Chapter 8: The DNA Report Nobody Wanted to See
The silence that followed Rachel's words was almost unbearable.
Marcus stared at her.
“Don't.””
Rachel laughed through her tears.
“You don't get to tell me what to say anymore.””
Daniel looked between them.
“Explain.””
Rachel wiped her face.
“Marcus has always claimed Emily was his biological daughter. He signed her birth certificate. He told everyone she was his.””
Daniel nodded slowly.
“And?””
Rachel took a breath.
“Three months before Emily was born, Marcus disappeared for several weeks. When he returned, he told me he'd been working out of town.””
Marcus looked away.
Rachel continued.
“I didn't question him. I was pregnant, exhausted, and trying to prepare for the baby. But after Emily was born, I noticed something strange.””
“What?””
“He never wanted to take her to the pediatrician alone. He refused to discuss her medical history. Whenever I asked whether she looked like him, he became angry.””
Marcus shook his head.
“This is irrelevant.””
Rachel turned toward him.
“It became relevant when I discovered the messages on your old tablet.””
Daniel folded his arms.
“What messages?””
“Conversations between Marcus and Victoria. They were discussing a DNA test.””
My father frowned.
“Why would Victoria be involved?””
Rachel looked at him.
“Because she knew who Emily's biological father was.””
Marcus stepped forward.
“Rachel, stop.””
Daniel moved between them.
“Don't threaten her.””
Marcus raised both hands.
“I'm not threatening anyone.””
Rachel reached into her purse.
“I brought something.””
She removed a white envelope.
Her hands trembled as she placed it on the coffee table.
“This is a DNA report.””
Marcus closed his eyes.
Daniel picked it up.
The document contained several pages of laboratory results.
He read the first page.
Then the second.
His expression changed.
“Is this real?””
Rachel nodded.
“I had it done privately after I found the messages.””
Marcus shook his head.
“You had no right.””
Rachel stared at him.
“You lied to me for years. I had every right to find out the truth.””
Daniel looked at the final page.
Then he looked up.
“Marcus, you're not Emily's biological father?””
Marcus said nothing.
My mother whispered:
“Oh, my goodness.””
Rachel continued.
“Victoria told Marcus that she knew the biological father. She said she could help arrange a private agreement that would keep the truth from becoming public.””
Daniel looked at the DNA report again.
“Who is the biological father?””
Rachel's eyes filled.
She glanced toward Claire.
Then toward my father.
Finally, she whispered:
“Richard.””
Nobody moved.
My father looked as though he hadn't understood.
“What?””
Rachel started crying.
“Richard Whitmore.””
My mother stood so abruptly that her chair fell backward.
“No.””
My father shook his head.
“That's impossible.””
Marcus lowered his eyes.
Daniel looked between them.
“Dad?””
My father took a step backward.
“She's lying.””
Rachel opened her purse again.
This time, she removed a photograph.
It showed my father standing outside a restaurant beside Victoria.
They were holding hands.
My mother stared at the photograph.
“Richard?””
My father looked at the floor.
And that was when I understood.
The photograph wasn't a random accusation.
It was evidence of something that had happened long before Claire's fake pregnancy.
My mother began shaking.
“How long?””
My father didn't answer.
“How long, Richard?””
He finally looked at her.
“Margaret, please.””
“How long?””
His shoulders dropped.
“Several years ago.””
My mother covered her mouth.
I felt sick.
Daniel stepped closer.
“Dad, are you telling me Emily is your daughter?””
My father closed his eyes.
“I don't know.””
Rachel placed the DNA report on the table.
“Victoria arranged the test. Marcus found it when he went through her paperwork.””
Marcus finally spoke.
“I was told Emily was mine. Victoria told me Richard had refused to acknowledge the affair.””
My father looked up sharply.
“That's not what happened.””
Rachel laughed bitterly.
“Then what happened?””
My father rubbed his forehead.
“Victoria told me she had ended the pregnancy. She said there was no child.””
My mother stared at him.
“And you believed her?””
He didn't answer.
Daniel's face had gone completely pale.
“So all these years, you've known?””
“I thought there was no baby.””
“But you knew there had been an affair.””
My father nodded.
Daniel stepped backward.
He looked at my mother.
Then at me.
Then at the man who had taught him how to ride a bicycle, helped him buy his first car, and walked him down the aisle on his wedding day.
“You let us celebrate a fake pregnancy while you were hiding a real child?””
My father looked devastated.
“I never knew.””
Rachel shook her head.
“Victoria did.””
Daniel turned toward her.
“And Claire?””
Rachel looked down.
“Claire discovered the truth six months ago.””
Claire suddenly stood.
“That's not true!””
Rachel looked directly at her.
“You knew Emily was Richard's daughter.””
Claire's mouth opened.
Then closed.
Daniel slowly turned toward his wife.
“Did you?””
Claire began crying.
“I found out later.””
“When?””
She hesitated.
“After the first payment.””
Daniel stared.
“After you started pretending to be pregnant?””
She nodded.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because I was afraid.””
“Of what?””
Claire wiped her cheeks.
“Because Victoria said the child would destroy your family.””
My mother gave a bitter laugh.
“Victoria destroyed this family long before tonight.””
Claire continued.
“She told me she could help me become a mother. She said Richard would eventually acknowledge Emily, and that if I helped keep everything quiet, she would arrange for the baby to become part of our family.””
My father looked horrified.
“You knew?””
Claire nodded.
“I thought it was a way to make everything right.””
Daniel shook his head.
“By lying to me?””
“I thought if I brought Emily into our home, we could raise her together.””
“Without telling me who her father was?””
Claire looked down.
Daniel's voice broke.
“You didn't want a daughter, Claire. You wanted a solution to a problem you created.””
She started sobbing.
Then my mother's phone rang.
She looked at the screen.
VICTORIA.
My mother answered.
“Where is Emily?””
There was a brief silence.
Then my aunt's familiar voice came through.
“Margaret, I think everyone needs to calm down.””
My mother gripped the phone.
“Where is the baby?””
“She's safe.””
“Bring her home.””
Victoria sighed.
“You don't understand the situation.””
My mother looked at my father.
“I understand perfectly.””
Victoria's voice became colder.
“Richard and I have made arrangements.””
My father stepped forward.
“Victoria, stop.””
She laughed.
“Now you want to stop?””
Daniel took the phone.
“Aunt Victoria, this is Daniel.””
“Hello, sweetheart.””
“Don't call me that. Where is Emily?””
“She's with someone trustworthy.””
“Who?””
“Someone who understands what is best for her.””
Daniel's jaw tightened.
“Is that why you forged Rachel's signature?””
Silence.
Then Victoria replied:
“I did what I had to do.””
Daniel closed his eyes.
“Listen to me. The police are involved. You need to return that child to her mother.””
Victoria's voice hardened.
“And what happens when your father is exposed?””
Daniel looked toward my father.
Victoria continued.
“Think about it, Daniel. Your father had an affair. He fathered a child.
Your mother knew nothing. Your entire family has been living a lie.””
Daniel replied quietly.
“That's not Emily's fault.””
For the first time, Victoria said nothing.
Then she whispered:
“You have no idea what I sacrificed to keep this family together.””
Daniel ended the call.
A few seconds later, his phone vibrated.
A message from Victoria.
It contained a photograph of a document.
A handwritten statement signed by my father.
At the bottom was a sentence that made Daniel's face turn white.
I acknowledge that Emily Reed is my biological daughter and agree to assume full parental responsibility.
My father stared at the screen.
“I never signed that.””
Rachel leaned closer.
“Then whose signature is it?””
Daniel zoomed in.
And suddenly, he noticed the date.
The document had been signed two months before Claire announced her pregnancy.
My father shook his head.
“I didn't write that.””
But Helen, who had been quietly examining the photograph, pointed to the bottom corner.
“Mr. Whitmore, look at the witness signature.””
Daniel did.
Then he looked at Claire.
Because the witness was not Victoria.
It was Claire.
And the document proved something far more disturbing than an affair.
Claire had known about Emily's existence before she ever told Daniel she was pregnant.
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She hadn't stumbled into the deception.
She had helped build it.
