Chapter 4: The Truth Inside the Delivery Room
I stared at Daniel Carter’s message until the screen dimmed.
Then I turned it back on and read it again.
“Before you hate Victoria, you need to know the truth about what happened in that delivery room.””
My first instinct was to delete it.
To throw the phone across the room.
To pretend Daniel Carter was just another piece of the nightmare that had invaded my home.
But something stopped me.
Because there was one thing I hated more than betrayal.
Not knowing the truth.
I walked downstairs where Victoria was sitting at the kitchen table.
She looked exhausted.
For the first time since I had known her, she looked small.
Not like the confident woman who always controlled every conversation.
Not like the person who could convince anyone she was right.
Just someone who knew the walls were closing in.
“Who is Daniel Carter?”” I asked.
Her face went pale.
“James…”
“Don’t.””
My voice was calm.
Too calm.
“I’m done hearing half-truths.””
She looked down.
“I made mistakes.””
“No. Mistakes are forgetting an appointment. Mistakes are burning dinner. You built an entire lie around me.””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I never planned to hurt you.””
“Then what was the plan?””
She didn’t answer.
I placed the photo on the table.
“Tell me about this night.””
Her eyes locked onto the picture.
A long silence followed.
Then she whispered:
“Daniel was there because I was scared.””
“Scared of what?””
“The delivery.””
I almost laughed.
“You told me you wanted me there.””
“I did.””
“Then why was another man involved?””
Victoria covered her face.
“I didn’t know what to do.””
I stared at her.
“Start from the beginning.””
She took a deep breath.
“Daniel and I knew each other before you and I met.””
My jaw tightened.
“How long?””
“Years.””
The word hit harder than I expected.
“You married me while you were still involved with him?””
“No.””
She shook her head quickly.
“Not at first.””
I waited.
She looked toward the window.
“I ended things with him when I met you.””
“But you went back.””
She didn’t deny it.
The silence was enough.
“After we found out we were having twins, Daniel contacted me.””
“Why?””
“Because he found out.””
“Found out what?””
Victoria looked at me.
And for a moment, I saw fear.
Real fear.
“He believed the babies were his.””
The room felt colder.
I gripped the edge of the chair.
“And were they?””
She looked away.
That answer hurt more than anything.
“Victoria.””
Her voice became barely audible.
“I didn’t know.””
“You didn’t know?””
“The doctors said there could be complications. The pregnancy was difficult. Everything happened so fast.””
She shook her head.
“I was confused.””
“No.””
I stood up.
“You weren’t confused. You were lying.””
She started crying.
“I was terrified you would leave me.””
I looked at her.
“You should have given me the choice.””
She said nothing.
Then my phone buzzed.
Another message.
Daniel.
This time, there was an attachment.
A hospital record.
I opened it.
My eyes moved across the page.
Then stopped.
The document showed the twins’ DNA test request.
The date was two weeks after their birth.
Requested by Daniel Carter.
Approved by Victoria.
I looked up.
“You tested them.””
Victoria froze.
“I…”
“You tested them behind my back.””
“I needed to know.””
“And when you found out?””
Her silence answered me.
“You knew.””
She whispered:
“Yes.””
My chest tightened.
“You knew they weren’t mine.””
She wiped her tears.
“But you loved them.””
The words made me stop.
Because she was right about one thing.
I did love them.
But she used that love as a weapon.
“You let me raise children while knowing the truth.””
“I thought eventually—”
“What?””
She swallowed.
“I thought we could keep the family together.””
I stepped back.
“You didn’t want a family.””
My voice broke.
“You wanted someone to pay for one.””
Before she could respond, the doorbell rang.
Victoria immediately looked terrified.
I walked toward the front door.
“Who is it?””
A voice answered.
“James? It’s Daniel.””
I opened the door.
And there he stood.
The man who had been a ghost in my marriage.
He looked nothing like the villain I imagined.
He looked nervous.
Almost ashamed.
“Why are you here?””
Daniel glanced past me.
“Because Victoria never told you the whole truth.””
I laughed bitterly.
“Apparently nobody in this house does.””
Daniel lowered his voice.
“James, there’s something you need to know.””
“What?””
His eyes moved toward the nursery.
“The twins aren’t the only thing Victoria lied about.””
I stared at him.
“What else?””
Daniel reached into his jacket.
And pulled out a folder.
“I found out why she changed the birth certificates.””
My fingers tightened.
“Why?””
Daniel looked directly at me.
“Because the names on those documents weren’t just about hiding me.””
May you like
He handed me the folder.
“They were about hiding who you really are.””
