I couldn't speak.<\/p>\n
Caroline took the phone from my hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica repeated it.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father is alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caroline's face drained of color.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn't possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe disappeared years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cJessica, where is he?\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just said he's alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know he is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he contacted me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I took the phone back.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThree weeks ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn't you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I knew you'd go after him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou mean you'd lose control of the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean he'd hurt you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the cassette.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou've known about this your entire life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica began crying.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew Caroline was alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew I was adopted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew my father had been lied to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you still married me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI loved you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou keep saying that as if love excuses everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn't.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I was seventeen when I first saw your name.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Caroline.<\/p>\n
Jessica continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father had your photograph.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy photograph?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAn infant photograph.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said you were the child who could destroy him.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words hung in the air.<\/p>\n
\u201cDestroy him how?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had falsified legal records.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel motioned for me to put the call on speaker.<\/p>\n
I did.<\/p>\n
\u201cJessica,\u201d Rachel said, \u201cyou need to explain precisely what your father was afraid of.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was afraid Caroline would prove the adoption was fraudulent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe can.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why was he not prosecuted?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the evidence disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExcept the evidence in the box.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica went silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou found the recording.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her breathing became shaky.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew there was a recording.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father searched for it for years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn't you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I was afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou've used that word a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the photograph of Jessica as a teenager.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me you met me at that fundraiser by chance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI lied.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou recognized me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew my name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew my father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why didn't you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I wanted to know who you were before I decided what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you decide?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat I couldn't destroy your life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you built a new lie around it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caroline's eyes filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou stole my son.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica's voice broke.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou kept him from me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou took my money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou made him believe I rejected him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caroline turned away.<\/p>\n
Rachel spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is Samuel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said he contacted you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe left a message.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said the box was still missing.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the cassette.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo he knows.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone told him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNathan?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen who?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica's voice dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone close to Ethan.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
She didn't answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cJessica.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon't go home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe're not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon't go to your father's house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he already searched it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Caroline.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe cabinet?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLast night.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maya checked her phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe security system shows no movement after Jessica disabled the camera.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe could have entered before.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica spoke again.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wasn't looking for the money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was he looking for?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe original birth certificate.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remembered Dad's words.<\/p>\n
The place she never looked.<\/p>\n
My mother's box.<\/p>\n
We had found the cabinet.<\/p>\n
But not the certificate.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Samuel get it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what does he have?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
She started crying.<\/p>\n
\u201cI only know he told me if the certificate surfaced, he would disappear forever.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn't make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt does if the certificate contains his name.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Rachel.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat name?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cFather.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Caroline whispered, \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cCaroline?\u201d<\/p>\n
She shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy family always said the father was unknown.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica said quietly, \u201cHe wasn't.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is my biological father?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica didn't answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can't.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou've lied enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can't tell you because I don't know whether it's true.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat you weren't Arthur's child.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice broke.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said you weren't Caroline's husband's child either.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caroline stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
Rachel immediately said, \u201cJessica, clarify.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father said Daniel was his.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody moved.<\/p>\n
I stared at the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cSamuel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caroline shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wasn't.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica whispered, \u201cThat's what my father claimed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you don't believe him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause my mother left a letter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat she didn't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Caroline.<\/p>\n
She seemed unable to process the words.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was married,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho was your husband?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel looked at the documents.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs David listed anywhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caroline's hands shook.<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid died before Daniel was born.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how could Samuel claim he was my father?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe may have been lying.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica's voice softened.<\/p>\n
\u201cOr he may have been telling the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
I wanted certainty.<\/p>\n
Instead, every answer opened another door.<\/p>\n
Maya finally spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need DNA testing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caroline nodded immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the cassette.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we need to know why Samuel wants the birth certificate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel closed the box.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also need to get somewhere secure.\u201d<\/p>\n
My phone buzzed.<\/p>\n
A text from Nathan.<\/p>\n
Don't trust Jessica.<\/p>\n
A second message appeared.<\/p>\n
She knows why Samuel chose you.<\/p>\n
Then another.<\/p>\n
Ask her about the night your father brought you home.<\/p>\n
I looked at Jessica.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened the night Dad brought me home?\u201d<\/p>\n
She was silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cJessica.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn't there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI found the record in my father's papers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wrote that you weren't supposed to survive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caroline gasped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou had pneumonia.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad had mentioned the blue blanket.<\/p>\n
The chest infection.<\/p>\n
My small hand around his finger.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said you were weak.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe expected you to die.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd if I had?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father said the adoption would have disappeared with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel looked at the documents.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds like motive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica whispered, \u201cThere was more.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father had a second child.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cNathan?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cA son you don't know about.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caroline looked confused.<\/p>\n
\u201cSamuel had another child?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica's voice dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
She began crying.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father had another son named Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat makes no sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt does if the baby you were told was Caroline's wasn't the only child involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cJessica, stop speaking in fragments.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know the whole truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen tell us what you know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica took a breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father was involved in an illegal adoption network.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words landed heavily.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wasn't just hiding Ethan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had several children moved through the same attorney.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caroline covered her mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMoney.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel nodded grimly.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Ethan?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was different.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father believed Ethan had an inheritance connected to Caroline's family.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat inheritance?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe land.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caroline looked confused.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy family lost the property years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot all of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel's eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHeld under Margaret Sharma's name.\u201d<\/p>\n
The safe deposit box.<\/p>\n
The missing papers.<\/p>\n
The two hundred thousand dollars.<\/p>\n
Suddenly they weren't separate pieces.<\/p>\n
They were parts of the same machine.<\/p>\n
My biological family had assets.<\/p>\n
My adoption had been manipulated.<\/p>\n
Someone had profited.<\/p>\n
And now someone was desperate to recover documents proving what happened.<\/p>\n
I looked at Caroline.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid my mother have a trust?\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel answered for her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother may have had a substantial interest in property.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow substantial?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough to motivate fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n
My phone buzzed again.<\/p>\n
This time it was an email.<\/p>\n
No sender name.<\/p>\n
One attachment.<\/p>\n
A photograph.<\/p>\n
It showed my father standing outside his house.<\/p>\n
Taken that morning.<\/p>\n
Beneath it were four words.<\/p>\n
You found the wrong box.<\/p>\n
I looked at the time.<\/p>\n
Five minutes earlier.<\/p>\n
Someone had been watching us.<\/p>\n
Caroline reached for my hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow.\u201d<\/p>\n
We hurried out of the bank.<\/p>\n
The parking lot looked ordinary.<\/p>\n
Cars.<\/p>\n
Rain.<\/p>\n
People walking beneath umbrellas.<\/p>\n
Then I saw the black sedan parked across the street.<\/p>\n
A man sat behind the wheel.<\/p>\n
He was watching us.<\/p>\n
I couldn't see his face clearly.<\/p>\n
But he lifted one hand.<\/p>\n
A small wave.<\/p>\n
The sedan pulled away.<\/p>\n
I memorized the license plate.<\/p>\n
Maya was already calling the police.<\/p>\n
Rachel opened her car.<\/p>\n
\u201cGet in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caroline climbed into the back.<\/p>\n
I followed.<\/p>\n
My phone rang again.<\/p>\n
Unknown number.<\/p>\n
I answered.<\/p>\n
No one spoke.<\/p>\n
Then I heard an old man's voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look just like your mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
My entire body went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is this?\u201d<\/p>\n
A soft laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should ask your wife.\u201d<\/p>\n
I gripped the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCloser than you think.\u201d<\/p>\n
The call ended.<\/p>\n
Caroline stared at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho was it?\u201d<\/p>\n
I couldn't answer.<\/p>\n
Because I knew.<\/p>\n
Not from the voice.<\/p>\n
From the final words.<\/p>\n
You should ask your wife.<\/p>\n
Jessica was still on the line.<\/p>\n
I put the phone to my ear.<\/p>\n
\u201cJessica?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid your father just call me?\u201d<\/p>\n
She began sobbing.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is he?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how did he get my number?\u201d<\/p>\n
She whispered the answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe never needed your number.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has always had it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSince when?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSince before I met you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked through the car window.<\/p>\n
The black sedan had disappeared.<\/p>\n
Rachel started the engine.<\/p>\n
Jessica's voice came through the speaker.<\/p>\n
\u201cEthan\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI lied about one more thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
My jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't choose you because I was afraid of losing you.\u201d<\/p>\n
She paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cI chose you because my father told me to marry you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I couldn't speak. Caroline took the phone from my hand. \u201cWhat did you say?\u201d Jessica repeated it. \u201cMy father is alive.\u201d Caroline's face drained of color. \u201cThat isn't possible.\u201d \u201cHe … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6649,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6657","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6657"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6657\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6673,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6657\/revisions\/6673"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}