Chapter 6: The Secret He Buried in My Medical File
I barely slept that night.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the photograph of Lily.
Dark curls.
Bright green eyes.
The same eyes Emma and Noah had inherited.
At 6:15 the next morning, I went downstairs.
The children were already awake.
Emma was sitting at the kitchen table, coloring a picture of our house.
Noah was eating cereal with his pajamas still on.
"Good morning, Mummy!""
I kissed the top of his head.
"Good morning, my loves.""
Emma held up her drawing.
"Look! I made us.""
There were four stick figures.
Me.
Emma.
Noah.
And a tiny person standing beside them.
"Who's this?"" I asked.
Emma smiled.
"That's the baby.""
I looked at the little figure.
"What baby?""
"The baby in your tummy.""
I froze.
Noah looked up from his cereal.
"Emma says we're getting a baby.""
I forced a smile.
"That's just a picture, sweetheart.""
Emma shrugged.
"I dreamed about a baby sister.""
I stroked her curls.
"That's a lovely dream.""
But I couldn't stop thinking about Lily.
Another little girl.
A child who might share their DNA.
A child whose existence had been hidden from me by the man who once accused me of being unable to become a mother.
At nine o'clock, Melissa arrived.
She took one look at my face.
"You didn't sleep.""
"Not much.""
"Do you want me to stay with the children?""
I nodded.
"I have to meet someone.""
"Rachel?""
I looked at her.
"How did you know?""
"Dr. Harris called me last night. He said things were worse than we thought.""
I picked up my handbag.
"Melissa, I need you to promise me something.""
"What?""
"Don't let Daniel near the children.""
Her expression hardened.
"Absolutely.""
"And if he calls, don't tell him where I am.""
She reached for my hand.
"Claire, what is he trying to do?""
I looked toward the kitchen.
"Something he should have told me four years ago.""
The coffee shop was nearly empty when I arrived.
Rachel Collins was sitting in a corner booth.
She looked younger than I expected, perhaps forty, with tired eyes and a wedding ring she kept turning around her finger.
When she saw me, she stood.
"Claire?""
I nodded.
For a moment, neither of us knew what to say.
Then she reached across the table.
"I'm so sorry.""
I shook my head.
"You didn't do anything wrong.""
She sat down.
"I should have found you sooner.""
"You were raising a child. You had no reason to suspect what had happened.""
Rachel opened her handbag and removed a small folder.
"I brought everything I have.""
Inside were copies of emails, clinic correspondence, and a photograph of a little girl.
Lily.
She was sitting on a swing, wearing a yellow dress.
I touched the edge of the photograph.
"She's beautiful.""
Rachel smiled sadly.
"She is.""
"Does she know?""
"No. She knows she came to us through embryo donation. But she doesn't know anything about the disputed records.""
I nodded.
"That's probably for the best until we understand everything.""
Rachel took a deep breath.
"Claire, I need to tell you why Daniel contacted us.""
I looked up.
"Please.""
"About three years ago, he called my husband. He said he wanted to meet Lily because he had changed his mind about remaining anonymous.""
"Why?""
"He claimed he had become a father again and wanted to make sure all his biological children knew each other.""
I felt my stomach tighten.
"Again?""
Rachel nodded.
"He told us his new wife was pregnant.""
I thought of Vanessa.
The baby shower.
The toast.
The way Daniel had praised her for finally making him a father.
"Did he say anything about me?""
"Yes. He said you had twins, but he wasn't sure whether they were biologically his.""
I gripped the edge of the table.
"What?""
Rachel looked uncomfortable.
"He told us that your children had been conceived through donor sperm.""
I felt the air leave my lungs.
"That's a lie.""
"I know.""
"Emma and Noah are my biological children. They were conceived through fertility treatment after my divorce.""
Rachel's eyes widened.
"After your divorce?""
I nodded.
"I remarried?""
"No. I used a donor program and became a single mother. Daniel had no involvement.""
Rachel stared at me.
"Then why would he tell us they might be his?""
I looked down.
Because Daniel had never been able to accept that I could build a life without him.
Because he had spent years treating motherhood like a prize he had been denied.
And perhaps because he had discovered something about our original embryo that he couldn't control.
"Rachel, did Daniel ever show you a DNA report?""
She nodded.
"Yes.""
She opened the folder and removed a laboratory document.
"This is the report he sent us.""
I studied the numbers.
The document appeared official.
But something about the identifying information bothered me.
I turned it over.
There was a clinic reference number.
I recognized it.
It belonged to the facility where Emma and Noah had been conceived.
My heart began pounding.
"Rachel, where did you get this?""
"Daniel emailed it to my husband.""
"Did you verify it?""
"No. We were too frightened to do anything.""
I called Dr. Harris.
He answered immediately.
"Claire?""
"I have a DNA report. I'm sending you a photograph.""
I sent it.
A minute passed.
Then another.
Finally, he called back.
"Claire, this document is not from our laboratory.""
My stomach tightened.
"What?""
"The reference number is real, but the report itself has been altered. The formatting is wrong, and the signature belongs to someone who left the clinic three years ago.""
Rachel covered her mouth.
"Are you saying he fabricated it?""
"That is what it appears to be.""
I looked at the paper.
"Why would he do that?""
Dr. Harris was quiet.
Then he said something that changed everything.
"Claire, I found another record in the archive last night. It concerns your divorce settlement.""
I straightened.
"What about it?""
"The settlement contained a clause requiring both parties to disclose any remaining reproductive material created during the marriage.""
I remembered signing dozens of pages.
My lawyer had explained that everything was being finalized.
"What does that have to do with this?""
"Daniel signed a declaration stating that no embryos or reproductive material remained in storage.""
I stared at Rachel.
"That's impossible.""
"Yes," Dr. Harris replied.
"Because one embryo was still in storage at that time.""
My hands began shaking.
"Then he lied under oath?""
"The document was part of the divorce proceedings. Your lawyer may need to review it.""
I closed my eyes.
He hadn't merely hidden the embryo.
He had concealed it during our divorce.
He had signed a legal declaration that it no longer existed.
And then he had arranged for it to be transferred.
I looked at Rachel.
"Do you have the original transfer paperwork?""
She nodded.
"I do.""
She placed another document on the table.
"This is what we received before Lily was born.""
I read the first page.
The donor information was anonymous.
But the date was January fifteenth.
The same date Dr. Harris had shown me.
I turned to the final page.
There were two signatures.
One belonged to Daniel.
The other...
I stopped breathing.
It was my name.
Claire Bennett.
My signature.
I stared at it.
"No.""
Rachel leaned closer.
"What's wrong?""
"I never signed this.""
The signature looked convincing at first glance.
But I knew my own handwriting.
The capital C was wrong.
The final stroke of my surname was too short.
Someone had copied my signature.
Someone had forged my consent.
I took a photograph and sent it to Dr. Harris.
His response came within seconds.
Do not confront Daniel until we secure the original records.
I looked at Rachel.
"Did you know this document was forged?""
Her eyes filled with tears.
"No. We were told everything was legitimate.""
I believed her.
And suddenly, my anger shifted.
She hadn't stolen my child.
She had been given a child under false pretenses.
Daniel had manipulated both of us.
He had taken something created during my marriage, forged my permission, and placed another family in the middle of his deception.
Then he had spent years threatening them.
I picked up the document again.
"Rachel, I want to meet Lily.""
She looked frightened.
"Are you sure?""
I nodded.
"Not because I want to take her away from you. But because I need to understand what happened.""
Rachel wiped her eyes.
"I think she deserves to know the truth someday.""
We sat quietly for a moment.
Then my phone rang.
Melissa.
I answered immediately.
"What's wrong?""
Her voice was shaking.
"Claire, Daniel is here.""
My blood ran cold.
"What?""
"He came to your house.""
"Where are the children?""
"Inside with me. The doors are locked.""
"Don't open them.""
"I won't.""
Then I heard Daniel's voice in the background.
"Melissa! Tell Claire I know where she is.""
I stood.
Rachel looked at me.
"What happened?""
I motioned for her to stay quiet.
Melissa lowered her voice.
"Claire, he's holding something.""
"What?""
"A document. He says it's proof that you signed away your rights.""
My stomach twisted.
"He's lying.""
"I know. But there's something else.""
"What?""
Melissa hesitated.
"He says if you don't come back to the house, he'll take the children to court and demand a DNA test.""
I closed my eyes.
Then Daniel shouted loudly enough for Melissa's phone to pick up every word.
"CLAIRE! YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY I INVITED YOU TO THAT BABY SHOWER?""
A pause.
Then his voice dropped.
"Because those twins you're raising aren't the only children connected to our marriage.""
I stared at the forged signature.
And for the first time, I understood that Daniel wasn't simply trying to hide what he had done.
May you like
He was preparing to make me look like the liar.
And he had just threatened to use my children to do it.
