Chapter 4: The Child She Thought Was Hers
For a few seconds, I forgot how to breathe.
The hospital room was silent except for the steady rhythm of the monitor beside me.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
My daughter’s heartbeat.
The sound that had carried me through months of fear.
And now a stranger was telling me she was supposed to be this woman’s child.
I tightened my grip on the phone.
“I think you have the wrong person.””
The woman on the other end took a shaky breath.
“I wish I did.””
My eyes moved toward Andrés.
He was watching my face carefully.
“What’s happening?”” he mouthed.
I put the phone on speaker.
“Start from the beginning.””
There was a long pause.
Then the woman spoke.
“My name is Sofia Bennett.””
The name meant nothing to me.
“I met Daniela two years ago.””
My stomach tightened.
Two years.
Before my pregnancy.
Before my baby.
“How?””
“She found me online.””
Andrés stepped closer.
“Online for what?””
Sofia hesitated.
“For adoption.””
The word felt heavier this time.
Like it had been waiting for me.
“She told me she wanted to adopt a baby,” Sofia continued.
“She said she had always dreamed of becoming a mother, but she couldn’t have children.””
I looked down at my stomach.
My daughter.
My miracle.
“Daniela can’t have children?”” I whispered.
Sofia was quiet.
“I don’t know if that’s true.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“What do you mean?””
“She told me many things. Some of them changed every time we talked.””
My hand tightened around the blanket.
“Why would she lie?””
Sofia didn’t answer immediately.
And that silence was an answer by itself.
“Because she wanted something.””
“What?””
Another pause.
Then Sofia said:
“Your life.””
The room seemed to shrink.
Andrés sat down beside me.
“Sofia, you need to explain exactly what happened.””
“I will.””
Her voice trembled.
“I met Daniela through an adoption group. She told me she had a sister who was pregnant. She said the baby would be raised in a loving family, but the mother was overwhelmed and didn’t want the responsibility.””
My chest tightened.
“She was talking about me.””
“Yes.””
I closed my eyes.
The pain in my body suddenly felt smaller than the pain in my heart.
“She told you I didn’t want my baby?””
“She said you were struggling. She said you were thinking about giving the baby away.””
A bitter laugh escaped me.
“Of course.””
Andrés looked at me.
“What?””
I looked at him.
“She’s been telling people I couldn’t handle being a mother.””
Sofia continued.
“She contacted me months before you gave birth.””
I froze.
“Months?””
“Yes.””
“But I didn’t even know I was pregnant until…”
I stopped.
The timeline.
Something was wrong.
Daniela had known things before I told her.
Things I thought she found out through family conversations.
Things she couldn’t have known.
“What else did she tell you?””
Sofia went quiet.
“Mariana…”
“What else?””
“She said your husband was not ready to be a father.””
Andrés’s face hardened.
“She said what?””
“She told me you two were fighting. She said Andrés would leave once the baby came.””
My husband looked away.
The hurt on his face was immediate.
Because it wasn’t just an attack on me.
It was an attempt to destroy us.
“She wanted to take my baby,” I whispered.
Sofia didn’t correct me.
Because she knew.
“Yes.””
After the call ended, nobody spoke for a long time.
The information sat between us like something alive.
Something dangerous.
Andrés finally broke the silence.
“We need to go to the police.””
I looked at him.
“Not yet.””
His eyebrows pulled together.
“Mariana.””
“I need to know everything.””
“You almost died.””
“I know.””
My voice cracked.
“But if we go now, everyone will start protecting Daniela.””
He didn’t argue.
Because he knew I was right.
My family had spent years making sure Daniela never had to face the consequences of her actions.
I needed proof.
Not just pain.
Not just accusations.
Proof.
My phone buzzed.
A message.
From my mother.
*Please don’t destroy your sister’s life.*
I stared at the words.
Not:
Are you okay?
Not:
How is the baby?
Not:
I’m sorry.
Just:
Don’t destroy Daniela.
I showed Andrés.
His jaw clenched.
“She still doesn’t understand.””
“No.””
I looked at the screen.
“She understands.””
I typed back.
*What did you know?*
The reply came quickly.
Too quickly.
*You’re upset. We will talk when you calm down.*
I laughed quietly.
It wasn’t humor.
It was disbelief.
Even now.
Even after everything.
She still thought my emotions were the problem.
That evening, a police officer came to the hospital to take my statement.
Andrés stayed beside me.
I told the truth.
The staircase.
The push.
The words.
Everything.
The officer wrote carefully.
“Did anyone else see the incident?””
“Yes.””
“Who?””
I named everyone downstairs.
My aunt.
My cousins.
The guests.
Then I hesitated.
“My mother.””
The officer looked up.
“She witnessed the fall?””
I swallowed.
“She saw what happened after.””
He made a note.
“Did she assist you?””
I looked at the floor.
“No.””
The officer paused.
“What did she do?””
I remembered the napkins.
The blood.
The way my mother wouldn’t look at me.
“She cleaned the floor.””
The officer’s expression changed slightly.
Not judgment.
Just surprise.
Then he asked:
“Do you believe your sister intentionally pushed you?””
I looked at Andrés.
Then back at him.
“Yes.””
The answer came easily.
Because I knew.
I knew.
The next morning, I woke up to dozens of missed calls.
My family.
Relatives.
Friends.
Everyone suddenly wanted to talk.
Everyone suddenly had something to say.
One message caught my attention.
From my cousin Elena.
*Mariana, please call me. I saw something at the shower. Something I didn’t understand until now.*
I called immediately.
She answered after one ring.
“Mariana?””
Her voice was shaking.
“What happened?””
“I’m sorry.””
“For what?””
“For not saying anything sooner.””
I sat up.
“Elena.””
She took a breath.
“After you went upstairs, I saw Daniela follow you.””
My heart sank.
“You saw her?””
“Yes.””
“Why didn’t you tell anyone?””
“I thought you were arguing.””
I closed my eyes.
“What else?””
“She came back downstairs alone.””
“When?””
“About two minutes later.””
Two minutes.
That was impossible.
The fall.
The screams.
Everyone running.
Two minutes.
“What did she say?””
Elena hesitated.
“She told your mom that you were being dramatic.””
My blood went cold.
“Before anyone found me?””
“Yes.””
My fingers tightened around the phone.
“Elena…”
“There’s more.””
I waited.
“I heard your mother say something.””
“What?””
“She said, ‘We have to fix this before Andrés finds out.’”
The room became silent.
My heart pounded.
“What does that mean?””
“I don’t know.””
But I did.
Because suddenly, I remembered my mother’s face.
Not shocked.
Not confused.
Afraid.
She wasn’t afraid of what happened to me.
She was afraid of what I would discover.
A knock came at the hospital door.
Andrés looked up.
“Are you expecting someone?””
I shook my head.
The door opened slowly.
A nurse stepped aside.
And behind her stood Daniela.
She looked different.
No tears.
No anger.
No performance.
Just a blank expression.
She closed the door behind her.
And locked it.
My body immediately went tense.
“Daniela.””
She looked at my stomach.
Then at me.
And for the first time in my life…
I saw something in her eyes that terrified me.
Not jealousy.
Not anger.
Possession.
“You weren’t supposed to keep her,” she whispered.
The room went completely still.
May you like
And then Daniela smiled sadly.
“You were supposed to give me my daughter.””
