. Smith broke down and cried. He indicated that he’d searched nonstop for four years, looking for Adrianne and their child. He married his wife, and they both continued their search for years. The new identity made it impossible for them to find Adrianne and the child. Daniel Lloyd technically doesn’t exist. Layla is the child of Amy and Tate Smith, and she is twenty years old. As requested, I have asked the family not to contact Emma until you talk to her. They have agreed not to make physical contact. They are looking forward to uniting their family.

Uniting their family. These people are my family. I have a sister and a father who wanted me and loved me. He searched for us.I was a love child. I think about how my mom loved to look into my eyes, and now I know why. It was because when she saw me—she saw him.

I look over at Kat and watch as she wipes a tear from her face. She looks up at me and cries. What a pair we are.

“Kat, I accused him of having an affair with my sister. I didn’t know she was my sister. I told him he had no integrity. I lost him because I’m young and stupid, and I always expect the worst from people. I didn’t give him a chance, and I didn’t give him all of me. I held back just enough so that if he hurt me like I expected him to, I wouldn’t be completely shattered. In the end, I ruined myself.”

Her arms fold around me, and we both cry ourselves to exhaustion.

“Don’t give up, Em. Fight for him. Show him he’s worth it. Prove to him only you can fill his life, his heart, and his bed.”

I pull out my phone and send Anthony a text.

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