Chapter 6: The Man From My Past
Ethan arrived twenty minutes later.
Nobody asked him to come inside.
He simply stood at my parents’ front door, covered in snow, holding a worn leather folder against his chest.
The last time I saw him, we were twenty-four years old.
Young.
Careless.
Certain we understood the future.
Now he looked older.
More tired.
Like life had taken everything from him and left only the parts he couldn’t forget.
James stood beside me.
Protective.
Not aggressive.
Just present.
Ethan looked at Emma sleeping in my arms.
His expression changed.
Not happiness.
Not excitement.
Pain.
“I never wanted you to find out like this,” he said.
I stared at him.
“Then how did you want me to find out?””
He looked down.
“I don’t know.””
“That’s convenient.””
His eyes lifted.
“I deserve that.””
The room was silent.
Lauren stayed near the fireplace.
Watching.
Waiting.
Like she was afraid of what Ethan might say.
I noticed.
And so did James.
“Why is Lauren scared?”” he asked.
Ethan looked at her.
“Because she doesn’t know the whole story.””
Lauren immediately shook her head.
“Don’t.””
Ethan ignored her.
“Claire, I contacted your father because I didn’t know how else to reach you.””
“Why not call me?””
His expression changed.
“Because I tried.””
I frowned.
“What?””
“I called you three months ago.””
My stomach tightened.
“I never got a call.””
Ethan looked at Lauren.
Everyone followed his gaze.
My sister went pale.
“What?””
Ethan reached into his folder.
“She blocked my number.””
Lauren’s face hardened.
“That’s a lie.””
He pulled out his phone.
“I have the records.””
James stepped forward.
“Why would you block him?””
Lauren didn’t answer.
I looked at her.
“Why?””
Her eyes filled with anger.
“Because I knew he was going to ruin everything.””
“Everything?””
“My family.””
I almost couldn’t believe it.
“You mean my family.””
She looked at me.
“Yes.””
The room went quiet.
Ethan placed the folder on the table.
“The DNA test is real.””
My heart sank again.
“But Lauren doesn’t know why it happened.””
I looked at him.
“Explain.””
He took a deep breath.
“After you and I broke up, I found out I had a medical condition.””
I listened.
“I was told there was a chance I couldn’t have children.””
James looked at him.
“And?””
“And years later, when I saw Claire was pregnant, I wondered.””
My throat tightened.
“You wondered if Emma was yours.””
Ethan nodded.
“I didn’t want to destroy your marriage. I didn’t want to interfere. But when I found out Lauren was telling people things about me…”
I looked at Lauren.
“What things?””
Ethan’s voice became quiet.
“She told me Claire hated me. That Claire wanted nothing to do with me. That James would never forgive her if he knew.””
My sister’s face changed.
“You contacted him.””
“Yes.””
“And you believed him?””
“I didn’t know what to believe.””
I looked at Lauren.
“Why?””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Because I was angry.””
Again.
That word.
Always that word.
“I thought if Claire lost James, she would finally understand how I felt.””
I stepped back.
“You wanted me to lose my husband?””
She looked away.
“I wanted you to feel alone.””
James looked at her with disbelief.
“You almost destroyed a marriage because you felt ignored?””
Lauren whispered:
“You don’t know what it feels like to be forgotten.””
Nobody answered.
Because maybe, in her mind, that was the truth.
But pain didn’t excuse what she had done.
Not to Emma.
Not to me.
Not to James.
Ethan opened the folder again.
“There’s one more thing.””
I looked at him.
“What?””
He pulled out another document.
My hands went cold.
“What is that?””
“The original DNA request.””
I stared at the paper.
“Why do I need to see that?””
Ethan looked at me.
“Because I didn’t order this test.””
A chill moved through me.
“What?””
He looked toward Lauren.
“She did.””
Lauren froze.
“That’s impossible.””
Ethan shook his head.
“She submitted the sample.””
The room exploded into silence.
I turned toward my sister.
“You tested my daughter?””
Lauren’s lips parted.
“I…”
“No.””
My voice broke.
“You took my baby’s DNA without asking me?””
She started crying.
But for the first time, I didn’t feel sympathy.
Because the question I had been avoiding finally had an answer.
Lauren hadn’t discovered a secret.
She had gone looking for one.
And the worst part was…
May you like
She had found exactly what she wanted.
A way to break my family apart.
