Chapter 8: The Child Before Lily
I felt like the ground beneath me had disappeared.
The room went completely silent.
Even the man standing in the doorway stopped smiling.
Because everyone knew.
Everyone except me.
I looked at Claire.
“What did you just say?””
Her lips trembled.
“Ryan…”
“No.””
My voice was quiet.
Almost calm.
That scared me more than yelling.
“Say it again.””
Claire looked down.
“I wasn’t supposed to give you Lily.””
I stared.
“Then who was I supposed to have?””
Nobody answered.
I looked around the room.
My mother.
My father.
Claire.
The stranger who had destroyed every belief I had about my family.
All of them knew.
All of them had been carrying pieces of my life.
And all of them had decided I didn’t deserve the whole picture.
“Who?””
Claire started crying.
“Her name was Ava.””
The name meant nothing.
But somehow it felt familiar.
“Ava?””
Claire nodded.
“She was born before Lily.””
My heart pounded.
“How?””
Claire closed her eyes.
“She was my daughter.””
I looked at her.
Then I laughed softly.
Not because anything was funny.
Because nothing made sense anymore.
“You had another child?””
“No.””
Her voice broke.
“I lost another child.””
The room became quiet.
I didn’t know what to say.
Claire continued.
“Before Lily was born, I was pregnant.””
I stared.
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
“Because you weren’t supposed to know.””
The sentence hit me.
Again.
Always the same.
Secrets.
Decisions.
People controlling my life.
“Why?””
Claire looked at the floor.
“Because the pregnancy wasn’t an accident.””
I felt confused.
“What does that mean?””
The man near the door stepped forward.
“Ask her who the father was.””
Claire immediately looked at him.
“Stop.””
The man smiled.
“You’ve hidden enough.””
I turned toward Claire.
“Who was the father?””
Her face collapsed.
“Ryan…”
“Who?””
She whispered:
“You.””
The answer should have shocked me.
But it didn’t.
Not anymore.
Nothing could shock me.
“You’re saying I had another daughter?””
Claire nodded.
“Yes.””
“And where is she?””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“She died.””
A strange silence followed.
I looked away.
For a moment, I felt anger.
Then something else.
Grief for a child I never knew.
A child who existed somewhere in my life.
A child I never held.
A child whose name I never heard.
“What happened?””
Claire took a shaky breath.
“She was born sick.””
My mother looked away.
My father closed his eyes.
Everyone knew.
Everyone except me.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me?””
Claire couldn’t answer.
The man did.
“Because Claire’s pregnancy exposed something your family wanted hidden.””
I turned toward him.
“Who are you?””
He smiled.
“My name is Daniel.””
The name meant nothing.
But my father reacted.
And that told me enough.
“You know him.””
My father stepped forward.
“Ryan.””
“No.””
I pointed at him.
“Explain.””
Daniel laughed.
“Your father knows exactly who I am.””
My father looked exhausted.
“Daniel worked with your grandfather.””
“With?””
Daniel smiled.
“Against him.””
I stared.
“What does any of this have to do with Ava?””
Daniel looked at Claire.
“Tell him.””
Claire shook her head.
“Please.””
“Tell him.””
Her face broke.
“She wasn’t born naturally.””
I froze.
“What?””
Claire looked at me.
“The pregnancy was part of a program.””
I felt sick.
“A program?””
My father stepped closer.
“Ryan, listen.””
“No.””
I backed away.
“I want her to answer.””
Claire wiped her tears.
“Your family has been involved in genetic research for decades.””
The words sounded insane.
But I had stopped believing my life was normal hours ago.
“They wanted to create a child who could inherit certain traits.””
I stared.
“You’re talking about Lily?””
“No.””
Claire looked at me.
“Ava.””
My stomach tightened.
“Ava was the first attempt.””
Silence.
“She was born with complications.””
My voice was barely audible.
“Because of this?””
Claire nodded.
“I didn’t know what they were doing at first.””
“Who are they?””
She looked toward my mother.
My mother lowered her head.
“I was involved.””
I stared at her.
“You?””
“I didn’t understand everything.””
“That’s what everyone says.””
My mother cried.
“I thought I was helping my family.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“You were hurting people.””
“Yes.””
The simple agreement surprised me.
She didn’t defend herself.
She didn’t make excuses.
She just admitted it.
“I was wrong.””
I looked at Claire.
“And Lily?””
Claire closed her eyes.
“After Ava died, I left.””
“Why?””
“Because I couldn’t live with what happened.””
I frowned.
“Then how did we end up together?””
She looked at me.
“Because I found you again.””
My heart sank.
“What?””
Claire whispered:
“I didn’t meet you by accident.””
The room seemed to spin.
“You knew who I was?””
“Yes.””
“You approached me?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
Her tears fell.
“At first?””
She paused.
“At first, because I thought I could fix what I had done.””
I stared.
“And later?””
“Later because I loved you.””
I didn’t know what hurt more.
The lie.
Or the possibility that some of it had been real.
The man named Daniel spoke.
“That’s why Lily was created.””
I turned.
“What?””
He nodded.
“After Ava died, Claire was supposed to stop.””
Claire looked at him with hatred.
“Don’t.””
“But she didn’t.””
I looked at Claire.
“What is he saying?””
She looked terrified.
“Ryan…”
“What is he saying?””
Claire whispered:
“Lily wasn’t part of the program.””
A strange relief entered my chest.
Then disappeared.
“Then what?””
Daniel answered.
“She was the reason the program continued.””
My head spun.
“What program?””
My mother spoke quietly.
“The child project.””
I stared.
“No.””
Daniel continued.
“Your family believed certain traits could be passed down. Intelligence. Memory. Physical abilities.””
I looked at Mia.
Then Lily.
Two little girls.
Both pulled into a world they never chose.
“You experimented on children?””
Nobody answered.
Because the answer was obvious.
My anger became something heavier.
Something colder.
“You all did this.””
My voice shook.
“You all created secrets and buried them.””
I looked at Claire.
“You hid Mia.””
I looked at my parents.
“You hid everything else.””
Then I looked at Daniel.
“And you?””
His smile faded.
“I tried to expose them.””
I laughed.
“You expect me to believe you’re the good one?””
“No.””
That answer surprised me.
“I don’t expect you to trust me.””
He stepped closer.
“But I need you to understand one thing.””
“What?””
He looked toward Mia.
“Your daughter isn’t the only child they hid.””
The room froze.
My heart stopped.
“What are you talking about?””
Daniel reached into his coat.
He pulled out a small envelope.
He handed it to me.
“Emma found this before she disappeared.””
My hands shook as I opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
A child.
A little girl.
Around three years old.
Behind the photo was a name.
I stared at it.
Because I recognized the handwriting.
Emma’s.
And the words underneath made my blood run cold.
*Ryan, if anything happens to me, find our daughter. She is alive.*
I looked up.
“No.””
Daniel’s expression was serious.
“Yes.””
I shook my head.
“Mia is my daughter.””
“I know.””
“Lily is my daughter.””
“I know.””
“Then who is this?””
Nobody spoke.
Until my mother whispered:
“The child your family never wanted you to find.””
I looked at the photograph again.
A little girl smiling at the camera.
A little girl who looked strangely familiar.
Then my phone buzzed.
A message.
From an unknown number.
I opened it.
One sentence.
*You have three daughters, Ryan.*
My hands went cold.
May you like
Another message appeared.
*And one of them has been living in your house this entire time.*
