Chapter 3: The Secret Behind Margaret’s Smile
I stared at my phone for several seconds after the call ended.
The hospital room suddenly felt much colder.
Who was that woman?
And what did she mean by being the reason Margaret thought she could get away with it?
I called the number back.
It went straight to voicemail.
I tried again.
Nothing.
My hands shook as I placed the phone down.
A few minutes later, Daniel walked back into the room.
His face told me something had happened.
“Daniel?””
He sat beside me.
“I confronted her.””
I studied his expression.
“What did she say?””
He looked away.
“That she was sorry.””
I almost laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was impossible to believe.
“Margaret apologized?””
Daniel nodded slowly.
“She said she lost control.””
“After kicking me?””
“She said she didn’t mean to hurt you.””
I stared at him.
“Daniel, people don’t accidentally become cruel.””
He didn’t argue.
Because he knew.
“She also said something else.””
My stomach tightened.
“What?””
Daniel hesitated.
“She said she thinks the baby isn’t really the reason she hates you.””
I frowned.
“What does that mean?””
He looked down.
“She said there are things about our family that you don’t know.””
A chill ran through me.
“Like what?””
Before Daniel could answer, his phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
His expression changed immediately.
“Who is it?””
He didn’t respond.
“Daniel?””
He showed me the screen.
It was Margaret.
He answered.
“Mom.””
For a moment, he only listened.
Then his face became serious.
“What did you just say?””
I watched him stand.
“Where are you?””
A long silence.
Then Daniel whispered:
“Sarah’s father?””
My heart stopped.
“My father?””
Daniel looked at me.
“She said she needs to tell us the truth about your family.””
I felt a strange pressure in my chest.
“My father has nothing to do with her.””
Daniel ended the call.
“No.””
“What?””
“She didn’t say your father was involved.””
He looked at the phone again.
“She said she knows something about him.””
I tried to understand.
My father had died when I was young.
There was nothing left to uncover.
At least, that was what I believed.
Daniel sat beside me again.
“Sarah, there’s something else.””
“What?””
He took a deep breath.
“When I got home, I found something on the table.””
“What?””
He reached into his jacket pocket.
It was a small envelope.
My name was written across the front.
Not Daniel’s.
Not Margaret’s.
Mine.
My hands went cold.
“Where did you get that?””
“It was inside our house.””
I opened it carefully.
Inside was a single photograph.
An old photograph.
A young woman holding a baby.
I didn’t recognize the woman.
But I recognized the baby.
Because the baby was me.
On the back of the photo, there was a handwritten sentence.
My fingers trembled as I turned it over.
Daniel read it over my shoulder.
And his face changed.
The words were simple.
May you like
But they destroyed everything I thought I knew.
*“Sarah, if Margaret ever comes near your child, you need to know what she did to your mother.””*
