Chapter 6: My Brother's Name Was on the Forged Documents
I stared at Richard.
"That's impossible.""
My brother Daniel was thirty-two years old. He had grown up beside me, protected me from bullies, and once driven six hours through a snowstorm because I'd called him crying after a breakup.
He was the person I'd trusted most after my father.
"Why would Daniel be involved?"" I asked.
Richard didn't answer immediately.
Dad took the tablet.
"Show me the access records.""
Richard enlarged the email.
"The hospital confirmed that someone accessed Grace's medical information using credentials associated with Nathan's company. However, the secondary authorization was connected to a Brooks Holdings administrative account.""
Dad's face tightened.
"Daniel's account?""
"Yes, sir.""
I shook my head.
"Someone could have stolen his credentials.""
"That's possible," Richard said.
"We're checking.""
Dad looked at me.
"Don't jump to conclusions.""
I wanted to believe him.
I desperately wanted to believe him.
Then my phone rang.
Daniel.
I answered.
"Where are you?""
"Home. Why?""
"Did you access Grace's hospital records?""
A pause.
"What?""
"Did you authorize a genetic test?""
He sighed.
"Danielle, who have you been talking to?""
"Answer me.""
"Listen, I know you're exhausted. Mom told me about the situation at the hotel.""
My fingers tightened around the phone.
"Grandma told you?""
"Yes. She said Dad was overreacting and that Vanessa had been dragged into some family dispute.""
I glanced at Dad.
He was listening carefully.
"Daniel, did you know Nathan was with Vanessa?""
Another silence.
Then he said something I wasn't prepared for.
"I told Nathan to stay away from her.""
My heart dropped.
"You knew?""
"Danielle, it's complicated.""
"How long?""
"Can we talk about this in person?""
"No. Tell me now.""
He exhaled.
"Three months.""
I felt the room tilt.
Three months.
I had been pregnant.
I remembered Nathan rubbing my swollen feet. I remembered Daniel helping assemble the nursery furniture.
Had they both known?
"Did you know he was sleeping with her?""
"Danielle, I didn't know the full extent of it.""
"But you knew they were involved.""
"Yes.""
My voice broke.
"And you said nothing?""
"I was trying to handle it.""
"Handle what?""
"The business arrangement.""
I looked at Dad.
His face had become expressionless.
"What business arrangement?"" I asked.
Daniel lowered his voice.
"Nathan said he needed temporary financing. Vanessa offered to help. Grandma believed it was better to keep everything quiet until the trust issue was resolved.""
"Why would my marriage have anything to do with financing?""
"Because of the inheritance.""
I closed my eyes.
There it was again.
The money.
Always the money.
I heard Dad take the phone gently from my hand.
"Daniel, this is your father.""
"Hi, Dad.""
"Come to the house.""
"I can explain everything.""
"Then explain it in person.""
Daniel hesitated.
"Is Danielle there?""
"Yes.""
"Is Grace?""
Dad looked at me.
"Yes.""
A long silence followed.
Then Daniel said, "Keep her away from the original report.""
Dad's expression changed.
"Why?""
But Daniel had already ended the call.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Richard received another email.
He opened it.
"Sir, the hospital has released the verified report to our legal team.""
Dad held out his hand.
Richard passed him the tablet.
I moved closer.
"Read it.""
Dad looked at the document.
His eyes moved across the page.
Then he stopped.
I searched his face.
"What does it say?""
He didn't answer.
"Dad?""
He looked at me.
"Danielle, the result confirms Nathan is Grace's biological father.""
My knees nearly gave way.
I grabbed the edge of the kitchen counter.
"What?""
"The original test confirms it.""
I began crying.
Not because I had ever doubted myself.
But because someone had taken my newborn daughter's medical records, fabricated a report, and tried to use it against us.
"Then why did they do all this?"" I whispered.
Richard scrolled further.
"There is an explanation in the hospital's access investigation.""
Dad continued reading.
His face darkened.
"What's wrong?"" I asked.
Richard pointed to another section.
"The original report was deliberately withheld. Someone requested that the hospital send an altered copy to Nathan.""
"Who?""
Richard looked at the screen.
"The request came from an email account belonging to Margaret Brooks.""
I closed my eyes.
Again.
My grandmother.
But Dad wasn't finished.
He scrolled to the final attachment.
It was a recording transcript from a hospital administrative call.
The caller had instructed staff to delay the original results until a specific financial transaction had cleared.
And the name attached to the transaction was not Vanessa.
It wasn't Nathan.
It was Daniel Brooks.
I looked at my father.
"Why would my brother pay someone to hide the truth about my daughter?""
Dad didn't respond.
Instead, he called Daniel again.
This time, the phone went straight to voicemail.
Richard's phone rang a moment later.
He answered.
Listened.
Then his face turned pale.
"Sir, there's a problem.""
Dad turned.
"What now?""
"Daniel's office has just been searched by our internal security team.""
"Why?""
Richard swallowed.
"Because the original trust documents are missing.""
I felt my blood run cold.
"Which documents?""
Richard looked directly at me.
"The documents that determine who inherits your forty-eight-million-dollar trust if you and Grace are declared ineligible.""
Dad slowly lowered the tablet.
Then my phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
One message.
Danielle, your father is hiding the biggest part of this story. Ask him what happened to your mother.
I stared at the words.
My mother had died when I was twelve.
And for fourteen years, Dad had told me it was an accident.
A second message arrived.
She didn't die believing your grandmother was innocent.
I looked up at my father.
His face had gone completely white.
"Danielle," he whispered, "don't answer that number.""
But I was already typing.
May you like
Because suddenly, I wasn't just trying to uncover what my husband had done.
I was beginning to suspect that my entire family had been built on a lie.
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