Chapter 8: The Hospital Record
We spent the next hour sitting on that park bench.
Nobody moved.
The children laughing nearby felt like they were in another world.
A world where adults didn't create secrets.
A world where people didn't make choices for others and call it love.
Daniel stared at the hospital record.
“My mother was the emergency contact?””
Lucas nodded.
“She told me she was helping because you were exhausted after giving birth.””
I looked down.
Pieces of memory started returning.
The days after Mia was born were a blur.
I had been overwhelmed.
Tired.
Emotional.
I remembered Patricia offering help.
Bringing food.
Cleaning the house.
Holding Mia while I slept.
I thought she was being supportive.
I never imagined she was building a wall around my daughter.
“What exactly happened?”” Daniel asked.
Lucas took a breath.
“The night Mia was born, I came to the hospital.””
I looked at him.
“You did?””
“Yes.””
My heart raced.
“I waited outside your room.””
“Why?””
“Because we had talked before.””
I shook my head.
“I don't remember.””
“You were exhausted. You told me you weren't sure what you wanted.””
That sounded like me.
Not because I wanted Lucas back.
Because life had changed overnight.
I had just become a mother.
Lucas continued.
“I wanted to know if the baby was mine.””
Daniel looked away.
“And then?””
“Patricia found me.””
The air went cold.
“She told me Emily didn't want me there.””
I felt my stomach drop.
“She said that?””
Lucas nodded.
“She said you had chosen Daniel.””
I closed my eyes.
I had never said that.
Not then.
Not ever.
Patricia had spoken for me.
Again.
“She told me if I cared about Mia, I would leave.””
Daniel clenched his jaw.
“She manipulated everyone.””
Lucas looked down.
“She gave me a letter.””
“What letter?””
“A letter supposedly from Emily.””
I stared.
“I never wrote one.””
Lucas nodded.
“I know that now.””
My hands trembled.
“What did it say?””
He looked at me.
“That you didn't want me involved.””
A horrible silence followed.
For years, Lucas believed I rejected him.
For years, I believed he walked away.
And Patricia had created that distance.
When we returned home, Daniel went straight to his mother's house.
I followed.
He didn't yell.
That was what scared me.
Daniel was usually calm.
Patient.
The kind of person who avoided confrontation.
But that day, he walked through Patricia's front door with a quiet determination I had never seen.
She was sitting in the living room.
Waiting.
“I knew you would come,” she said.
Daniel stopped.
“Did you?””
“Yes.””
She looked at me.
“I suppose Lucas finally told you everything.””
I stepped forward.
“You knew.””
Patricia looked away.
“I did what I thought was right.””
“No.””
My voice surprised even me.
“You did what gave you control.””
She stood.
“You have no idea what I sacrificed for this family.””
Daniel laughed bitterly.
“Sacrificed?””
“Yes.””
“I raised that child because you lied to me.””
Patricia's face softened.
“I watched you become a father.””
“And I would have loved her either way.””
That made her stop.
For the first time, I saw uncertainty in her eyes.
Daniel continued.
“You didn't protect me from losing Mia.””
He pointed toward the door.
“You took away the chance to make an honest choice.””
Patricia whispered:
“You don't understand.””
I stepped closer.
“Then explain.””
She looked at me.
And slowly said:
“There is one more thing you don't know.””
My heart sank.
“What?””
Patricia walked to a drawer.
She pulled out another folder.
Then she placed it on the table.
Inside was a document.
A DNA test.
But it wasn't Lucas's.
It wasn't Daniel's.
It was mine.
I looked at the paper.
Then at Patricia.
“What did you do?””
May you like
Her answer was barely audible.
“I tested Mia without your permission.””
