Chapter 4
The Man Evelyn Wanted Forgotten
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Marcus laughed.
Not because anything was funny.
Because what Vanessa had said seemed impossible.
"My father?"
Vanessa nodded.
Marcus shook his head.
"My father died when I was nineteen."
I looked at him.
He had told me about his father many times.
Daniel Reed.
A successful businessman.
A generous man.
A husband Marcus believed had loved Evelyn deeply.
He had supposedly died after a sudden heart attack.
Marcus kept his photograph in our living room.
And every Father's Day, he visited the cemetery.
Vanessa stepped closer.
"I know what you were told."
Marcus's face hardened.
"What does that mean?"
She hesitated.
"The fertility clinic used a sample connected to Daniel Reed."
I stared.
"How?"
Vanessa shook her head.
"I don't know."
Marcus grabbed the report.
He scanned the page.
Then looked at her.
"This isn't possible."
"I thought the same thing."
Vanessa sat beside my hospital bed.
Her voice began trembling.
"After Noah and Caleb were born, the clinic contacted me about a documentation problem."
I leaned forward.
"What kind of problem?"
"They said there had been a discrepancy in the donor information."
Marcus stared at her.
"And?"
"At first, they refused to explain."
She swallowed.
"Then Evelyn appeared."
My stomach tightened.
Vanessa continued.
"She told me the boys were Marcus's children."
Marcus clenched his fists.
"She told me you were lying."
Vanessa nodded.
"She wanted us fighting each other."
I closed my eyes.
That was exactly what had happened.
For years, Evelyn had controlled both sides of the story.
She told Vanessa that Marcus was irresponsible.
She told Marcus that Vanessa was dishonest.
She told me Marcus had secretly approved fertility treatment.
And somehow, every lie protected her.
I looked at Vanessa.
"Why did you stay quiet?"
She began crying.
"Because she threatened to destroy my business."
Vanessa owned a small event-planning company.
I remembered seeing her name on local wedding advertisements.
"She had investors cancel contracts," Vanessa continued.
"She contacted people I worked with."
Her voice broke.
"And she said she'd take the boys away if I kept asking questions."
Marcus stared at her.
"Why didn't you come directly to me?"
"I tried!"
She stood.
"I sent letters. I called your office. I asked your lawyer for a meeting."
Marcus looked stunned.
Vanessa wiped her tears.
"Your mother intercepted everything."
I thought about all the times Evelyn insisted on handling Marcus's personal affairs.
She managed family paperwork.
She knew his passwords.
She maintained his old medical files.
Marcus had trusted her completely.
Now that trust was collapsing.
I reached for his hand.
"Marcus, we need the actual clinic records."
He nodded.
"And a lawyer."
Vanessa looked relieved.
"I already contacted one."
She removed a folder from her handbag.
Inside was an independent DNA report.
The testing company had compared samples from the twins and a preserved reference sample attributed to Daniel.
The report suggested a close biological relationship.
But the laboratory had also warned that the reference sample's identity needed independent confirmation.
I read the explanation carefully.
"This doesn't prove Daniel was their father."
Vanessa nodded.
"I know."
Marcus looked at me.
"What does it prove?"
"That somebody needs to explain where that reference sample came from."
He sat beside me.
I could see how frightened he was.
For a long time, I had thought Marcus feared becoming a father.
Now I realized he feared discovering that his entire family history was built on lies.
The next morning, the doctors allowed me to leave the hospital.
My daughter was healthy.
The contractions had stopped.
But they warned me to return immediately if I experienced bleeding, regular painful contractions, fluid leakage, or decreased fetal movement.
Marcus drove me home.
He helped me into bed and brought water.
For the first time since the baby shower, we were alone.
I watched him sit beside the crib.
The tiny white blankets were folded neatly.
A stuffed rabbit rested on the shelf.
He looked at everything with tears in his eyes.
"Do you hate me?" he whispered.
I stared.
"No."
"I accused you of cheating."
I swallowed.
"Yes."
He lowered his head.
"And I let my mother convince me to ignore those boys."
I moved closer.
"Marcus, loving you doesn't mean pretending you didn't make mistakes."
He nodded.
"I know."
"You owe Vanessa an apology."
"I know."
"And if you want our marriage to survive, you have to stop letting Evelyn make decisions for us."
He looked at me.
"She won't."
I squeezed his hand.
"Then we fight for the truth together."
He kissed my forehead.
"I promise."
That evening, Marcus visited his father's grave.
I stayed home because I was exhausted.
He called me from the cemetery.
"Nia."
His voice sounded strange.
"What's wrong?"
"There's something missing."
I sat up.
"What?"
"My father's memorial plaque."
My chest tightened.
"What do you mean?"
"It's been replaced."
I heard him breathing heavily.
"The new one has different dates."
I stared at the wall.
"Marcus, come home."
He didn't answer immediately.
Then he whispered, "I think my father died later than Mom told me."
My skin prickled.
"How much later?"
"Eleven years."
I stopped breathing.
"Eleven?"
Marcus's voice broke.
"Nia, if this plaque is correct, my father was alive when Vanessa's twins were conceived."
I gripped the phone.
Then another voice spoke in the background.
A man's voice.
"Marcus?"
My husband went silent.
I heard footsteps.
May you like
Then Marcus whispered something that chilled me.
"Dad?"
