Chapter 8: The Truth Nobody Wanted Me To Find
I couldn’t read the page again.
My eyes kept returning to the same words.
*Paternity Investigation.*
But there was only one person who could explain it.
Victoria.
“Tell me.””
My voice was quiet.
She looked at me.
“I didn’t want you to know this way.””
“That’s what everyone says.””
The words came out sharper than I intended.
But I was tired.
Tired of being protected through lies.
Tired of being treated like I couldn’t handle the truth.
Marcus stood beside me.
“Mom.””
Victoria closed her eyes.
“Your father and Emma’s mother had a relationship before you were born.””
The room spun.
“What?””
Marcus looked shocked.
“No.””
Victoria nodded.
“They were young. They made mistakes.””
I stared at her.
“You’re saying my mother…”
“Yes.””
“And your husband?””
She nodded.
The silence was unbearable.
“So what does that mean?””
Victoria looked at Marcus.
“It means the families were connected long before either of you knew.””
I shook my head.
“That doesn’t explain my pregnancy.””
Victoria looked down.
And that frightened me.
“What?””
She whispered:
“Your father discovered something before he died.””
“What?””
“That someone in the family had been manipulating medical records for years.””
Marcus stepped forward.
“Who?””
Victoria looked at him.
“Your sister.””
Brielle.
The name hit me.
Again.
I thought about the wedding.
The torn dress.
The hospital file.
Her fear.
Her anger.
But Victoria continued.
“She wasn’t alone.””
My blood ran cold.
“Who helped her?””
Victoria didn’t answer.
Marcus demanded:
“Mom.””
Victoria looked at me.
“I think she was being controlled.””
I frowned.
“By who?””
Victoria reached into the box again.
She pulled out another photograph.
A photograph of Brielle.
But she wasn’t alone.
She was standing outside the hospital.
Beside her was a man.
An older man.
Marcus stared.
“No.””
I looked at him.
“Who is that?””
His face went pale.
“My father’s lawyer.””
Victoria nodded.
“After your father died, he continued handling the family’s affairs.””
Marcus took the photo.
“Why was he with Brielle?””
Victoria whispered:
“Because he was the one who told her what to do.””
My mind raced.
“So Brielle didn’t act alone?””
“No.””
“Then why did she attack me?””
Victoria looked devastated.
“Because she believed you were going to expose everything.””
I remembered Brielle’s words.
You don’t belong here.
At the time, I thought she hated me.
Maybe she did.
But maybe she was also afraid.
Marcus looked at the documents.
“We need to find this lawyer.””
Victoria nodded.
“There’s one problem.””
“What?””
“He disappeared.””
The room went silent.
“When?””
“The day after your wedding.””
A terrible feeling settled in my chest.
Everything was connected.
The wedding.
The hospital.
The forged signature.
The payment.
The lies.
And now a missing person.
That night, Marcus and I returned home.
Neither of us slept.
Too much had changed.
Around midnight, I found him sitting in the nursery.
The room we had prepared for our baby.
He was holding the tiny blanket we bought months ago.
“I’m sorry.””
I stood in the doorway.
“For what?””
“For not seeing it.””
I walked closer.
“Marcus…”
“I thought I was protecting you.””
He looked up.
“But I was surrounded by people keeping secrets.””
I sat beside him.
“We both were.””
For the first time in days, we held each other.
Not because everything was fixed.
Because we were both broken.
Then my phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
A message.
I opened it.
My blood froze.
There was only one sentence.
*Stop searching for the truth, or you’ll lose the baby too.*
I dropped the phone.
Marcus grabbed it.
His face changed.
“Emma.””
I looked at him.
The fear in his eyes was worse than anything.
Because he knew something I didn’t.
“What?””
He turned the phone toward me.
Below the message was a photo.
A photo taken that same night.
Of me.
Standing outside our house.
May you like
And in the background…
Someone was watching the nursery window.
