Chapter 3: The Name Hidden in the Report
I didn’t sleep that night.
Neither did Daniel.
But we weren’t together.
He sat on the couch downstairs while I stayed beside Emily, listening to her pretend she wasn’t crying.
That was the worst part.
Not the cheating.
Not the lies.
Not even the possibility that Daniel wasn’t Emily’s biological father.
It was hearing my little girl trying to be brave.
At two in the morning, she finally spoke.
“Mom?””
I opened my eyes.
“Yeah?””
“Did Dad stop loving me?””
My heart cracked.
“No.””
“But he left.””
“He went away for work.””
“He went away from us.””
I didn’t have an answer.
Because she was right.
The next morning, I went downstairs.
Daniel was sitting at the kitchen table with the envelope in front of him.
He looked like a stranger.
A stranger who happened to know where we kept the coffee mugs.
“I want the truth,” I said.
He nodded.
“You deserve that.””
I sat across from him.
“Start from the beginning.””
Daniel took a deep breath.
“Three months after I left, I got an anonymous message.””
“What kind of message?””
“A picture.””
“Of what?””
“Emily.””
My stomach tightened.
“Why would someone send you a picture of our daughter?””
“Because the message said, ‘You should know the truth before it’s too late.’”
I stared at him.
“And you believed it?””
“I didn’t.””
“Then why take a DNA test?””
He looked ashamed.
“Because after that message, I noticed things.””
“What things?””
“Little things.””
He looked down.
“Emily’s medical records. The dates. The hospital paperwork.””
My voice became colder.
“So you secretly investigated your own daughter?””
“I was scared.””
“You were scared, so you betrayed us?””
His eyes filled with regret.
“I know.””
I stood up.
“No. You don’t know.””
Daniel grabbed the envelope.
“I never stopped loving her.””
“Then why didn’t you tell her?””
“Because I was trying to find out who sent that message.””
“And you thought cheating was part of solving it?””
He flinched.
I hated that he looked hurt.
Because I was hurt too.
A few minutes later, Daniel opened the envelope.
Inside was the DNA report.
He placed it on the table.
“I thought it said I wasn’t her father.””
I looked at the paper.
Then he pointed.
“But look here.””
I leaned closer.
The result showed a match.
A biological father match.
My breath caught.
“You are her father.””
“Yes.””
“Then why did you say someone changed it?””
Daniel pulled out another piece of paper.
“The first copy I received was different.””
“Where is it?””
“I lost it.””
I stared at him.
“You lost the only evidence?””
“No.””
His expression changed.
“I didn’t lose it.””
A chill moved through me.
“Then where is it?””
Daniel hesitated.
“I gave it to someone.””
“Who?””
Before he could answer, his phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
His face changed instantly.
“What?””
I watched him stand.
“Hello?””
A few seconds passed.
Then he went completely still.
“Where did you get this number?””
Silence.
“Listen to me. Don’t contact my family again.””
His voice shook.
“Who are you?””
I watched the blood drain from his face.
Then he slowly lowered the phone.
“Daniel?””
He looked at me.
“It was Vanessa.””
My stomach dropped.
“The woman from the airport?””
He nodded.
“She said she knows who changed the DNA report.””
I stared at him.
“You said she was just someone from work.””
“I thought she was.””
“Thought?””
Daniel looked toward the stairs where Emily was sleeping.
Then he said something that made my entire body go cold.
“Claire…”
His voice cracked.
“Vanessa says she didn’t come home with me because she was my girlfriend.””
I couldn’t speak.
Daniel gripped the phone tightly.
“She came home because she was trying to warn me.””
“Warn you about what?””
He looked at the screen.
At the missed call.
At the message that had just appeared.
And then he handed the phone to me.
May you like
The message had only seven words.
*Ask your wife what happened eight years ago.*
