Chapter 3
I sat down because my legs no longer felt steady.
Nia thought I wouldn't marry her because she had a daughter.
Three years.
Three years of birthdays, holidays, weekend trips, and whispered promises.
And she had hidden an entire child from me.
I stared at the little velvet box pressing against my chest.
The ring suddenly felt heavier than anything I had ever carried.
“Nia,” I said quietly, “did you really believe I wouldn't love you if you were a mother?”
She looked down.
“I didn't know what you'd think.”
I shook my head.
“You never gave me a chance.”
Daniel was watching us carefully.
Amara sat beside him, eating a small piece of bread Jordan had brought.
I lowered my voice.
“Why would you ask Daniel to give up custody?”
Nia wiped her cheeks.
“I wanted Amara with me.”
Daniel leaned forward.
“That's not what you told me yesterday.”
Nia turned sharply.
“Daniel, stop.”
He looked exhausted.
“You said Marcus wanted a fresh start.”
I stared at her.
“A fresh start?”
Daniel nodded.
“She told me you didn't want complicated family situations.”
My chest tightened.
I remembered telling Nia something similar during our first year together.
We had been discussing marriage.
I said I wanted a peaceful home after years of caring for my sick father.
I told her I was tired of drama.
Tired of dishonesty.
Tired of relationships built on secrets.
Apparently, she had heard something completely different.
I looked at Nia.
“When I said I wanted peace, I meant honesty.”
She began crying again.
“I know.”
“Did you tell Daniel I didn't want children?”
She shook her head.
“Not exactly.”
Daniel looked at her.
“You told me he wasn't comfortable raising another man's child.”
I felt my hands tightening.
“Nia.”
She covered her face.
I looked toward Amara.
The little girl was staring at us.
I immediately softened my voice.
“Let's not talk about this in front of her.”
Daniel nodded.
“Agreed.”
He turned toward Jordan.
“Could someone help me find a quiet place for my daughter?”
Jordan looked uncomfortable.
Then he nodded.
“There's a family waiting area near the front.”
Daniel stood.
“Amara, sweetheart, we're going to sit somewhere more comfortable.”
She looked at Nia.
“Mommy coming?”
Nia began crying harder.
I looked at her.
“Go with your daughter.”
She hesitated.
Then stood and followed Daniel.
I remained at the table.
The candle between the wine glasses flickered.
Everything looked exactly as it had an hour earlier.
But nothing in my life was the same.
Jordan returned a few minutes later.
He stood beside the table.
“Sir?”
I looked up.
“Yes?”
“I'm sorry.”
I shook my head.
“You didn't create this.”
He hesitated.
“I wasn't sure whether I should say anything.”
I stared at him.
“Why did you?”
He took a breath.
“Because I heard her talking yesterday.”
My stomach tightened.
“What did you hear?”
He glanced toward the hallway.
“She said something about needing you to sign papers before you learned about the child.”
I froze.
“Sign papers?”
He nodded.
“She was speaking quietly, but I was clearing the table beside them.”
I stared at the document Daniel had left.
Custody.
A secret daughter.
Papers.
Something didn't fit.
“Nia never asked me to sign anything.”
Jordan frowned.
“Then maybe I misunderstood.”
I nodded.
“Maybe.”
But the uneasiness remained.
I took out my phone.
Three missed calls from my younger sister, Tasha.
She had been helping me organize the proposal.
I stared at her name.
Then called.
She answered immediately.
“Marcus! Did you do it?”
I closed my eyes.
“No.”
She went silent.
“What happened?”
I looked at the ring box.
“Tasha, Nia has a daughter.”
Silence.
Then she whispered, “What?”
“A six-year-old daughter.”
My sister inhaled sharply.
“Oh my God.”
I leaned forward.
“And she was married before.”
Tasha didn't speak.
Then she asked, “Are you alone?”
“Not exactly.”
“Marcus, listen to me.”
Her tone changed.
My stomach tightened.
“What?”
“Last month, Nia asked me something strange.”
I sat upright.
“What?”
“She asked whether your house would automatically become hers after marriage.”
I stared at the wall.
“What did you say?”
“I told her property ownership doesn't work that simply.”
My heartbeat quickened.
Tasha continued.
“Then she asked about your father's trust.”
I stopped breathing.
My father had passed away two years earlier.
He left me a family home, several investments, and an interest in a logistics company.
Most of those assets were held in carefully structured arrangements.
Nia knew my father had been successful.
But I had never shared detailed financial information with her.
“Why would she ask about the trust?” I whispered.
Tasha sighed.
“I thought she was just curious.”
I stared at the folded document.
The ring box.
The empty wine glass.
Then another memory surfaced.
Two weeks earlier, Nia had suggested we combine our finances after marriage.
She said married couples shouldn't keep secrets.
I had agreed in principle.
But I told her we would discuss the details with an attorney.
She became unusually upset.
At the time, I thought she felt rejected.
Now I wasn't sure.
“Tasha,” I said slowly, “I need you to find the name of the attorney who handled Dad's estate.”
“Marcus, what's happening?”
“I don't know.”
My voice broke.
“But I think there's more to this than Nia being afraid to tell me about her daughter.”
I ended the call.
Then Daniel returned.
Alone.
He looked at the papers on the table.
“Marcus, can we speak privately?”
I nodded.
He sat across from me.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then he said, “I think Nia has been lying to both of us.”
I stared at him.
“About what?”
Daniel looked exhausted.
“She told me you were planning to marry her next month.”
My chest tightened.
I had planned to propose tonight.
Nobody knew except my sister.
I stared at Daniel.
“How could she know that?”
He shook his head.
“I don't know.”
May you like
Then he said something that made my stomach drop.
“She also told me you had agreed to put Amara's name on your family's trust.”
