Chapter 5 - The Child They Tried to Take From Me
The paper shook in my hand.
I read the name again.
Then again.
My mind refused to accept what my eyes were seeing.
The room around me disappeared.
The guests.
The lights.
The whispers.
Everything faded.
There was only one sentence on that document.
Biological father: Michael Carter.
My father.
My hands went cold.
Because Michael Carter wasn't just my father.
He was the man who had raised me.
The man who had protected me.
The man standing only a few feet away from me.
I slowly looked up.
My father was staring at the document.
His face had changed.
Not confusion.
Not surprise.
Pain.
A deep pain I had never seen before.
"Dad..."
My voice barely came out.
He didn't answer.
Daniel stepped forward.
"Emily, please let me explain."
I turned toward him.
"Explain what?"
My voice was shaking.
"Explain why a document says my father is the biological father of my baby?"
The entire ballroom went silent.
Daniel looked broken.
"I know how it looks."
"No."
I stepped back.
"You don't get to say that anymore."
My fingers tightened around the paper.
"Nothing about this looks normal."
Victoria suddenly spoke.
"Now you understand."
I turned toward her.
She was standing there calmly.
Almost satisfied.
And that terrified me more than her anger.
"What did you do?"
She smiled slightly.
"I didn't do anything."
My father finally moved.
"Enough."
His voice cut through the room.
Everyone looked at him.
He walked toward Victoria slowly.
"You have manipulated my daughter for months."
Victoria laughed softly.
"You think this is about manipulation?"
She pointed at the document.
"This is about the truth."
My father stopped.
"What truth?"
Victoria looked at me.
"The truth that Emily was never honest with Daniel."
My stomach dropped.
"What are you talking about?"
Nobody answered.
Then Daniel looked at me.
And that hurt more than anything.
Because there was doubt in his eyes.
Real doubt.
"Daniel..."
I whispered.
"Do you believe her?"
He looked away.
That was the moment my heart broke.
Not because Victoria accused me.
I expected cruelty from her.
Not because Chloe lied.
I expected betrayal from her.
But Daniel.
The man who promised to stand beside me.
The man who held my hand when we heard our baby's heartbeat.
He was still wondering if I had betrayed him.
My father stepped between us.
"Daniel."
His voice was low.
"You are going to explain everything."
Daniel nodded slowly.
"I will."
"Now."
Daniel looked at me.
"I found out three months ago that there was something strange about the pregnancy records."
I frowned.
"What records?"
"The hospital records."
My heart started racing.
"The hospital records that Victoria somehow got access to."
Daniel looked at his mother.
She looked away.
"I found inconsistencies."
I stared at him.
"What inconsistencies?"
He swallowed.
"The dates."
I felt anger rising.
"So you thought I cheated?"
"No."
His answer came immediately.
But I didn't believe him.
"You hired someone to investigate me."
Daniel closed his eyes.
"Yes."
A painful silence filled the room.
The honesty hurt.
Maybe more than another lie would have.
"You investigated your pregnant wife."
"I was scared."
I shook my head.
"No."
I pointed at him.
"You were suspicious."
Daniel's eyes filled with regret.
"I was wrong."
"Yes."
My voice cracked.
"You were."
He looked down.
"I found out the investigation was connected to my mother."
Victoria's expression changed.
Daniel continued.
"She had been collecting information about you."
My father looked at Victoria.
"Why?"
Victoria didn't answer.
Daniel continued.
"She believed Emily was hiding something."
I laughed bitterly.
"Of course she did."
I looked at Victoria.
"Because believing I was innocent would have ruined her plan."
Victoria's face hardened.
"You don't understand anything."
"No."
I stepped closer.
"I understand everything."
I held up the document.
"You wanted everyone to believe I was a liar."
My voice became louder.
"You wanted Daniel to question me."
"You wanted my own husband to look at me like I was a stranger."
The guests watched silently.
Some looked ashamed.
Some looked away.
Because they had been part of it.
They had watched.
They had believed.
Victoria crossed her arms.
"And yet you still don't know the biggest secret."
My father immediately turned.
"What secret?"
Victoria smiled.
A cruel smile.
"The reason the baby is connected to Michael Carter."
My blood froze.
My father's expression changed.
"Don't."
Victoria ignored him.
"You deserve to know, Emily."
I looked at my father.
"Dad?"
He didn't answer.
That scared me.
Because my father always answered.
Always.
Victoria took a step closer.
"Your father wasn't just Daniel's biggest enemy."
I frowned.
"What?"
Daniel looked at his mother.
"Stop."
But she continued.
"Michael Carter destroyed my family years ago."
I looked between them.
"What are you talking about?"
My father finally spoke.
"Victoria."
His voice was different.
Not angry.
Warning.
"Do not use my daughter's pain to rewrite history."
Victoria laughed.
"History?"
She looked around the ballroom.
"Everyone here thinks you are the hero."
She pointed at my father.
"The powerful businessman who protects his daughter."
Then she looked at me.
"But Emily doesn't know what happened before she was born."
My heart pounded.
I hated how every answer created more questions.
"Dad."
I turned toward him.
"What is she talking about?"
My father looked at me.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he quietly replied:
"There are things I wanted to protect you from."
My breathing stopped.
"What things?"
He looked at the document.
Then at Daniel.
Then at Victoria.
And I knew.
Everyone in that room knew something except me.
The worst feeling wasn't the betrayal.
It was realizing I had been the only person left outside the truth.
Robert suddenly walked toward us.
"Mr. Carter."
My father turned.
"We found the source of the document."
Everyone looked at him.
Robert held a folder.
"It wasn't created by Daniel."
Daniel looked surprised.
"Then who?"
Robert opened the folder.
"The original request came from someone inside the hospital."
My father took the papers.
He read them.
His face became completely serious.
"Who?"
Robert hesitated.
Then he answered.
"The request was approved by..."
He stopped.
Everyone waited.
My phone suddenly rang.
Unknown number.
Again.
I stared at the screen.
The same number that had sent the warning messages.
I answered.
Nobody spoke at first.
Then a woman's voice whispered:
"Emily..."
My blood turned cold.
Because I knew that voice.
I hadn't heard it in years.
The woman on the other end took a shaky breath.
"I need to tell you the truth about your baby before they find me."
I couldn't move.
"Who are you?"
There was silence.
Then she said four words.
May you like
Words that made my father drop the papers in his hand.
"Your real mother."
