Chapter 9: The Baby Shower Was Never About a Baby
I couldn't speak.
Vanessa was crying so hard that I could barely understand her.
"Claire, are you there?""
"Yes. Where are you?""
"At home.""
"Is Daniel there?""
"No. He left an hour ago.""
"Don't touch anything in his office. Don't sign anything. I'll call Rebecca.""
She sniffed.
"I don't know who to trust anymore.""
I closed my eyes.
"Listen to me. Whatever that report says, you haven't done anything wrong.""
"But what if the baby isn't his?""
"Then we find out the truth. That's all.""
She went quiet.
Then she whispered, "He told me I was the woman who finally made him a father.""
The cruelty of that sentence was almost unbearable.
I thought about the toast.
The forty guests.
The photographer.
The way Daniel had looked at me when he raised his glass.
"Vanessa, I think he wanted everyone to believe something that wasn't true.""
"What do you mean?""
"I think the baby shower was a performance.""
After ending the call, I turned to Rebecca.
"We need to see that DNA report.""
She nodded.
"But we also need to be careful. If Daniel has fabricated one report already, we cannot assume this one is genuine.""
Thomas Reed placed the flash drive on the table.
"Perhaps we should watch William's statement first.""
He connected his laptop.
A moment later, an elderly man appeared on the screen.
William Whitmore sat in his study, wearing a gray sweater. His face was thinner than I remembered, and his breathing sounded labored.
He looked directly into the camera.
"If this recording is being shown to Claire Bennett, then my son has finally done what I feared.""
I felt my throat tighten.
William continued.
"Claire, I owe you more than an apology. I owe you the truth.""
He paused to drink water.
"Daniel came to me four years ago asking for money. He said he wanted to arrange an embryo donation because you had supposedly agreed to it. I believed him.""
My hands tightened.
"When I discovered that your signature was forged, I confronted him. He told me the clinic had made a mistake. He said he would correct everything.""
William looked down.
"He didn't.""
He continued.
"Instead, he threatened the clinic administrator and arranged for the records to be changed. He believed that if the embryo resulted in a child, that child would qualify for my inheritance.""
Rebecca leaned forward.
I stared at the screen.
"At the time, I had no idea how far he would go. I only knew that he was desperate to secure his place in the family business.""
William coughed.
"Then I discovered something even worse.""
He looked directly at the camera.
"Daniel had been using the fertility treatment as a way to hide financial transactions.""
Rebecca immediately reached for her notebook.
"What financial transactions?"" I whispered.
William continued.
"He had been transferring money through several private accounts. Some of those payments were disguised as medical expenses. I later learned that he had used a company account to pay Patricia Moore.""
The screen flickered.
William leaned closer.
"Patricia was not acting alone. She was working with Daniel's business partner, Michael Grant.""
Rebecca froze.
"Michael Grant?""
I looked at her.
"Who is that?""
"Daniel's former business partner. He was investigated for financial misconduct several years ago.""
William continued.
"Michael handled the payments. Patricia handled the clinic records. Daniel believed he could use the embryo donation to create a legitimate heir and protect the inheritance from questions about the source of the money.""
I felt sick.
William's voice became softer.
"I tried to stop him. But by then, the child had already been born.""
He paused.
"Claire, I met Lily. She is a beautiful little girl. She deserves to grow up without being used as a bargaining chip.""
Rachel began crying quietly.
William continued.
"I created the trust to protect her. I also made arrangements to protect the other children who might be affected by Daniel's actions.""
He reached for something off-camera.
Then he held up a document.
"This is the original financial authorization signed by Daniel. It identifies the account used to pay for the disputed embryo transfer.""
He looked directly into the lens.
"And it contains the name of the person who helped him.""
The video ended.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then Rebecca rewound the final section.
She paused on the document.
The name appeared clearly.
*MICHAEL GRANT.*
Rebecca exhaled.
"This changes everything.""
Thomas nodded.
"William preserved the original bank statements. The authorities were already investigating the company accounts when he died.""
I stared at the screen.
"So Daniel was using company money to pay the clinic administrator?""
"That's what the records indicate," Rebecca replied.
"And the inheritance?""
"Could have been part of the motive. But we need to establish the complete financial trail.""
My phone buzzed.
A message from Vanessa.
I found the report. Can you come over?
Rebecca immediately stood.
"We're going.""
Daniel's house was only fifteen minutes away.
When we arrived, Vanessa opened the door before we knocked.
Her eyes were swollen.
She held a folder against her chest.
"I haven't told him.""
"Good," Rebecca said.
"Let's see it.""
We sat in the living room.
Vanessa opened the folder.
The first page was a prenatal genetic screening report.
The second was a paternity test request.
The third was a laboratory result.
I looked at Rebecca.
She read it carefully.
Then she looked up.
"This document doesn't establish what you're afraid it establishes.""
Vanessa stared.
"What?""
"This is not a definitive paternity test. It's a prenatal screening report that has been presented as something else.""
Vanessa's face crumpled.
"So we don't know?""
"Not from this document.""
She covered her mouth.
"I knew something was wrong.""
"What made you suspicious?"" I asked.
Vanessa looked down.
"Three weeks ago, Daniel asked me to sign a declaration saying that he was the biological father of our baby. He said it was necessary for the inheritance paperwork.""
Rebecca's eyes narrowed.
"He asked you to make a legal declaration before the child was born?""
Vanessa nodded.
"I refused. Then he started telling me that I was ungrateful.""
She wiped her face.
"He said his father had left money for his grandchildren, and he wasn't going to let some child from a stranger take what belonged to his family.""
Rachel's expression hardened.
"Lily isn't some stranger.""
Vanessa looked at her.
"I know.""
Then she turned toward me.
"Claire, I need to tell you something else.""
I waited.
"Last month, I found a box in Daniel's study. It contained old photographs, medical records, and a letter from his father.""
She opened her handbag and removed a folded sheet.
"I took it because I was afraid he'd destroy it.""
Rebecca accepted the letter.
The handwriting was William's.
She read silently.
Then her expression changed.
"What?"" I asked.
She handed it to me.
The letter was addressed to Daniel.
Daniel,
You have spent your entire life believing that everything can be obtained through money, pressure, or manipulation.
You were wrong to deceive Claire. You were wrong to deceive the Collins family. And you were wrong to believe that a child could repair your reputation.
The inheritance is not yours to control.
I have made arrangements to ensure that every child affected by your actions is protected.
If you continue, the truth will become public.
I looked at the date.
It was written two months before William died.
I turned to Vanessa.
"Did Daniel know about this letter?""
She nodded.
"He found it after his father died. He was furious.""
"Did he destroy anything?""
"He tried. I stopped him.""
Rebecca looked up.
"Vanessa, did you see any other documents?""
She hesitated.
"Yes.""
"What?""
"A list of names.""
"Whose names?""
"Children. Their birth dates. Their mothers' names.""
I felt a chill.
"How many?""
Vanessa swallowed.
"Seven.""
Seven children.
I stared at her.
"You're sure?""
She nodded.
"Some were marked with question marks. Others had notes beside them. I thought they were business records, but one name was familiar.""
"Whose?""
She looked at me.
"Yours.""
My blood ran cold.
"What did it say?""
She reached into her bag and produced a photograph of the list.
At the top was my name.
Beneath it were Emma and Noah's birth dates.
Then Lily's.
And at the bottom, a fourth entry.
*UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE CHILD — BORN FEBRUARY 2024.*
I stared at it.
"Who is she?""
Vanessa shook her head.
"I don't know.""
Rebecca took the photograph.
"This is important. We need the original document.""
Vanessa nodded.
"It's still in Daniel's study.""
I looked toward the staircase.
"Can we get it?""
Vanessa hesitated.
"Not without him knowing.""
Then the front door opened.
Daniel walked inside.
He stopped when he saw us.
His eyes moved from me to Rachel, then to Rebecca.
Finally, they settled on the photograph in her hand.
His face changed.
"Give me that.""
Nobody moved.
He took another step.
"I said give it to me.""
Rebecca stood.
"Mr. Whitmore, this document may be relevant to an ongoing legal investigation.""
Daniel laughed.
"You're not investigators.""
"No," Rebecca replied.
"I'm her attorney.""
Daniel looked at me.
"You brought them into my house?""
Vanessa stood beside me.
"Daniel, who are the seven children?""
He stared at her.
Then he smiled.
A slow, cold smile.
"You're asking questions you don't understand.""
"Then explain.""
He looked toward the hallway.
"Not here.""
Vanessa shook her head.
"Yes. Here.""
Daniel turned to me.
"Claire, you should leave.""
I folded my arms.
"Not until I know why my children's names are on that list.""
He laughed.
"Your children are not the problem.""
"Then what is?""
He stared at me for a long moment.
Then he said something that made the room go silent.
"Because Emma and Noah aren't the only children whose records were changed.""
I felt my heart stop.
"Whose records?""
Daniel looked at Rebecca.
Then at Vanessa.
Finally, his eyes returned to me.
"Mine.""
Before anyone could respond, the doorbell rang.
A woman stood outside.
She was holding a little girl by the hand.
The child had dark curls, green eyes, and a pink backpack.
Rachel gasped.
"Lily?""
The woman looked directly at Daniel.
May you like
Then she said:
"My name is Patricia Moore. And I think it's time everyone heard what really happened.""
