Chapter 10: The Price Of Silence
I stared at Ethan.
The man I had loved for ten years.
The man who held my hand when Ava was born.
The man who promised me we would grow old together.
And now he was standing in front of me, admitting he had been paid to hide the truth about my daughter.
“How much?””
My voice sounded unfamiliar.
Ethan looked confused.
“What?””
“How much did my father pay you?””
He looked away.
“Lauren…”
“How much?””
“Fifty thousand dollars.””
The number hit me harder than I expected.
Not because of the money.
Because he had placed a price on my trust.
On our family.
On Ava’s life.
I stepped back.
“You knew.””
Ethan shook his head.
“I knew something was wrong.””
“But you knew.””
“Yes.””
“When?””
“The night Ava was born.””
I felt my knees weaken.
Claire looked at him with disgust.
“You knew about my daughter too?””
Ethan closed his eyes.
“I knew there was an investigation.””
“You knew someone was covering it up.””
“Yes.””
“And you said nothing?””
“I was twenty-eight.””
Claire laughed bitterly.
“That’s your excuse?””
“No.””
For once, Ethan didn’t defend himself.
“I was scared.””
I looked at him.
“You were scared for yourself.””
He nodded.
“Yes.””
The honesty hurt more than another lie.
My phone was still connected to my mother.
“Lauren…”
I ended the call.
I couldn’t hear another excuse.
Not from her.
Not from anyone.
I walked out of the storage unit.
Nobody followed me immediately.
For the first time in years, I needed silence.
Outside, the air felt cold.
I stood beside the car, staring at the city.
My entire life had been built on things people chose not to tell me.
My mother.
My father.
My husband.
Even Claire.
Everyone had decided they were protecting me.
But all they had done was leave me alone inside a lie.
Ava deserved better.
I pulled out my phone and called Rachel.
“Can you keep Ava tonight?””
Her voice immediately changed.
“What happened?””
“I found out why everyone was hiding things.””
“Lauren…”
“I’ll explain later.””
A pause.
Then she said, “She’s safe here.””
I closed my eyes.
“Thank you.””
When I returned to the storage unit, Ethan was outside.
Claire was gone.
“You let her leave?””
“She needed time.””
I looked at him.
“Do you?””
He didn’t answer.
I unlocked the car.
“Lauren.””
I stopped.
“What?””
“I know I don’t deserve forgiveness.””
“No.””
He nodded.
“But I need you to know one thing.””
I waited.
“I never doubted Ava was yours.””
My expression changed.
“What does that mean?””
“When your father told me to stay quiet, he never said Ava wasn’t your daughter.””
I stared at him.
“Then what did he say?””
Ethan swallowed.
“He said if I loved you, I would forget what I saw.””
“What did you see?””
He looked terrified.
“I saw your father arguing with the doctor.””
“About what?””
“I don’t know.””
“You’re lying.””
“I’m not.””
I stepped closer.
“Then tell me what happened in that elevator.””
His face went pale.
“I saw your father carrying a baby.””
My heart stopped.
“Which baby?””
“I don’t know.””
“You knew enough to take money.””
“I was afraid.””
“Everyone was afraid.””
I turned away.
“Fear doesn’t erase what you did.””
That night, I didn’t go home.
I stayed at a hotel.
Alone.
For the first time in ten years, I slept without Ethan beside me.
The next morning, I woke up to thirty-two missed calls.
Twenty from Ethan.
Five from Rachel.
Seven from an unknown number.
I called Rachel first.
“What happened?””
Her voice was urgent.
“Your father came here.””
My stomach tightened.
“What?””
“He wanted to see Ava.””
“No.””
“Lauren, listen.””
“No.””
I sat up.
“What did he say?””
Rachel hesitated.
“He said he knows you found out.””
My hands went cold.
“How?””
“He said Ethan told him.””
I closed my eyes.
Of course.
The secret was spreading.
Everyone was trying to control the damage.
Then Rachel said something else.
“Lauren…”
“What?””
“He left something for you.””
“What?””
“A letter.””
I looked toward the window.
“Read it.””
“I did.””
“And?””
Her voice became quiet.
“He says your father was never the person you thought he was.””
I froze.
“What does that mean?””
May you like
Rachel whispered:
“Lauren, he says your mother wasn’t the only one who changed the records.””
