Chapter 6: The Daughter Nobody Knew
Daniel stared at the photograph until the edges blurred.
The little girl in his hand could have been Ivy’s twin.
Same dark hair.
Same wide eyes.
Same small curve at the corner of her mouth.
The only difference was the age.
The child in the photograph looked around six years old.
Ivy was four.
But the resemblance was impossible to ignore.
Claire noticed the change in Daniel’s face before she saw the picture.
“What is it?””
Daniel did not answer immediately.
He could not.
Because every explanation sounded insane.
Finally, he handed her the photograph.
Claire looked down.
And the color drained from her face.
“No.””
Daniel watched her carefully.
“You know her.””
Claire’s fingers trembled.
“No.””
But it was not denial.
It was fear.
Daniel stepped closer.
“Claire.””
She closed her eyes.
“I’ve seen this picture before.””
The words hit harder than he expected.
“Where?””
Claire looked toward Ivy’s bedroom door.
Then she lowered her voice.
“Ethan showed it to me.””
Daniel felt his chest tighten.
“When?””
“Before the crash.””
The detective, who had remained in the hallway reviewing documents, turned immediately.
“Before the crash?””
Claire nodded.
“He came to my house three days before Daniel’s accident.””
Daniel frowned.
“Why would Ethan come to you?””
Claire looked at him.
“Because he was afraid.””
The answer surprised everyone.
“Afraid of what?”” Daniel asked.
Claire swallowed.
“He said Sabrina knew about the girl.””
Daniel looked at the photograph again.
“Who is Emma?””
Claire did not answer.
Because she knew the truth was going to hurt.
“She was Ethan’s daughter.””
Silence.
The hallway seemed to shrink.
Daniel stared.
“My brother had a daughter?””
Claire nodded slowly.
“Yes.””
“How long did you know?””
“I didn’t know everything.””
Daniel’s voice hardened.
“But you knew enough.””
Claire looked down.
“I knew Ethan had a child. I didn’t know where she was. I didn’t know her name until that night.””
Daniel walked away.
Not because he wanted distance.
Because he needed space to breathe.
Another secret.
Another person who knew more about his life than he did.
“What happened to her?””
Claire looked at the photograph.
“She disappeared.””
The detective stepped forward.
“Disappeared when?””
“After Ethan died.””
Daniel turned.
“Ethan disappeared.””
Claire looked at him.
“Not to everyone.””
The detective opened his notebook.
“Explain.””
Claire sat down slowly.
“Ethan told me he had been hiding Emma from Sabrina.””
“Why?””
“Because Sabrina wanted control over everything connected to the Mercer family.””
Daniel looked confused.
“But why would she care about Ethan’s daughter?””
Claire’s voice became quieter.
“Because Emma was proof.””
“Proof of what?””
Claire looked at the photograph.
“That Sabrina had been lying from the beginning.””
Before Daniel could ask more, Ivy appeared in the doorway holding her stuffed rabbit.
The adults immediately stopped talking.
Children always noticed when conversations disappeared.
“Daddy?””
Daniel turned.
“Yes, sweetheart?””
“Are you sad?””
The question broke something inside him.
He walked over and knelt.
“No.””
Ivy studied his face.
“You look sad.””
Daniel smiled faintly.
“I’m just trying to understand something.””
She hugged her rabbit.
“Is it about Sabrina?””
Daniel hesitated.
“Yes.””
Ivy became quiet.
Then she whispered:
“She used to talk to someone at night.””
Claire looked up.
“What?””
Ivy looked at her mother.
“In the hallway.””
Daniel’s expression changed.
“When?””
“Before Mommy came back.””
Claire moved closer.
“What did she say?””
Ivy frowned, trying to remember.
“She said, ‘The other Mercer girl can never come home.’”
Nobody spoke.
The detective immediately wrote it down.
Daniel felt a chill.
“The other Mercer girl.””
The phrase sounded like a warning.
Not a mistake.
A plan.
That night, they searched every room in the mansion.
Not because they expected to find answers.
Because they had finally accepted the truth.
The house itself had been hiding things.
At midnight, Daniel entered the old guest room.
The room Sabrina had always kept locked.
Inside were boxes.
Photos.
Letters.
Records.
A hidden life.
Claire stood beside him as they opened the first box.
Inside were adoption documents.
Daniel picked them up.
Then froze.
The name on the papers was familiar.
Emma Mercer.
The adoption had been completed twelve years earlier.
But the signature was not Ethan’s.
It was Sabrina’s.
Daniel looked at Claire.
“She adopted her?””
Claire shook her head.
“No.””
Daniel looked closer.
The paperwork had one additional note.
Temporary guardianship.
Approved by Daniel Mercer.
His signature.
His real signature.
From before the accident.
Daniel felt sick.
“I signed this.””
Claire stared.
“You knew.””
“I don’t remember.””
The detective examined the document.
“Someone wanted you to forget.””
Daniel looked at the papers.
Then at the photograph.
A child.
A secret.
A missing daughter.
Suddenly, the lights went out.
The mansion fell into darkness.
Ivy screamed from upstairs.
Daniel ran.
The hallway was empty.
Her bedroom door was open.
The window was shattered.
And on the bed was a note.
Daniel picked it up.
Only four words were written.
“Ask Claire about Emma.””
He turned slowly.
Because behind him, Claire was standing frozen.
May you like
And for the first time since she returned…
she looked afraid of the truth.
