Chapter 9: Three Children, One Father
I read the sentence again.
Why Claire chose me instead of Marcus.
For a moment, I forgot that Jordan was standing beside me.
I forgot that Daniel was watching.
All I could think about was the woman I had married.
The woman who had stood beside me at our wedding.
The woman who had promised to love me for the rest of our lives.
I looked at Daniel.
"How long have you known about this?""
He sat down.
"Since I was twenty-one.""
"Seven years?""
"Yes.""
"And you knew Marcus was your father?""
"Yes.""
I closed my eyes.
"Why didn't you tell me?""
Daniel looked uncomfortable.
"Because I didn't know how to approach you. I had been told that you hated Marcus. I thought you might reject me.""
I stared at him.
"Who told you that?""
"Claire.""
Of course.
I looked at the letter.
"Let's hear what Marcus has to say.""
Daniel nodded.
The letter was dated three weeks earlier.
*Arthur,*
*I know I have no right to ask you for anything. But you deserve the truth about how this started.*
I continued reading.
**Before you met Claire, she and I were together. We were young, reckless, and convinced we could build a life without thinking about consequences. When she became pregnant, I promised to stay.
But I was frightened. My business had failed, and I was drowning in debt.**
*Claire gave birth to Daniel. She was twenty-two. I was twenty-five. We were not ready to raise a child, and she believed adoption was the only option.*
*But I never signed the final adoption papers.*
I looked at Daniel.
He nodded.
"I was raised by foster parents for a while. Then I was adopted by a couple in another state. They were good people.""
I continued.
*When Claire met you, she was finally happy. You gave her stability. You treated her like she mattered. I saw the way she looked at you, and I realized I had lost her.*
*I should have left you alone. Instead, I became jealous.*
I stopped reading.
Jordan stared at the page.
"Jealous?""
I nodded.
The letter continued.
*When Claire became pregnant again, I knew she was terrified of losing another child. I convinced her that if the hospital discovered the mix-up, everything would collapse. I told her the children would be better off staying where they were.*
*Your father disagreed. He wanted to report us. But Claire told him that if the authorities investigated, they might discover Daniel's existence. She begged him to help.*
I looked at Daniel.
He lowered his eyes.
The letter went on.
**I am responsible for the exchange. I manipulated the records. I paid Patricia.
I lied to Elena. And when I discovered Daniel was alive and had been adopted, I chose not to interfere because I thought it was better for him.**
I looked up.
"Why did you come back into our lives?""
Daniel answered.
"Because Marcus found me.""
"When?""
"Last year.""
"How?""
"He hired someone to locate me.""
Jordan frowned.
"Why?""
Daniel took a deep breath.
"Because Marcus was sick.""
I looked at him.
"What?""
"He has a heart condition. He was told he might not have much time.""
The room went quiet.
Daniel continued.
"He wanted to see all his children before something happened.""
Jordan laughed bitterly.
"So he decided to destroy everybody's lives on his way out?""
Daniel looked down.
"He was trying to make things right.""
"By threatening Maya?""
Daniel frowned.
"What?""
I turned toward him.
"Marcus had been secretly meeting Maya. He gave her an envelope and told her to keep it from her mother.""
Daniel shook his head.
"That wasn't a threat.""
"Then what was it?""
Daniel hesitated.
"He wanted Maya to have the original hospital records. He believed she was the only person in the family who could get you to listen.""
I stared.
"Why Maya?""
"Because she had discovered the truth about her birth several months earlier.""
I felt my stomach tighten.
"How?""
Daniel looked toward Jordan.
"She found an old letter in Claire's desk.""
I remembered the envelope beneath the sofa.
The one Marcus had left.
The one Maya had refused to explain.
I finally understood why she had been so terrified.
She hadn't been hiding something she had done.
She had been carrying something the adults had forced her to carry.
Jordan sat down.
"Then why did she accuse me?""
Daniel looked confused.
"She accused you?""
I nodded.
"She told us Jordan had entered her bedroom after she repeatedly told him to stop.""
Daniel's expression changed.
He looked at Jordan.
"Is that true?""
Jordan shook his head.
"No.""
Daniel closed his eyes.
"Then Claire did it.""
I turned.
"What?""
Daniel opened the folder.
"There was another reason Claire wanted the family separated.""
He pulled out a printed email.
It was from Claire to Marcus.
*Jordan is asking too many questions. If he continues, Arthur will discover Daniel. Maya is already suspicious. We need to make Jordan look unstable before he brings the documents to his father.*
I felt sick.
The email continued.
*If Arthur believes Jordan has been behaving inappropriately around Maya, he will send him away. We will have time to deal with the rest.*
I dropped the paper.
Jordan stared at it.
His face became completely still.
"She was going to make Dad think I hurt my sister?""
Daniel nodded.
Jordan stood so quickly that his chair fell backward.
"She tried to ruin my life.""
I stepped toward him.
"Jordan...""
"No, Dad!""
He pointed at the email.
"She let me stand downstairs while everyone looked at me like I was dangerous. She watched me beg you to believe me.""
His voice broke.
"And she knew I hadn't done anything.""
I had no words.
Because he was right.
I had doubted my own son.
I had watched his face collapse under accusations he didn't deserve.
And I had allowed my fear to become more important than his truth.
I walked toward him.
"Jordan, I'm sorry.""
He shook his head.
"I know you didn't know.""
"That doesn't make it okay.""
He wiped his eyes.
"You sent me upstairs.""
"I did.""
"You told me to leave the room while everyone decided what happened.""
"I did.""
He looked at me.
"Please don't do that again.""
I pulled him into my arms.
"I won't.""
He held on for a few seconds.
Then he stepped back.
Daniel picked up another document.
"There's one more thing.""
I almost laughed.
"Of course there is.""
"This is the original report from the hospital.""
He placed it on the desk.
The report listed the babies' identification numbers.
It also listed the nurse who had discovered the error.
Patricia Wells.
But beneath her name was a handwritten note.
*Infant B displayed abnormal respiratory symptoms. Emergency treatment initiated. Parent notification delayed by supervisor.*
I frowned.
"Which infant was that?""
Daniel pointed to the identification number.
Then he compared it with the original birth record.
It was Jordan.
I looked at him.
"Did you have complications when you were born?""
Jordan shook his head.
"Nobody ever told me.""
Daniel read the next paragraph.
"The hospital discovered that Jordan had been given medication intended for another newborn.""
My stomach dropped.
"What medication?""
Daniel looked at the document.
"A sedative.""
Jordan stared.
"Why?""
"The nurse believed it was a routine medication order. But the prescription had been altered.""
I felt cold.
"Who altered it?""
Daniel turned the page.
There was a signature.
Marcus Bennett.
Jordan stepped backward.
"He tried to hurt me?""
Daniel shook his head quickly.
"No. Marcus said he was trying to calm the baby during the exchange. He didn't understand the dosage.""
"That's not an excuse!""
"I know.""
I looked at the document.
There was another handwritten note.
*Infant recovered after emergency intervention. Incident reported to hospital administration.*
Then I noticed something.
The report had been signed by a doctor.
Dr. Samuel Bennett.
My father's older brother.
The man who had died before I was born.
I stared at the signature.
It wasn't possible.
My father's brother had died twenty years earlier.
I turned the page.
At the bottom was a hospital witness statement.
The name was different.
*Dr. Samuel Bennett — Senior Consultant.*
But the date was sixteen years ago.
I looked at Daniel.
"Who is this?""
Daniel frowned.
"That's not your uncle.""
He turned the paper toward the light.
Then he pointed to a small line beneath the signature.
*Consultant acting under the identity of Dr. Samuel Bennett.*
Jordan looked at me.
"Someone was pretending to be a doctor?""
I nodded slowly.
Daniel opened the last page.
It contained the real consultant's name.
And beneath it was an address.
I recognized it.
It belonged to the private medical clinic where Claire had worked before we married.
The clinic had closed five years earlier.
But the doctor's name was still familiar.
Dr. Robert Hale.
The man who had signed our marriage medical forms.
The man who had examined Claire during her pregnancy.
And the man who had attended my father's funeral.
I felt my pulse quicken.
"Daniel, do you know where he is?""
He nodded.
"Marcus knows.""
I picked up my phone.
I called my brother.
He answered immediately.
"Arthur.""
"Where is Dr. Hale?""
Silence.
Then Marcus said, "You need to stop digging.""
I tightened my grip.
"Where is he?""
"Arthur, listen to me. There are things you don't understand.""
"Then explain them.""
Marcus breathed heavily.
Finally, he whispered:
"Dr. Hale wasn't just involved in the baby exchange.""
He paused.
"He was the man who told Claire she could never have another child.""
I looked at Daniel.
Jordan stared at me.
May you like
Marcus continued.
"And that was a lie.""
