Chapter 8: The Woman Who Wasn’t Family
I drove faster than I ever had before.
Every thought crashed into the next.
Someone was in my house.
With Maya.
And they were pretending to be family.
When I arrived, the front door was open.
I ran inside.
“Maya!””
“In here, Daddy!””
Her voice came from the living room.
I rushed in.
Maya was sitting on the couch.
Across from her was an elderly woman I had never seen before.
She looked calm.
Too calm.
The woman stood.
“You must be Marcus.””
I stepped between her and Maya.
“Who are you?””
She smiled faintly.
“My name is Eleanor.””
Maya looked at me.
“She said she knew my mom.””
I stared at Eleanor.
“How did you get into my house?””
She didn’t answer.
Instead, she looked at Maya.
“You look just like Claire.””
I immediately noticed something.
Maya wasn’t afraid of Eleanor.
She was confused.
That was somehow worse.
Because whoever this woman was, she had made herself seem safe.
“I’m asking again,” I said.
“How did you get inside?””
Eleanor calmly reached into her bag.
I moved forward.
“Don’t.””
She stopped.
Then she slowly pulled out a photograph.
She handed it to me.
It was old.
Claire was in the picture.
And standing beside her was Eleanor.
My chest tightened.
“Who are you?””
Eleanor looked at Maya.
“I’m the person who knew Claire before she met you.””
“That doesn’t answer my question.””
She sighed.
“I’m Claire’s biological mother.””
The room went silent.
Maya looked at me.
“Daddy?””
I didn’t know what to say.
Because Claire had told me her parents died when she was young.
At least, that was what I believed.
“You’re lying.””
Eleanor’s expression changed.
“I expected you to say that.””
She placed a folder on the table.
“Everything is inside.””
I didn’t touch it.
“Leave.””
Maya grabbed my arm.
“Daddy…”
I looked at her.
“It’s okay.””
But it wasn’t.
Nothing was okay anymore.
Eleanor stood.
“I understand your anger.””
“You broke into my home.””
“Yes.””
She didn’t deny it.
“Because Vanessa has started a war.””
My eyes narrowed.
“You know Vanessa?””
Eleanor nodded.
“She came to me months ago.””
My heart sank.
“What did she want?””
Eleanor looked at Maya.
“The same thing she always wanted.””
I waited.
“To erase Claire.””
After Eleanor left, I locked every door.
Then I opened the folder.
Inside were legal documents.
Old medical records.
Letters.
And one photograph that made me stop breathing.
It showed Claire as a teenager.
Standing beside a younger Vanessa.
I stared at it.
Because the truth was impossible.
Vanessa wasn’t a stranger to Claire.
They knew each other long before I ever met Vanessa.
I called Rachel.
She answered quickly.
“Marcus?””
“Rachel, did you know Vanessa and Claire knew each other when they were younger?””
Silence.
Too long.
“Rachel?””
Finally, she spoke.
“I was hoping you would never find out this way.””
My heart sank.
“What happened?””
Rachel sighed.
“Claire and Vanessa were friends.””
I looked at the photograph again.
“Friends?””
“Yes.””
“Then why did Claire hate her?””
Another pause.
Then Rachel said:
“Because Vanessa was there the night Claire lost her first child.””
I couldn’t move.
“First child?””
Rachel’s voice became softer.
“Marcus, Maya wasn’t Claire’s first pregnancy.””
I looked toward the stairs.
Toward Maya’s bedroom.
A thousand questions filled my head.
“What are you saying?””
“I’m saying Vanessa spent years blaming Claire.””
“For what?””
Rachel whispered:
“For a tragedy Vanessa caused.””
The phone slipped slightly in my hand.
Before I could ask another question, I received another message.
This time from Vanessa.
May you like
It contained only one sentence.
Now you know why Claire never wanted you to know the truth.
