Chapter 6: The Man Who Claimed My Daughter
The words on the screen didn’t make sense.
Not at first.
I read them once.
Then again.
Then a third time.
*Patient’s biological father verification pending.*
My fingers went numb.
“No.””
The word escaped before I even realized I had spoken.
Ethan looked at me.
“Emma.””
“No.””
I stepped away from the laptop.
“That’s impossible.””
“I know.””
“Do you?””
The question came out sharper than I intended.
Ethan flinched.
Immediately, I regretted it.
But fear was louder than guilt.
Because suddenly the entire world was suggesting something impossible.
That Lucas Bennett—a man who had destroyed my heart years ago—had some connection to my daughter.
My baby.
My Lily.
“He’s lying,” I whispered.
Ethan stood.
“We don’t know that.””
I looked at him.
The hurt on his face told me he heard the accusation in my voice.
Not toward him.
Toward the situation.
“I’m sorry,” I said quickly.
“I just…”
I couldn’t finish.
Because there was no sentence big enough for what I was feeling.
Ethan walked closer.
“We need answers.””
I looked at the laptop.
“And we’re going to get them.””
Two hours later, we were sitting across from Lucas in a quiet café on the other side of town.
I hated that place immediately.
Not because of the coffee.
Not because of the people.
Because Lucas looked exactly like a memory I had tried to erase.
Older.
Tired.
Different.
But still him.
The same eyes.
The same voice.
The same person who once promised me forever and then destroyed me.
His gaze moved from Ethan to me.
Then down to the picture of Lily sitting beside my coffee cup.
“I never wanted you to find out this way.””
I laughed softly.
“Funny.””
Lucas looked down.
“Emma.””
“No.””
My voice shook.
“You don’t get to say my name like you’re worried about me.””
He accepted that.
“You’re right.””
Ethan sat beside me, his expression cold.
“Start talking.””
Lucas looked at him.
“I know you hate me.””
“I don’t know you.””
Lucas gave a sad smile.
“You know enough.””
Ethan leaned forward.
“You filed a request claiming you might be Lily’s biological father.””
Lucas looked at me.
Then back at Ethan.
“Yes.””
The word hit like a slap.
My chair moved slightly as I pushed back.
“No.””
Lucas’s face tightened.
“Emma—”
“No.””
I shook my head.
“You don’t get to walk back into my life after years and say something like that.””
“I know.””
“Then why are you here?””
His eyes dropped.
“Because Diane forced my hand.””
Ethan’s expression changed.
“What does that mean?””
Lucas folded his hands.
“Your mother knew about me before Lily was born.””
I stared at him.
“How?””
“Because she found me.””
The room went quiet.
I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
“When?””
“About two months before your due date.””
My mind raced.
That was impossible.
I hadn’t spoken to Lucas in years.
“I never told her about you.””
“I know.””
“Then how?””
Lucas looked at me.
“Because she hired someone to look into your past.””
Ethan’s jaw tightened.
“My mother investigated my wife?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
Lucas looked away.
“Because she wanted to know if Emma had any secrets.””
I felt sick.
“And what did she find?””
Lucas hesitated.
Then:
“Me.””
The café suddenly felt too loud.
Every conversation around us became background noise.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”” I whispered.
Lucas’s eyes filled with regret.
“Because Diane threatened me.””
Ethan leaned forward.
“With what?””
Lucas looked at him.
“With the truth.””
“What truth?””
Lucas took a slow breath.
“The night before your wedding.””
I froze.
“What about it?””
Lucas looked at me.
“I didn’t cheat on you.””
The words hit harder than anything else he had said.
I stared at him.
“What?””
Ethan looked between us.
“Emma?””
I ignored him.
“Don’t do this.””
“I’m not lying.””
“You cheated on me.””
Lucas shook his head.
“I thought I did.””
My stomach twisted.
“What does that mean?””
He looked down.
“I was drugged.””
The silence was immediate.
“What?””
Lucas swallowed.
“The night you found me with Claire… I wasn’t fully conscious.””
My hands tightened.
“No.””
“I woke up and she was there.””
“Lucas.””
“I know what it looked like.””
“It looked like you betrayed me.””
“I know.””
“And you expect me to believe this now?””
“No.””
His answer surprised me.
“I don’t expect you to believe anything.””
He looked at Ethan.
“I’m telling you because Diane knows.””
Ethan’s eyes narrowed.
“What does your breakup have to do with my daughter?””
Lucas reached into his jacket.
He placed an envelope on the table.
“I found this last year.””
I didn’t touch it.
“What is it?””
“A copy of a message Diane sent.””
“To who?””
Lucas looked at me.
“Your doctor.””
My blood went cold.
“What?””
Ethan grabbed the envelope.
Inside was a printed email.
He read it silently.
Then his face changed.
“Emma.””
I took the paper.
The message was short.
*Dr. Harper, I need confirmation that the patient’s child has been tested before discharge. I cannot allow another mistake to happen.*
My hands shook.
“Another mistake?””
Lucas nodded.
“That’s why I started looking.””
Ethan looked at him.
“What did you find?””
Lucas’s face became serious.
“A record of another baby.””
I stopped breathing.
“What?””
“A baby born the same night as Lily.””
My chest tightened.
“No.””
Lucas looked at me.
“Emma, listen.””
“No.””
“The hospital had two deliveries within minutes of each other.””
I shook my head.
“That happens.””
“Yes.””
“Babies are born every day.””
“Yes.””
“Stop making it sound like—”
“Like what?””
I couldn’t answer.
Because I knew.
The bracelet.
The blanket.
The missing hour.
The nurse’s apology.
Lucas lowered his voice.
“Like someone switched something.””
I stared at him.
The café disappeared.
All I could see was Lily’s tiny face.
My daughter.
My world.
“I want proof,” Ethan said.
Lucas nodded.
“I thought you would.””
He pulled another envelope from his bag.
“This is why Diane has been panicking.””
Inside was a photograph.
Not of Lily.
Not of a document.
A woman.
A young woman standing outside the hospital.
Holding a newborn baby.
I recognized the hospital gown.
The room behind her.
The date stamp.
My heart stopped.
Because I knew her.
Everyone in my life knew her.
Ethan looked at me.
“Who is that?””
I couldn’t speak.
Because the woman in the photograph was holding a baby wrapped in a blanket with tiny stars.
The same blanket Lily had come home in.
The woman was crying.
And written on the back of the photograph were five words:
*“She knows the real mother.””*
I stood so quickly the chair scraped against the floor.
“No.””
Ethan grabbed my hand.
“Emma.””
I looked at Lucas.
“Who is she?””
Lucas’s face was filled with guilt.
“She’s the reason Diane has been afraid all these years.””
“Who?””
Lucas looked at the photograph.
Then at me.
“Her name is Sarah Mitchell.””
The name meant nothing.
Until Ethan’s phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
And all the color disappeared from his face.
“What?””
I looked at him.
“Who is it?””
He slowly turned the phone around.
The caller name was visible.
A name that made my blood run cold.
Because Sarah Mitchell wasn’t calling Ethan.
She was calling me.
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And beneath the number was a message preview:
*“Emma, I know what happened to your baby.””*
