Foul Play 🩷

Prologue

JUNE 2019

Millicent's restless fidgeting in her seat mirrored the whirlwind of emotions surging through her. On the screen before her, she anxiously observed the small plane hovering over her destination. Just over two years ago, the concept of a father was entirely foreign to her, and now she found herself on a plane bound for a new country to live with him.

Shortly before her 16th birthday, she had taken the leap of faith to submit her DNA to an ancestry site, hoping to uncover her familial roots. To her astonishment, the results pointed to a potential paternal match. Millicent's mother, although less surprised, revealed that her father resided in Oxford, England, a stark contrast to her own life in the secluded corners of Iowa. It turned out her mother had embarked on a transformative semester in England during her final year of college and returned home with an unexpected surprise.

Now, here she sat, having met her father only once when he traveled to the United States after Millicent reached out to him. With her mother gone and her family reduced to a memory, she wiped away a stray tear and peered out the small round window to her right, where the first light of dawn began to break over the horizon. A few days before her graduation, her mother faced the complications of undergoing chemotherapy, and her world had been turned upside down.

As the plane started its descent, her nervousness intensified. After her mother's passing, she reached out to her father, who graciously offered her the opportunity to live with him. Although she was now 18 and had the freedom to make her own choices, she believed starting afresh in a new life would be the best path for her. Moreover, her father had even secured her admission to the college where he worked. Fitting her entire life's belongings into one large suitcase and a small carry-on, she embarked on this journey.

Once the plane finally came to a halt, Millicent rose from her seat and retrieved her carry-on from the overhead compartment. She appeared to be the only person on the plane who hadn't succumbed to sleep during the grueling 11-hour flight. Her anxiety wouldn't allow her to rest. Glancing at her phone as she pulled it from her pocket, she noted the early hour: just past 5 a.m. She sent a text to her father, notifying him of her arrival. The small thumbs-up response on her phone screen didn't quite ease her worries, but she joined the rest of the passengers in disembarking from the plane.

Navigating through the crowd, Millicent spotted her father, his distinguishing feature being his vibrant red hair—a trait she had inherited. Having grown up with her raven-haired, blue-eyed mother, she had always wondered about the origins of her red hair and amber-colored eyes. Seeing her own face mirrored in her father's provided a sense of belonging after a childhood filled with feelings of detachment.

As she approached him, he offered her a half-smile, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Millicent, how was your flight? Did you manage to get any sleep?"

"No, and please call me Milly," she replied softly, allowing him to embrace her awkwardly. Having questioned her decision a million times during the journey, she couldn't shake the feeling that uprooting her life to live with a man who was her biological father but still a stranger might be a mistake. "I couldn't sleep. It's probably better to try and stay awake now."

"Right-o," he mused, grabbing the handle of her large suitcase and taking her carry-on from her shoulder. "Follow me, then."

Milly nodded and followed him through the bustling crowd until they reached a parking garage. Opening the door on the wrong side of the car, a subtle reminder of the cultural differences she would need to adjust to, he gestured for her to get in. "Thanks for picking me up, D—, Darren." The term "dad" still felt strange on her lips, and he respected her hesitancy.