Chapter 8: The Truth Hidden in the Missing Page
The words stared back at me.
*THE REAL FATHER.*
For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
The page shook between my fingers.
Not because I was afraid of what it said.
Because I was afraid of what it meant.
Behind me, my daughters were still sitting on the couch.
Four little girls who had already lost so much.
Four little girls who had spent months believing their mother abandoned them.
And now there was another secret waiting to destroy everything they knew.
I looked at the woman in the blue dress.
She was standing near the ballroom entrance.
Frozen.
Her name came back to me.
Rachel Collins.
Claire’s former attorney.
The person who handled our family documents.
The person who helped with Claire’s medical paperwork.
The person who had sat across from me after the funeral and said:
“Ethan, Claire loved you until her final breath.””
Now she looked like someone who had been caught carrying a weapon.
“Rachel,” I said.
Her face tightened.
“Ethan…”
“No.””
I held up the page.
“Don’t say my name like you’re still on my side.””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I was.””
“Were you?””
The room watched silently.
Nobody interrupted.
Because everyone understood.
This was the moment everything changed.
Rachel slowly walked forward.
“I never wanted any of this to happen.””
I looked at her.
“Then why did you hide this?””
She looked at the paper.
“Because Claire asked me to.””
The answer made me stop.
Again.
Another promise.
Another secret.
Another person claiming they were protecting Claire.
“How convenient.””
Rachel flinched.
“You think I wanted to lie?””
“I think everyone in this room wanted something.””
I looked around.
“At first, I thought Vanessa wanted control.””
Vanessa lowered her eyes.
“Then I thought Evelyn wanted money.””
Evelyn’s expression hardened.
“Then I thought Daniel wanted to protect his family.””
Daniel looked away.
“And now you’re telling me you all had reasons.””
I looked at Rachel.
“But my wife is still dead.””
The silence that followed was unbearable.
Rachel looked down.
“I know.””
“Then explain.””
She took a deep breath.
“The words on that page don’t mean what you think.””
I laughed quietly.
“Really?””
She nodded.
“No.””
She looked at my daughters.
“They mean something much worse.””
A chill moved through me.
“What does that mean?””
Rachel glanced at Daniel.
Then at Evelyn.
Then finally at me.
“Claire was investigating whether the girls were being used as leverage.””
My eyebrows tightened.
“Leverage?””
“Yes.””
“For what?””
Rachel hesitated.
Then whispered:
“For the inheritance.””
The room went still.
My children’s inheritance.
Claire’s family trust.
The money Claire’s parents left behind.
The money I had never touched because it was meant for the girls.
“What about it?””
Rachel looked at the floor.
“Someone discovered that if Claire died and Ethan was removed as guardian…”
She stopped.
I finished the sentence.
“They would control the trust.””
Rachel nodded.
My stomach turned.
“So the girls were never the target.””
“No.””
Her voice broke.
“They were the key.””
I looked at my daughters.
Four innocent children.
Reduced to paperwork.
Numbers.
Assets.
I felt sick.
Vanessa suddenly spoke.
“I didn’t know about that.””
Everyone looked at her.
She wiped her tears.
“I swear.””
I stared at her.
“You knew enough to hurt them.””
She looked down.
And for once, she had no excuse.
Rachel continued.
“Claire found out about the trust manipulation weeks before she died.””
I looked at Daniel.
“And he knew?””
Rachel didn’t answer.
That was answer enough.
Daniel stepped forward.
“I didn’t know about the money.””
Sofia laughed bitterly.
“You knew enough.””
Daniel looked at her.
“Don’t.””
“No.””
Sofia stepped closer.
“You knew Claire was being pressured.””
Daniel’s jaw tightened.
“You don’t know what happened.””
“I was there.””
The room froze.
I looked between them.
“What does that mean?””
Sofia looked at me.
“Daniel wasn’t the only person Claire called that night.””
My heart stopped.
“Who else?””
Nobody answered.
Then Rachel spoke.
“She called me.””
The room changed.
I stared at her.
“You?””
Rachel nodded.
“She wanted legal advice.””
“About what?””
Rachel looked at the page.
“About changing the guardianship arrangement.””
I frowned.
“Changing it to what?””
Her eyes met mine.
“To make sure the girls stayed with you.””
The words hit me.
Claire wanted me to have them.
She wasn’t leaving.
She wasn’t abandoning us.
She was fighting.
“She was trying to protect us.””
Rachel nodded.
“Yes.””
“Then why did everyone say she was unstable?””
Rachel closed her eyes.
“Because someone leaked private medical information.””
My hands tightened.
“Who?””
Rachel looked at Evelyn.
The room went silent.
Evelyn’s expression finally broke.
“You have no proof.””
Rachel stared at her.
“I have copies.””
Evelyn stepped forward.
“You wouldn’t.””
“I already did.””
A murmur moved through the guests.
For the first time, Evelyn looked trapped.
Not powerful.
Not untouchable.
Trapped.
I looked at her.
“You destroyed Claire’s reputation.””
Evelyn’s voice became cold.
“Claire was emotional.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“She was dangerous to you because she found out the truth.””
Evelyn’s eyes narrowed.
“You have no idea what Claire was capable of.””
The words hung in the air.
I stared at her.
“What does that mean?””
She smiled slightly.
A strange, bitter smile.
“You think Claire was innocent because she was your wife.””
My body went still.
“What are you saying?””
Nobody moved.
Even Daniel looked uncomfortable.
Evelyn continued.
“Claire had secrets too.””
I felt the room shift.
The same tactic.
The same story.
Attack the person who isn’t there to defend herself.
But something about her tone bothered me.
Because this time…
She wasn’t lying.
She was holding something back.
“What secrets?””
Evelyn looked at me.
“Ask Daniel.””
Everyone turned.
Daniel immediately shook his head.
“No.””
My heart sank.
“Daniel.””
He looked at me.
“I didn’t want you to know this way.””
“Know what?””
He looked toward my daughters.
Then away.
“Claire wasn’t just investigating them.””
“Who?””
“Everyone.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“What does that mean?””
Daniel swallowed.
“It means Claire discovered something about your family.””
I stared at him.
“My family?””
He nodded slowly.
“Before Claire died, she found out there was a reason someone wanted custody of the girls.””
My voice lowered.
“What reason?””
Daniel looked at the page.
Then at me.
“Because one of your daughters wasn’t supposed to inherit anything.””
The room went silent.
My heart stopped.
“What?””
Daniel looked devastated.
“Claire discovered a DNA issue.””
The words felt unreal.
A nightmare.
My daughters.
My family.
Everything I knew.
“No.””
Daniel’s voice broke.
“Ethan…”
“No.””
I stepped back.
“I don’t want to hear this.””
But I already knew.
Because Claire’s page had one final sentence written beneath the title.
*THE REAL FATHER IS NOT WHO THEY THINK.*
My vision blurred.
Four little girls.
Four daughters I loved more than life itself.
And now someone was telling me one of them might not be mine.
I looked at Daniel.
“Who?””
He didn’t answer.
I looked at Rachel.
She looked away.
I looked at Evelyn.
She looked almost relieved.
That scared me more than anything.
Because it meant this secret was exactly what she had been waiting to reveal.
Then my tablet buzzed.
Another message.
From Claire’s hidden account.
A video file.
The title appeared.
*ETHAN, BEFORE YOU QUESTION YOUR DAUGHTERS… QUESTION ME.*
My hands trembled.
Because Claire had known this day might come.
And she had left one final recording.
May you like
A recording that would reveal why she hid the truth about our children.
And why she trusted me enough to discover it after she was gone.
