Chapter 6: The Woman Who Stole My Identity
Rachel didn't let Adrian drive us anywhere.
She insisted that we return to the hospital, and after ten minutes of furious arguing, Adrian finally agreed to follow us in his own car.
I sat in Rachel's passenger seat with the paternity report in my lap.
The document was real.
The signature appeared genuine.
The laboratory name matched the hospital listed on my birth certificate.
But none of that explained why someone had broken into my mother's house.
“Call her,” I told Rachel.
She handed me her phone.
I dialed Darla's number.
It rang six times before going to voicemail.
I tried again.
Nothing.
“Maybe she's sleeping,” Rachel said.
“Then Cole would answer.””
I called him.
He picked up immediately.
“Emma?””
“Where's my mother?””
“At the hospital.””
“I'm coming back. Don't leave her alone.””
A pause.
“What happened?””
“Someone broke into her house.””
Silence.
Then Cole said, “Who told you?””
“Adrian.””
I heard him inhale sharply.
“You met him?””
“Yes.””
“Emma, get away from him.””
“I'm not in the mood for another command from you.””
“He's dangerous.””
“Funny. He said the same thing about Mom.””
Cole's voice dropped.
“Please. Just come to the hospital.””
I ended the call.
Rachel drove faster.
When we arrived, Cole was waiting outside Room 418. His face was pale, and he had changed into a clean shirt.
He looked at the paternity report in my hand.
“Is that his?””
“Yes.””
He swallowed.
“Did he tell you about the trust?””
I stared at him.
“You knew about it?””
“Not until two months ago.””
“Did you know he was my biological father before you married me?””
“No.””
“Did you know I might be related to you when you started sleeping with my mother?””
He looked away.
“Yes.””
I felt a fresh wave of disgust.
“Then why did you continue?””
He pressed his hands against his face.
“I don't know how to explain it.””
“Try honesty. It's a new concept for everyone in this family.””
He lowered his hands.
“Darla told me Adrian was my father. She said he'd been violent and that he had abandoned us when I was a child. She said she'd changed my name to protect me.””
I stared at him.
“You were raised as Cole Mercer.””
“My mother's surname was Mercer. Adrian's name was never on my birth certificate.””
“Then why Cole Adrian?””
“My mother told me Adrian was a family friend. She said the name was a tribute to someone who had helped her.””
I almost laughed.
“Everyone in this story has a different version of the same lie.””
Cole looked as if he wanted to reach for me.
He didn't.
“Emma, I didn't know you were his daughter until Darla told me.””
“And after she told you?””
He closed his eyes.
“I should have told you immediately.””
“Yes.””
“I should have stopped seeing her.””
“Yes.””
“I should never have touched her.””
I stared at him.
“You're right about all three.””
The door to Room 418 opened.
A nurse stepped into the corridor.
“Mrs. Bennett is asking for her daughter.””
I went inside.
Darla lay against the pillows, looking smaller than I remembered. Her IV bag hung beside the bed, and a monitor beeped steadily near her shoulder.
She turned when she saw me.
“Emma.””
“Someone broke into your house.””
Her face went white.
“Did they take anything?””
“I don't know. What were they looking for?””
She gripped the bedsheet.
“The birth records.””
I felt the room close around me.
“What birth records?””
“The originals. Your hospital file. The documents I kept from the day you were born.””
“Why did you keep them?””
She looked toward the door.
“Is Adrian here?””
“Outside.””
“Tell him to leave.””
“No.””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Emma, please.””
“I'm done doing what you ask because you cry.””
She flinched.
I hated that part of myself that still wanted to comfort her.
I hated it because she knew how to use it.
I pulled a chair beside the bed.
“Tell me what happened the night I was born.””
Darla stared at the ceiling.
For a long time, she said nothing.
Then she whispered, “I was twenty-nine when I met Adrian.””
“You told me you were thirty-six when you met Dad.””
“I lied about that, too.””
I felt my hands curl into fists.
“Of course you did.””
“Adrian was charming. He had money, confidence, and a way of making every room feel as though it belonged to him. I thought he loved me.””
“Did he?””
She shook her head.
“He loved being needed. He liked that I depended on him. He paid my rent, bought me clothes, and told me I was special. Then, when I wanted to leave, he reminded me that everything I had came from him.””
“What changed?””
“I discovered he was married.””
I stared at her.
“He was married to someone else?””
“Yes. He told me his marriage was over. It wasn't.””
The image of Adrian standing on the porch flashed through my mind.
He had spoken about my father with resentment, as if Thomas had stolen something from him.
Perhaps he had never considered that he had been the one taking.
“I ended the relationship,” Darla continued.
“Then I discovered I was pregnant.””
“Did you tell him?””
“Yes.””
“What did he say?””
“He wanted me to have an abortion.””
The words came out so quietly that I almost missed them.
I stared at her.
“He didn't want me?””
“He said having a child would ruin his life.””
“And you stayed with him?””
“No. I left. I went to Thomas.””
My mother wiped her cheeks.
“Thomas had been my friend for years. He knew I'd been seeing Adrian, but he didn't know how bad things had become. When I told him I was pregnant, he offered to help.””
“Why did he marry you?””
“Because he loved me.””
“Did you love him?””
She looked at me.
“Yes.””
I wanted to believe her.
“Then why did you lie about who my father was?””
“Because I was afraid Adrian would come back. Thomas offered to raise you as his own. We decided the truth would only cause pain.””
I thought about the letter.
My father had known.
He had chosen me anyway.
“Why did Dad tell me Adrian disappeared after demanding money?””
“Because that's what happened.””
“Then why does Adrian say Dad kept him away?””
“Because Adrian always makes himself the victim.””
Her voice sharpened.
“He came to the hospital two days after you were born. He demanded to see you. Thomas refused because Adrian was still married and had threatened me before.
They argued in the corridor. Security escorted him out.””
“Did Dad call the police?””
“No.””
“Why not?””
“Because he didn't want a scandal. He wanted you to grow up in peace.””
I looked down at my hands.
For the first time, I understood that my father might have made mistakes without being a villain.
He had chosen silence because he believed silence would protect me.
My mother had chosen silence because she was afraid.
And Adrian had chosen silence because it had suited him.
“Why did Adrian come back now?”” I asked.
Darla's eyes shifted toward the door.
“Because Thomas's company was sold.””
I remembered Adrian's claim about the trust.
“What's the connection?””
“Thomas created a trust for you. Adrian believes he should receive the money because he says some of the original capital belonged to him.””
“Did it?””
Darla shook her head.
“No.””
“How do you know?””
“Because I was there when Thomas started the company.””
She swallowed.
“Adrian invested money through a partnership years earlier. When the partnership collapsed, Thomas repaid him. Adrian signed a release confirming that he had no further claim.””
“Then why does he think he owns the trust?””
“Because the trust contains money from the sale of the company, and he believes Thomas transferred assets that should have belonged to him.””
I stared at her.
“Did Dad steal from him?””
“No.””
“Are you certain?””
“Yes.””
“Then why are you afraid?””
Darla looked toward the door again.
“Because Adrian doesn't need to be right to hurt people.””
Before I could ask another question, a man in a dark suit entered the room.
He was in his early forties, with neatly combed hair and a leather folder tucked under one arm.
“Mrs. Bennett,” he said.
“I'm Daniel Price. I represent Adrian Cole.””
My mother went rigid.
I stood.
“This is a hospital room. Who gave you permission to come in?””
He smiled politely.
“I understand this is a difficult time. I'm here to discuss a matter concerning Ms. Bennett's inheritance.””
“Then speak to her lawyer.””
“Of course. But there are urgent circumstances.””
He opened the folder and removed a document.
“Mr. Cole believes that certain assets were improperly transferred into a trust established by Thomas Bennett. He is prepared to resolve the matter privately if Emma agrees to meet with him and sign an acknowledgment of the underlying financial arrangement.””
I stared at him.
“You want me to sign something?””
“Only an acknowledgment.””
“Of what?””
“That the funds originally belonged to Mr. Cole.””
Darla began shaking her head.
“Don't sign anything, Emma.””
Daniel ignored her.
“Your biological father has made a generous offer. He wants to avoid litigation and protect your inheritance.””
I looked at the document.
A signature line waited at the bottom.
I didn't touch it.
“Leave.””
His smile tightened.
“Ms. Bennett, refusing to cooperate could create serious complications.””
“Then I'll deal with them through my lawyer.””
He closed the folder.
“Your father anticipated that you might react emotionally.””
I took a step toward him.
“Which father?””
For the first time, his composure slipped.
I continued.
“The man who raised me or the man who abandoned me?””
Daniel said nothing.
“Get out.””
He glanced at Darla, then at Cole, who had appeared in the doorway.
“This isn't over,” he said.
“No,” I replied.
“It isn't.””
He left.
Cole stood frozen.
“Emma, I swear I didn't know he was coming.””
I looked at him.
“I don't care.””
Darla reached for my hand.
I stepped away.
“There's something else,” she whispered.
I stared at her.
“Of course there is.””
She looked as though she might be sick.
“The night you were born, Adrian gave me a document to sign. He said it was a release confirming that he wanted nothing to do with you.””
I felt my pulse quicken.
“Did you sign it?””
“Yes.””
“Where is it?””
“I kept a copy with the original birth records.””
“And now someone has stolen those records.””
She nodded.
I looked at the hospital door, where Adrian's lawyer had disappeared.
“Was the document real?””
Darla's eyes filled with terror.
“No.””
My blood ran cold.
“What do you mean?””
She whispered, “I forged his signature.””
The monitor beside her began beeping faster.
I gripped the back of the chair.
“Why would you do that?””
“Because Adrian told me he would take you away if I didn't.””
I stared at her.
“You forged a document that could affect my entire life?””
“I was trying to protect you.””
“No. You were trying to control what happened to you.””
She began to cry.
I wanted to leave.
I wanted to run back to Rachel's apartment, lock the door, and pretend that my family had never existed.
Instead, I stood beside my mother's hospital bed and asked the only question that mattered.
“Mom, what exactly did you steal from Adrian?””
She shook her head.
“Nothing.””
I held her gaze.
“Then why did he spend sixteen years looking for those records?””
She opened her mouth.
Before she could answer, my phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number.
It contained a photograph of a document bearing my mother's signature.
Below it was a single sentence.
*Ask Darla why the hospital recorded two babies born under her name that night.*
I looked up.
May you like
My mother had gone completely white.
And for the first time, she didn't even try to deny it.
