Mommy, Why Is Aunt Claire Pretending There's a Baby in Her Tummy?

Daniel didn't move.

He stood beside the bassinet, staring at Rachel as though he were waiting for her to admit she'd made a terrible mistake.

"You're telling me Claire had a baby eight years ago?""

Rachel nodded.

"And you're saying my mother hid it from me?""

Another nod.

Daniel shook his head.

"No. That's impossible.""

Rachel opened the medical document and pointed to a date.

"September 14, 2018.""

Daniel stared at it.

"I was working in Houston that week.""

"I know.""

"Claire and I hadn't even met.""

Rachel nodded again.

"That's right.""

Daniel looked at me.

I had never seen my brother so confused.

"Why would Mom hide a child from me if Claire wasn't even my wife?""

Rachel took a breath.

"Because the child wasn't yours.""

Daniel looked at the paper.

Then he looked at Rachel.

"Whose child was it?""

Rachel glanced toward the hallway.

"Claire's former boyfriend.""

"Then why is my name here?""

Rachel hesitated.

"Because your mother was involved in the adoption arrangements.""

Daniel closed his eyes.

"Of course she was.""

I pulled a chair closer.

"Rachel, start from the beginning. Please.""

She looked down at the baby.

"Eight years ago, Claire was dating a man named Jason Miller. They had been together for about a year. She got pregnant, but Jason didn't want to be a father.""

I frowned.

"Jason Miller?""

Rachel nodded.

"My older brother.""

I felt the room tilt.

"Your brother?""

"Yes.""

I looked at the document again.

The surname suddenly made sense.

Rachel continued.

"Jason left Claire before the baby was born. She was terrified. She had no money, no stable job, and no support from her own family.""

Daniel leaned forward.

"What happened to the baby?""

"She gave birth to a little girl. My brother signed the paperwork acknowledging he was the father, but he didn't want custody.""

Rachel paused.

"Your mother found out.""

Daniel stared.

"Why would Mom get involved?""

"Because she was working with Claire's family at the time. She knew Claire was desperate, and she believed she could arrange a private adoption through people she trusted.""

I felt cold.

"Did Claire agree?""

Rachel nodded.

"She signed preliminary documents. The baby was placed with a couple for a short period.""

Daniel's jaw tightened.

"Where is she now?""

Rachel looked down.

"That's the part your mother never wanted you to know.""

She reached into the drawer and removed another photograph.

It showed a little girl standing beside a Christmas tree.

She had curly dark hair, bright eyes, and a gap between her front teeth.

She was holding a stuffed rabbit.

On the back was a handwritten name.

*Lily.*

Daniel took the photograph.

His fingers trembled.

"How old is she?""

"Eight.""

"Where is she?""

Rachel swallowed.

"She's alive. She's been living with an adoptive family in Oklahoma.""

Daniel looked at the picture again.

"Does she know about her biological parents?""

"She knows she was adopted.""

"Does she know Claire is her mother?""

Rachel shook her head.

"Not yet.""

Daniel sat down.

For a long moment, he said nothing.

Then he looked at Rachel.

"Why are you telling me this now?""

Rachel glanced toward the bassinet.

"Because Claire tried to contact the adoptive family three months ago.""

My brother's head snapped up.

"What?""

"She wanted Lily back.""

Daniel stood.

"She wanted to take an eight-year-old child away from her parents?""

"She said she had changed. She said she was ready to be a mother.""

Daniel laughed in disbelief.

"After all these years?""

Rachel nodded.

"And when the adoptive parents refused to meet with her, she started talking about having another baby.""

I remembered the artificial belly.

The fake ultrasound pictures.

The nursery.

The endless lies.

I felt sick.

"She wanted to replace Lily?""

Rachel shook her head.

"No. She wanted to convince herself she could finally have the family she lost.""

Daniel stared at the photograph.

"Why didn't she tell me?""

Rachel looked at him sadly.

"Because your mother told her not to.""

A sound came from the hallway.

We all turned.

Margaret stood in the doorway.

Her face was pale.

"Rachel, I think you've said enough.""

Daniel slowly rose.

"Mom.""

She looked at him.

"Let's talk.""

"No. We're done talking in private.""

He held up the photograph.

"Is this Lily?""

Margaret closed her eyes.

"Yes.""

"Did you know Claire had a daughter?""

"Yes.""

"Did you know the child was adopted?""

"Yes.""

"Did you know where she was?""

Margaret nodded.

Daniel's voice broke.

"Why didn't you tell me?""

My mother walked into the room.

"Because I was trying to protect our family.""

"From what?""

"From more pain.""

Daniel pointed toward the photograph.

"That little girl is a person, Mom. Not a problem you get to hide in a drawer.""

Margaret began crying.

"I know.""

"Then why?""

She sat on the edge of the bed.

"Because Claire begged me.""

Daniel stared.

"Claire begged you to hide her child?""

Margaret nodded.

"She was young. She was frightened. She believed she would ruin her life if she raised a baby alone.""

"And you agreed?""

"I helped her find a family.""

"Did you tell them everything?""

Margaret didn't answer.

Rachel suddenly spoke.

"Not everything.""

My mother looked at her.

"Rachel, please.""

Rachel shook her head.

"You don't get to decide what people deserve to know anymore.""

She reached into the bassinet's storage compartment and pulled out a sealed envelope.

"This is why I came back.""

Margaret stood.

"Don't.""

Rachel handed the envelope to Daniel.

He opened it carefully.

Inside was a letter from the family who had adopted Lily.

It was dated three weeks earlier.

The letter explained that they had received an unexpected request from Claire.

She had contacted them through an adoption intermediary and asked for a private meeting.

They had refused to arrange a meeting until Claire could provide a complete explanation of her intentions.

The final paragraph was underlined.

We have recently learned that someone has been contacting our daughter directly. We are concerned about her safety and emotional well-being.

Daniel read the paragraph twice.

"Who contacted Lily?""

Rachel looked at Margaret.

My mother covered her mouth.

Daniel's voice rose.

"Who?""

Margaret finally answered.

"Claire.""

"How?""

"She found her school.""

I felt a chill run down my spine.

"Mom, what did she do?""

Margaret began crying.

"She sent her a letter.""

Daniel stared.

"What did the letter say?""

My mother shook her head.

"I don't know.""

Rachel reached into her bag and removed another sheet of paper.

"I do.""

She handed it to me.

It was a photocopy of a handwritten letter.

The first line made my heart sink.

Dear Lily,

I'm your birth mother. I've never stopped loving you.

The letter went on to explain that Claire had married a wonderful man, that she was preparing a beautiful bedroom for a baby, and that she hoped Lily would come home to meet her new family.

At the bottom, Claire had written:

Please don't tell your parents yet. This is our secret.

I looked at Daniel.

His face was completely blank.

"She contacted an eight-year-old and told her to keep secrets from her adoptive parents?""

Rachel nodded.

"That's why I contacted Margaret. I was afraid Claire might try to take things further.""

Daniel looked at our mother.

"And you knew?""

Margaret began shaking.

"I tried to stop her.""

"How?""

"I told her she needed to wait.""

"That's it?""

My mother didn't answer.

Daniel looked at the baby sleeping in the bassinet.

Then at the letter.

Then at the photograph of Lily.

He was beginning to understand that the baby shower had never been just about a fake pregnancy.

It was about a family trying to rewrite its past.

And my mother had been helping them do it.

Then Sophie stirred in my arms.

She opened her sleepy eyes and looked toward the bassinet.

"Mommy?""

I kissed her forehead.

"Yes, sweetheart?""

"Is that the baby Aunt Claire wanted?""

I swallowed.

"Yes.""

Sophie studied the sleeping newborn.

Then she asked a question that made everyone in the room go quiet.

"Why doesn't Aunt Claire just ask the baby's real mommy?""

Rachel started crying.

Daniel closed his eyes.

And my mother whispered something I almost didn't hear.

"Because Claire doesn't want another mother.""

I turned toward her.

"What do you mean?""

Margaret looked at Daniel.

Then she looked at me.

"Claire wants the baby because she believes it belongs to her family.""

Daniel shook his head.

"Whose family?""

My mother hesitated.

Then she reached into her handbag and removed a photograph.

It showed Claire standing beside a man I had never seen before.

The man was holding a newborn baby.

On the back, in Margaret's handwriting, were four words:

*The child's biological father.*

Daniel stared at the picture.

Then he looked at Rachel.

"Who is that man?""

Rachel's face turned white.

She whispered:

"That's Jason.""

My stomach dropped.

Rachel's brother.

Claire's former boyfriend.

Lily's biological father.

But there was something else in the photograph.

A detail I hadn't noticed at first.

The man was wearing a wedding ring.

And beside his name, written in my mother's handwriting, was a date from just six months earlier.

Daniel looked at Margaret.

"Why was Claire meeting Jason after all these years?""

My mother began trembling.

Rachel stood up.

"Because Jason isn't just Lily's father.""

She looked directly at me.

"He's also the reason Claire came looking for your family.""

Then she reached into her purse and pulled out one final document.

A document that had my name printed at the top.

And beneath it was a sentence that changed everything:

*Proposed guardianship of minor child in the event of maternal incapacity.*

I read it again.

My name.

My signature.

And a date from two months earlier.

I looked at my mother.

"Mom, I never signed this.""

Margaret didn't answer.

Daniel took the paper from my hands.

His eyes moved to the signature.

Then he looked at our mother with an expression I had never seen before.

"Tell us what you did.""

Margaret started crying.

But before she could speak, my phone buzzed.

An unknown number.

A text message appeared.

*Emily, this is Jason Miller. You need to get away from Margaret's house immediately. Claire has been lying to all of you. And the baby in that bassinet isn't the only child she's trying to get back.*