Chapter 2: The Baby Nobody Told Me About
“Michael, give me that folder!””
Vanessa lunged forward, but Michael pulled it out of her reach.
“Careful,” he said.
“These documents have already been copied and sent to my attorney.””
Vanessa's face twisted.
“You have no right to humiliate me!””
Michael gave a humorless laugh.
“Humiliate you? You told me our son was mine. You let me celebrate his birth.
You let my parents buy him a nursery. And now you want to talk about humiliation?””
Tyler grabbed the birth certificate.
“What's the meaning of this?””
Michael looked at him.
“That's what I'd like to know. My wife gave birth eight months ago. I was overseas on a corporate assignment. When I returned, she told me the baby was mine.””
He pointed to the document.
“Two months ago, I discovered another version of the birth certificate naming you as the father.””
Tyler shook his head.
“I've never seen that child.””
Vanessa started crying.
“Michael, please. You're making this sound worse than it is.””
“Then explain it.””
She looked at Tyler.
“Tell him!””
Tyler stepped away from her.
“Don't put this on me. I didn't know you had a baby.””
I watched the two of them argue while Piper began fussing in my arms.
My daughter needed a diaper change.
My other daughter was sleeping.
And I was standing in the middle of a public terminal listening to strangers discuss whether my husband had fathered another child.
“Excuse me,” I said quietly.
Nobody heard me.
I raised my voice.
“EXCUSE ME!””
They all turned.
I pointed at the birth certificate.
“Someone needs to explain why my husband's name is on that document.””
Michael's expression softened.
“Mrs. Carter, I understand this is difficult.””
“Difficult? My husband just admitted he cheated on me, and now I'm looking at a birth certificate with his name on it. Please don't tell me this is difficult.””
Michael nodded.
“Fair enough.””
He removed another document.
“This is a copy of a loan application.””
Tyler's expression changed again.
“Michael, what does that have to do with me?””
“Two hundred and forty thousand dollars.””
Tyler went completely still.
Michael placed the document on top of the folder.
“The application was submitted six weeks ago. It uses your employment records, your income information, and the property you jointly own with your wife as collateral.””
I stepped closer.
“What property?””
“Our house,” Tyler muttered.
I stared at him.
“What?””
“Our house,” he repeated.
“But I didn't apply for anything.””
Michael pointed to the signature.
“That's interesting. Because someone signed your name.””
I took the paper.
There it was.
Tyler Carter.
The signature looked almost identical to the one on our mortgage documents.
Then I noticed something else.
My name appeared underneath his.
Emily Carter.
I had never signed it.
“Who submitted this?”” I asked.
Michael turned to his attorney, a woman in her forties wearing a charcoal-gray suit.
“Ms. Reynolds?””
She opened a second folder.
“The application was submitted through a financial intermediary connected to an account registered to Vanessa Bennett.””
Vanessa shook her head violently.
“That's a lie!””
The attorney remained calm.
“We also have a recorded authorization bearing Mrs. Carter's supposed signature.””
I felt my knees weaken.
“Why would you need my signature?””
“Because the property is jointly owned,” she explained.
“Both owners' authorization would ordinarily be required.””
I looked at Tyler.
“Did you give her our financial information?””
“No.””
“Did you send her copies of our mortgage?””
“Emily, I swear I didn't.””
Vanessa suddenly stepped forward.
“You're acting like I'm the only person who benefited from this arrangement!””
Tyler turned toward her.
“What arrangement?””
She immediately closed her mouth.
Michael gave a bitter smile.
“Go on, Vanessa. Tell him.””
She looked around, clearly searching for an escape.
Then she pointed at me.
“This is ridiculous. You're all blaming me because your marriage is falling apart.””
I almost laughed.
“My marriage was falling apart when I watched you kiss my husband.””
She rolled her eyes.
“Tyler told me he was leaving you.””
I looked at him.
“Did you?””
He rubbed his face.
“I said things were complicated.””
“Did you tell her we were getting divorced?””
He didn't answer.
Vanessa lifted her chin.
“He said the babies were an accident.””
The words hit harder than the slap I wanted to give her.
I looked down at Piper.
Her tiny mouth moved in her sleep.
“An accident?”” I repeated.
Tyler stepped toward me.
“Emily, that's not what I meant.””
“Then what did you mean?””
He reached for my shoulder.
I stepped away.
“Don't touch me.””
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Ms. Reynolds removed another document from her folder.
“Mrs. Carter, there's one more issue.””
I looked at her.
“What now?””
She placed a notarized authorization in front of me.
It contained the names of my daughters.
Piper Carter.
Poppy Carter.
My heart began pounding.
“What is this?””
“An application requesting temporary guardianship of both children under certain emergency circumstances.””
I read the name listed as the proposed guardian.
Vanessa Bennett.
I looked up slowly.
“Why would my children need her as their guardian?””
Tyler grabbed the paper.
“What the hell is this?””
Michael's jaw tightened.
“That's what I was hoping you could explain.””
Vanessa began backing away.
“I didn't write that.””
Ms. Reynolds pointed to the bottom of the page.
“Your signature appears here.””
Vanessa's mouth opened.
Then closed.
I looked at the witness section.
One name stood out.
Linda Carter.
My mother-in-law.
The same woman who had encouraged me to bring the babies to Miami that morning.
My phone began ringing.
Linda.
I answered and put it on speaker.
“Linda, what is going on?””
Her voice sounded frightened.
“Emily, sweetheart, listen carefully. Don't let Vanessa find out where the twins are.””
I glanced at the woman standing less than six feet away.
“Linda, she's standing right in front of me!””
There was a sharp gasp on the other end.
Then Linda whispered:
“Oh, God. You're already there.””
“Why is your signature on this document?””
Silence.
“Linda?””
She began crying.
“Sweetheart, I didn't know they were planning to take the babies today.””
My blood ran cold.
“Take them where?””
Before she could answer, a man's voice came through the phone.
“Linda, hang up.””
I stopped breathing.
I knew that voice.
I had heard it at Christmas dinners, family barbecues, and the last hospital visit before his funeral.
It belonged to Robert Carter.
My husband's father.
A man who had supposedly been dead for three years.
Tyler slowly turned toward the phone.
His face became almost gray.
“Dad?””
The call disconnected.
May you like
And then Michael looked at Tyler and said something none of us expected.
“Your father isn't the only person you thought was dead.””
