Chapter 6: The Voice From My Past
My father stared at the phone.
Nobody moved.
The ringtone echoed through the ballroom like a warning.
“Dad,” I said.
He looked at me.
His face was pale.
“Answer it.””
He hesitated.
“Daniel…”
“Answer it.””
Slowly, he pressed the button.
“Hello?””
The room was silent enough that I could hear the faint voice on the other end.
A woman.
Older.
Shaking.
“Robert?””
My father closed his eyes.
“Yes.””
The woman breathed heavily.
“I don’t know if I have the right number.””
My father gripped the phone tighter.
“You do.””
My heart started racing.
“Who is it?””
My father looked at me.
And before he could respond, the woman spoke again.
“Is Daniel there?””
Every person in the room froze.
My hand went cold.
The woman knew my name.
“Who are you?”” I asked.
My father placed the phone on speaker.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then the woman whispered:
“My son.””
I stopped breathing.
My mother covered her mouth.
Claire looked completely shocked.
Ethan closed his eyes.
Like he had been waiting for this moment.
“My son,” the woman repeated.
“I’m sorry it took me this long.””
I stepped closer to the phone.
“Who are you?””
The woman cried softly.
“My name is Rebecca.””
The name meant nothing to me.
But my family reacted.
My mother sat down.
My father looked devastated.
Ethan whispered:
“She’s alive.””
I turned toward him.
“What?””
He looked at me.
“Daniel… your birth mother is alive.””
The words felt impossible.
The woman on the phone continued.
“I tried to find you.””
My voice shook.
“Why didn’t you?””
A long silence followed.
Then:
“Because someone made sure I couldn’t.””
I looked at Claire.
Then my mother.
Then my father.
“How?””
Rebecca’s voice trembled.
“I was told you were adopted by another family.””
My eyebrows pulled together.
“What?””
“I was told you were safe. I was told your parents wanted nothing to do with me.””
My father looked away.
My mother started crying harder.
“Who told you that?””
The woman didn’t answer immediately.
Then she said:
“Your grandfather.””
I froze.
My grandfather had been dead for fifteen years.
“Why?””
Rebecca’s voice became quieter.
“Because he wanted to protect the family name.””
The room felt colder.
I looked at my father.
“You knew?””
He shook his head quickly.
“No.””
“Then what did you know?””
He looked broken.
“I knew Rebecca existed.””
Everyone stared.
“You knew?””
My father nodded.
“She was young. She had no support. Your grandfather told us she gave you away willingly.””
I looked at my mother.
“And you believed him?””
She cried.
“Yes.””
The honesty hurt.
But it was better than another lie.
Rebecca spoke again.
“Daniel, I didn’t come to your wedding because I wanted to destroy your life.””
I froze.
“You were here?””
“Yes.””
My eyes widened.
“Where?””
Her voice cracked.
“I was outside.””
My mother looked toward the ballroom doors.
The mud.
The wet hair.
The fear.
Everything suddenly made sense.
“You were my mother?””
Rebecca whispered:
“I was the woman who tried to get inside.””
My heart pounded.
“Then why did my mother walk in?””
A pause.
Then Rebecca said something that changed everything.
“Because I saw Claire’s mother trying to stop me.””
Everyone turned toward Claire’s family.
Claire’s mother went completely still.
Rebecca continued:
“She knew who I was.””
The ballroom erupted.
Claire’s mother stepped backward.
“No.””
My father’s voice became cold.
“Margaret.””
Claire’s mother looked at him.
“You knew?””
She said nothing.
And that silence was the confession.
My father slowly walked toward her.
“After thirty years…”
His voice shook.
“You knew where Daniel’s mother was?””
Margaret looked at me.
And tears filled her eyes.
“I was trying to fix what my family did.””
I stared at her.
“Then why did you let me marry your daughter without telling me?””
She opened her mouth.
But before she could answer, my phone buzzed.
A message appeared.
From an unknown number.
I opened it.
And the words on the screen made my blood run cold.
*Daniel, if you want the complete truth about what happened the night you were born, leave this wedding now.*
May you like
Below it was one final sentence.
*Because the person standing beside you is still lying.*
