Chapter 6: The Daughter My Father Never Told Me About
For several seconds, I couldn't understand what Michael had just said.
The hospital corridor seemed to stretch around me. Somewhere behind the doors, a machine beeped steadily. A cleaner pushed a cart past us, completely unaware that my entire understanding of my family had just collapsed.
I stared at my brother.
“What did you just say?””
Michael looked down at the photograph.
“Maya.””
I shook my head.
“No. Don't you dare say something like that unless you can explain exactly what you mean.””
He rubbed both hands over his face.
“Dad had a relationship before he married Mom. A woman named Rebecca Morgan.””
I looked at the photograph again.
The woman holding the newborn had dark hair and tired eyes.
“Rebecca Morgan?””
Michael nodded.
“She was Lily's mother.””
I frowned.
“Then what does that have to do with Maya?””
Michael took a shaky breath.
“Rebecca had two children.””
I felt my stomach tighten.
“Lily and...?””
“You.””
I stared at him.
For a moment, I actually laughed.
Not because anything was funny.
Because the alternative was accepting that my brother was telling me my father had another family.
“Michael, that's impossible. Dad married Mom when he was twenty-eight. I was born four years later.””
“Rebecca was his first love. They separated before he married Mom.””
“Then why did you say Maya?””
Michael looked toward the operating-room doors.
“Because Dad believed he had another child after he married Mom.””
I stood up.
“Are you telling me Maya is my father's daughter?””
“No.””
“Then explain it!””
Michael placed the photograph on the chair.
“Rebecca had a daughter years after Lily. Her name was Maya.””
My knees almost gave way.
I looked at the photograph again.
The baby in Rebecca's arms was wrapped in a pale yellow blanket.
There was a handwritten date on the back.
October 14.
The same date as Maya's birthday.
I couldn't breathe.
“That's not possible.””
Michael nodded.
“I know how it sounds.””
“Why would Dad think Maya was his?””
“Because Rebecca told him.””
I shook my head.
“Maya is my daughter. Claire gave birth to her. I was there. I held her when she was born.””
“I know.””
“Then what are you talking about?””
Michael's voice dropped.
“Rebecca told Dad that Maya's biological father was someone else. But she later contacted him and said she wasn't certain.””
I stared at him.
“And Dad kept this from me?””
“He was trying to establish the truth before he told you.””
“How long?””
“Years.””
I walked toward the window.
The glass was cold beneath my palm.
My father had been dead for six years. There was no way to ask him why he'd hidden this from me.
Then another thought struck me.
“Why did you know?””
Michael looked away.
“Because Dad asked me to help him.””
“Help him do what?””
“Find Rebecca. Find Lily. Find out whether Maya was connected to him.””
I turned.
“And you never told me?””
“He made me promise.””
I laughed bitterly.
“So you both decided I didn't deserve to know the truth about my own daughter?””
Michael flinched.
“I was twenty-nine, Daniel. I thought I was protecting you.””
“Protecting me from what?””
“From a possibility that could destroy your marriage.””
I stepped closer.
“Meanwhile, you let me raise a child without telling me there might be a question about her biological father?””
Michael lowered his head.
“I was wrong.””
For the first time, I saw genuine shame on his face.
But I couldn't deal with it.
Not yet.
Before I could speak, the operating-room doors opened.
Dr. Harris approached.
“Mr. Bennett?””
I hurried toward him.
“How is Maya?””
“The surgery went well. Her appendix had become severely inflamed, but we were able to remove it before it ruptured.””
My legs nearly buckled with relief.
“Can I see her?””
“She'll be in recovery shortly. She's doing well.””
I closed my eyes.
“Thank you.””
Dr. Harris smiled.
“She asked about you before we started.””
I wiped my face.
“Thank you, Doctor.””
When Maya was brought back, she was sleepy and pale.
Her small hand searched the blanket until I took it.
“Daddy?””
“I'm here, sweetheart.””
“Did they fix it?””
“They did. You're going to be okay.””
She gave a tiny nod.
Then her eyes moved toward Michael.
“Uncle Michael?””
He approached the bed.
“Hey, princess.””
Maya stared at him.
“Did you bring Mommy?””
Michael looked at me.
“No, sweetheart.””
She swallowed.
“Is she angry?””
I brushed her hair away from her forehead.
“We're going to talk about that later.””
Maya closed her eyes.
A few minutes later, she fell asleep.
I stepped into the hallway with Michael.
“Show me everything Dad left you.””
He reached into his bag and removed a small envelope.
Inside were three documents and a letter.
The first document was a copy of a trust agreement.
The second was a birth certificate.
The third was a letter from a solicitor.
I looked at the birth certificate.
Rebecca Morgan.
Father: Daniel Bennett.
I stopped breathing.
My name was printed beneath the father's details.
The date of birth was October 14.
But there was a problem.
The document had been issued when Maya was six years old.
I looked at Michael.
“Why would a birth certificate be issued six years after someone was born?””
“Because Rebecca had requested a correction to the original record.””
“Was it verified?””
“I don't know.””
I unfolded the letter.
It was from my father's solicitor, dated three weeks before Dad died.
Michael,
If the question surrounding Rebecca's younger daughter is ever resolved, Daniel must be told the truth.
But do not let anyone use the child as a weapon in a financial dispute.
The trust belongs to Lily. Not Victor. Not Claire. Not the family.
And certainly not the person who has recently begun asking questions about Daniel's identity.
I read the final sentence twice.
“Recently begun asking questions about my identity?””
Michael nodded.
“Dad thought someone was investigating you.””
“Who?””
“I don't know.””
I looked at the trust agreement.
Then I noticed a name written in the margin.
*Victor Morgan.*
I turned to Michael.
“Why was Victor connected to Dad's trust?””
“Because he was Lily's biological father.””
“And Claire?””
“She was the administrator after Dad died.””
I stared at the documents.
Something didn't add up.
If Claire had been stealing from the trust, why had she hidden the evidence in Maya's backpack?
Why not destroy it?
And why had she been so terrified of the bag being opened?
My phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
A photograph appeared.
It showed Claire sitting in a parked car outside the hospital.
Beside her was a man.
Victor.
Underneath it was a message.
*Your wife has been lying to you, Daniel. But not about the money.*
A second message arrived.
*Ask Michael what happened to Rebecca.*
I slowly turned toward my brother.
“Michael?””
He looked at my phone.
His face went white.
Then he whispered:
“Daniel, you need to know something before you speak to Claire again.””
“What?””
“Rebecca didn't disappear.””
He swallowed.
“She died in a car accident six years ago.””
I looked toward Maya's room.
“Then who has been sending us messages about Lily?””
Michael didn't answer.
Because at that exact moment, the hospital receptionist called his name.
May you like
A woman was asking to see him.
She had identified herself as Rebecca Morgan.
