Chapter 11: The Missing Years
I drove to Claire’s apartment without thinking.
Not our house.
Not the place we had shared.
The apartment she kept for “work emergencies.””
Another secret I had never questioned.
I stood outside the door for almost a minute before knocking.
When she opened it, she looked like she hadn’t slept.
Her eyes were swollen.
“Daniel.””
I walked inside.
She didn’t stop me.
Maybe because she knew she no longer had the right.
The apartment smelled like her perfume.
A smell that used to comfort me.
Now it made my chest ache.
“You took the DNA results.””
Claire closed her eyes.
“Yes.””
“Why?””
She sat down.
“I was scared.””
I shook my head.
“You keep saying that.””
“Because it’s true.””
“No. It’s an excuse.””
She looked at me.
And for once, she didn’t argue.
“You’re right.””
That surprised me.
I expected another explanation.
Another reason.
Another person to blame.
But she just sat there.
Broken.
“I was twenty-nine,” she whispered.
“I had just watched Vanessa destroy herself.””
I remained standing.
“Don’t make this about her.””
“I’m not.””
She looked at me.
“I’m making it about me.””
That was the first honest thing she had said in hours.
Claire wiped her tears.
“I saw how much pain Noah’s situation caused everyone.””
“Everyone?””
“Yes.””
“Not me.””
Her face tightened.
“You weren’t supposed to know.””
The words hung there.
I stared at her.
“That’s exactly the problem.””
She nodded slowly.
“I know.””
“Why did you marry me?””
Her lips trembled.
“At first?””
I waited.
“At first, because Vanessa asked me to get close to you.””
I felt like I had been punched.
“She asked you?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“She thought you were the only person who could protect Noah.””
I frowned.
“From who?””
Claire looked away.
“Michael.””
I stopped.
“But Michael is dead.””
“Yes.””
“And before that?””
She nodded.
“He was dangerous.””
I sat down across from her.
“Then why didn’t you tell me?””
“Because when I got close to you…”
She stopped.
“When I got close to you, what?””
Her voice cracked.
“I fell in love with you.””
I looked at her.
I wanted to believe her.
That was the worst part.
“I loved you too.””
Her eyes filled.
“I know.””
“No, you don’t.””
I stood.
“Because if you did, you would have trusted me with the truth.””
She looked down.
“I thought if I told you about Noah, you would see me as a liar.””
“I see you as a liar because you lied.””
She nodded.
“I deserve that.””
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then I noticed something on the table.
A folder.
Open.
Inside was a photograph.
A baby.
Noah.
But behind the photo was another document.
I picked it up.
Claire immediately stood.
“Daniel, don’t.””
Too late.
It was a second DNA test.
But not Noah’s.
The baby she was carrying.
My hands shook.
The results were printed clearly.
Probability of paternity: 0%.
I looked up.
Claire was crying.
“Whose baby is it?””
She covered her mouth.
“I don’t know.””
“That’s impossible.””
“I told you.””
“No.””
I pointed at the paper.
“You knew.””
“I suspected.””
“How long?””
She whispered:
“Since before the engagement party.””
I stepped back.
The accusation from Sophie.
The red object.
The panic.
Everything came rushing back.
“You knew the baby wasn’t mine.””
Claire cried.
“I was trying to find out the truth.””
“By hiding the truth?””
She had no answer.
My phone buzzed.
A message.
From Vanessa.
A location.
And one sentence.
*I found the man who is the father.*
I looked at Claire.
Then at the message.
A name appeared below.
May you like
A name that made my entire body go cold.
Because I knew him.
