Chapter 4: The Name She Tried To Bury
For a few seconds, I couldn’t understand the words.
Not because I didn’t hear them.
Because my mind refused to accept them.
The baby’s real father.
I looked down at my son sleeping peacefully in the hospital crib.
My son.
At least, that was what I had believed.
“Claire,” I said slowly, forcing the words out.
“Are you saying my wife cheated on me?””
On the other end of the phone, there was silence.
A silence that felt like a confession.
“I’m saying Emily has been carrying a secret since before your son was born.””
My eyes moved toward Emily.
She was standing beside the window, crying quietly.
Not angry.
Not defensive.
Just broken.
“Tell him,” Claire said.
Emily looked up.
“Claire, stop.””
“No,” her sister replied.
“You wanted to hide from this forever. But Daniel deserves to know.””
I felt my chest tighten.
“Know what?””
Emily wiped her face.
“Daniel…”
“Don’t say my name like that,” I whispered.
“Not until you tell me the truth.””
She looked away.
That hurt more than anything.
Because I had spent six years learning every expression on her face.
I knew when she was nervous.
I knew when she was pretending.
And right now, she wasn’t pretending.
She was terrified.
“Who is the father?”” I asked.
Emily closed her eyes.
Then she whispered a name.
A name I recognized immediately.
“Jason.””
The room went completely still.
Jason Miller.
My childhood friend.
The man who stood beside me at my wedding.
The man who helped me move into this house.
The man who hugged me when we found out Emily was pregnant.
My knees almost gave out.
“No.””
Emily started crying harder.
“Daniel, please listen.””
“No.””
I stepped away from her.
“No, you don’t get to say please now.””
The nurse outside the room glanced in through the glass, but I didn’t care.
My entire world had collapsed in less than a minute.
“You looked me in the eyes for nine months,” I said.
“You watched me paint his room. You watched me buy his clothes. You watched me tell everyone I was going to be a father.””
“I know.””
“You knew?””
Her tears fell.
“I knew.””
The two words cut deeper than anything else.
I turned toward the window.
Outside, people walked through the hospital parking lot carrying coffee, talking on phones, living normal lives.
Meanwhile, mine had ended.
“Why?”” I asked.
Emily didn’t answer.
“Why did you let me believe he was mine?””
Her voice shook.
“Because he is your son.””
I turned around.
“What?””
“He is yours.””
I stared at her.
“That doesn’t make sense.””
Claire spoke through the phone.
“Daniel, Emily needs to explain everything.””
I looked at my wife.
“Then explain.””
Emily sat down slowly.
“When I found out I was pregnant, I was already scared.””
“Because of Jason?””
She shook her head.
“Because of what happened with him.””
“What happened?””
She looked at the floor.
“Jason disappeared after I told him.””
My anger paused for a moment.
“He left?””
“Yes.””
The room became quieter.
“I called him. I begged him to talk. But he said he didn’t want anything to do with the baby.””
I swallowed.
“And you stayed with me.””
“Yes.””
“Because you loved me?””
Her silence answered before she did.
“I did love you.””
The past tense hurt.
“You did?””
Emily looked at me.
“I still do.””
I almost laughed.
“Love doesn’t look like this.””
She lowered her head.
“No. It doesn’t.””
The monitor beside my son’s crib made a soft beeping sound.
That tiny sound reminded me why I was still standing.
Not because of Emily.
Because of him.
“What did you mean when you said you wanted to give him away?””
Emily covered her face.
“I thought I couldn’t be his mother.””
“Why?””
Her breathing became uneven.
“Because every time I looked at him, I remembered the worst mistake of my life.””
I looked at my son.
“And you thought giving him away would erase it?””
“No.””
She shook her head.
“I thought it would protect him.””
I stared at her.
“From what?””
Emily looked directly at me.
And the fear in her eyes returned.
“From Jason.””
Before I could ask what she meant, my phone buzzed again.
A new message.
From Jason.
*Daniel, we need to talk before Emily tells you the rest.*
I looked at the screen.
May you like
Then another message appeared.
*Because she doesn’t know what I did.*
