Chapter 6: The Man From Before
The photograph shook in Daniel’s hand.
A stranger stared back at us.
A man with dark hair, tired eyes, and a smile that looked strangely familiar.
I hated that.
I hated that some part of me recognized him.
“Who is he?”” Daniel asked.
Michael didn’t answer immediately.
He looked at me.
“Emily, you really don’t remember?””
My throat tightened.
“Remember what?””
The coffee shop around us seemed to fade away.
The voices.
The cups.
The people walking past the windows.
All I could hear was my own heartbeat.
Michael lowered his voice.
“His name is Ethan Cole.””
The name meant nothing.
But the way Michael said it made my skin crawl.
“Why should I know him?””
Michael looked at Daniel.
“Because before Daniel, there was Ethan.””
Daniel’s face changed.
I felt the same confusion he did.
“What are you talking about?””
Michael leaned forward.
“Emily was engaged to him.””
My breath stopped.
“No.””
Michael looked at me.
“You were.””
I shook my head.
“I would remember that.””
“You were in a car accident.””
The words hit me.
A flash.
Headlights.
Rain.
A hospital room.
A doctor telling me I was lucky to be alive.
I grabbed the edge of the table.
“No.””
Michael continued.
“You lost some memories.””
Daniel looked at me.
“You never told me that.””
“Because I didn’t know.””
My voice was barely audible.
The memories came in pieces.
Fragments.
A song playing in a car.
A man laughing.
A ring.
Then nothing.
Michael opened the envelope.
Inside was another document.
“A year before you met Daniel, Ethan disappeared.””
Daniel frowned.
“Disappeared?””
“Everyone thought he left.””
I looked at the photo.
“Why would I forget him?””
Michael looked down.
“Because Mom wanted you to.””
A cold feeling spread through me.
“Your mother?””
Michael nodded.
“She knew Ethan.””
“How?””
Michael hesitated.
Then he said:
“Because Ethan was the person who discovered what Mom had done.””
Daniel leaned forward.
“What did she do?””
Michael looked at him.
“Six years ago, when Lily was born, Mom tried to prove Emily had cheated on you.””
My hands tightened.
“She failed.””
Michael shook his head.
“No.””
He looked at Daniel.
“She almost succeeded.””
Daniel went still.
“What?””
“Mom had access to the hospital records. She had access to Emily’s room. She had access to Lily’s first DNA sample.””
I whispered:
“The test…”
“Yes.””
Michael nodded.
“The test was not to discover the truth.””
“Then what was it?””
“To create a different truth.””
Daniel’s face turned pale.
“She changed something.””
Michael didn’t answer.
He didn’t need to.
I looked at the photograph again.
“Ethan knew?””
“Yes.””
“How?””
“Because Ethan came to the hospital that night.””
My chest tightened.
“Why?””
Michael looked at me.
“Because he was Lily’s biological father.””
The words echoed.
Daniel closed his eyes.
I felt like the room was spinning.
“No.””
Michael quickly continued.
“But Mom didn’t know the whole story.””
“What story?””
Michael took a breath.
“Ethan wasn’t your boyfriend anymore.””
I stared at him.
“What?””
“He wasn’t your fiancé.””
“Then why would he be Lily’s father?””
Michael’s expression changed.
“Because Lily wasn’t conceived after your accident.””
I froze.
“What?””
“She was conceived before.””
Daniel looked at me.
I could see the pain in his eyes.
But also confusion.
Michael continued.
“Emily, you and Ethan broke up before the accident.””
I shook my head.
“No.””
“Yes.””
“Why don’t I remember?””
“Because after the accident, someone convinced you the relationship never happened.””
My blood turned cold.
“Who?””
Michael looked toward the window.
Like he was afraid someone was watching.
Then he whispered:
“Your mother-in-law.””
I stood.
“She erased my memories?””
“Not completely.””
“Then what did she do?””
Michael looked at Daniel.
“She used the accident to rewrite the story.””
Daniel’s hands clenched.
“My mother stole years from my wife.””
Michael nodded.
“And when Ethan came back to tell Emily the truth…”
He stopped.
I felt dread rising.
“What happened?””
Michael looked at me.
“He disappeared.””
The room went silent.
Daniel stared.
“Are you saying my mother had something to do with Ethan disappearing?””
Michael didn’t answer.
Instead, he pushed the final document across the table.
“This is why I kept everything.””
Daniel opened it.
His eyes moved across the page.
Then he looked at me.
His face had no color.
“What?””
I whispered.
“What does it say?””
Daniel slowly handed me the paper.
It was a police report.
A missing person report.
Filed six years ago.
The missing person’s name:
*Ethan Cole.*
And at the bottom of the page was the last person who had seen him alive.
A witness statement.
May you like
Signed by:
*Margaret Bennett.*
