Chapter 12: The Daughter I Never Knew I Lost
For several seconds, I couldn't understand the words.
Sophie was mine.
Both girls were mine.
Both girls were born that night.
I looked at Jonathan.
"Read it again.""
He handed me the report.
I scanned the numbers.
The genetic relationship probability was overwhelming.
Sophie was my biological daughter.
Daniel was not her biological father.
I read the conclusion twice.
Then I looked at Martin.
"Who is her father?""
He shook his head.
"We need a separate test to establish that.""
I stared at the report.
"How can this be possible?""
Jonathan took a breath.
"The preliminary test confirms that Sophie is your biological child. But we need to establish how the hospital records were manipulated.""
I looked toward Rebecca's house.
The little girl was still standing near the front window.
She was watching us leave.
I pressed the report against my chest.
For five years, I had believed I had one daughter.
Now I had discovered that another little girl had been taken from me before I could even hold her.
I couldn't breathe.
Daniel approached slowly.
"Amara?""
I turned toward him.
"Did you know?""
He shook his head.
"No.""
"Did you know Rebecca had taken both babies?""
"No.""
"Did you know Sophie was mine?""
His eyes filled.
"No.""
I stared at him.
"Then who is her father?""
He lowered his head.
"I don't know.""
Vanessa stepped out of the house.
Her face was pale.
"Amara, I need to explain something.""
I turned.
"How long have you known?""
She looked down.
"About Sophie being yours? Six months.""
My stomach twisted.
"Six months?""
"I found the original hospital records.""
"And you did nothing?""
Vanessa shook her head.
"My father threatened me. He said if I exposed the truth, he'd make sure I never saw Sophie again.""
"You let me spend five years believing my daughter was an only child.""
"I'm sorry.""
"Sorry?""
My voice cracked.
"You watched me raise Lily while your father kept my other daughter hidden. You knew I had lost a child, and you said nothing.""
Vanessa began crying.
"I didn't know how to fix it.""
I stepped closer.
"You could have started by telling the truth.""
She lowered her head.
Martin interrupted.
"We need to take this inside. The children shouldn't be exposed to this confrontation.""
I nodded.
But I couldn't stop looking at Sophie.
She was mine.
And I had no idea what kind of life she had lived.
The next morning, Jonathan arranged an emergency family court application to prevent Sophie from being transferred to another guardian.
The court granted a temporary protective order.
Rebecca was prohibited from moving Sophie or changing her residence without authorization.
Victor's foundation was also ordered to preserve all adoption and payment records.
Meanwhile, Martin began tracing the original hospital files.
By lunchtime, he had discovered something unexpected.
"Amara, I found the neonatal supervisor.""
I sat forward.
"Patricia?""
"No. The supervisor who approved the transfers.""
"Where is she?""
"She lives in Pennsylvania. Her name is Linda Morris.""
"Can she explain what happened?""
"She says she has documents.""
I looked at Jonathan.
"Arrange a meeting.""
Two hours later, Linda joined us by video call.
She looked nervous.
"Mrs. Carter, I never thought this would come back.""
I leaned toward the screen.
"Please tell me what happened.""
Linda took a breath.
"That night, Rebecca arrived with instructions from Richard Carter's attorney. She said one of the babies had to be transferred because the family wanted to avoid a custody dispute.""
"Which baby?""
"Your second daughter.""
I felt tears rise.
"Why?""
"Rebecca said there were complications surrounding the father.""
"What complications?""
Linda hesitated.
"She told me the baby wasn't Daniel's.""
I looked at Jonathan.
"What?""
Linda continued.
"She said you had been seeing someone else before the divorce. She claimed the child could create a scandal for the family.""
I shook my head.
"That's a lie.""
"I know that now.""
"Who did she say the father was?""
Linda glanced at a document.
"Someone named Nathan Carter.""
I froze.
Richard's secret son.
Alexander's father.
But Nathan had died years earlier.
I looked at Jonathan.
"That doesn't make sense.""
Linda nodded.
"That's why I kept the original file. The paternity declaration Rebecca provided was dated six months before the birth.""
"Who signed it?""
"Rebecca.""
I felt my stomach tighten.
"Was there a DNA test?""
"No.""
"Then how could she make that claim?""
Linda lowered her voice.
"She said Richard had ordered the test before he died.""
I stared at the screen.
Richard had died six years earlier.
Sophie had been born five years earlier.
Could he have known something about my pregnancy before Daniel did?
Linda continued.
"Rebecca told me the baby had to be placed with a family that could protect the Carter name.""
"Was that Victor Reed?""
"Yes.""
I closed my eyes.
Everything was becoming clearer.
Rebecca had believed Sophie was Nathan's daughter.
She wanted to keep her away from Daniel's inheritance dispute.
Victor wanted the baby because he believed she carried a claim to the Carter fortune.
And Vanessa had been used as the public mother.
But one question remained.
If Sophie was mine, who was her father?
That evening, Alexander Blake came to my office.
He looked unusually serious.
"I heard about the DNA results.""
I nodded.
"Sophie is my daughter.""
He sat down.
"Then we need to talk about Nathan.""
I frowned.
"What about him?""
Alexander placed an old envelope on my desk.
"My father left this for me. He said I should only open it if Richard's trust ever became contested.""
I looked at the handwriting.
Richard Carter.
Alexander removed a folded letter.
He read silently for several seconds.
Then his expression changed.
"What is it?"" I asked.
He handed me the letter.
The first paragraph explained that Richard had discovered a serious mistake in his son's life.
The second paragraph mentioned a young woman named Amara.
My name.
I read further.
If Daniel ever leaves Amara, ensure she knows the truth about the child she carries. There is reason to believe the baby may be connected to Nathan's family.
I looked up.
"What?""
Alexander nodded.
"My father had a relationship with someone before he died. A woman named Eleanor. She was not my mother.""
I stared at him.
"Was she connected to Nathan?""
"She was Nathan's mother.""
I felt a chill.
Alexander continued.
"My father believed Nathan had fathered a child before he died. But the child was never officially identified.""
I looked back at the letter.
"Are you saying Sophie could be Nathan's daughter?""
"That's what the letter suggests.""
"But Nathan died before Sophie was born.""
Alexander nodded.
"Then someone else must know the truth.""
I stared at him.
"Who?""
He took another document from his briefcase.
It was a copy of a private genetic report.
The test had been conducted three months earlier.
The names were partially redacted.
But one result was visible.
*Biological relationship: Grandparent and grandchild — 99.8%.*
I looked at Alexander.
"Whose DNA?""
He hesitated.
Then he answered.
"Richard Carter's preserved medical sample.""
My heart pounded.
If Richard was Sophie's grandfather, then the question of her father had become even more complicated.
Alexander pointed to the bottom of the report.
"The laboratory included an additional note.""
I read it.
The tested child is genetically related to the Carter family through a previously undocumented paternal line.
I looked up.
"Who submitted this test?""
Alexander swallowed.
"Rebecca.""
I felt cold.
"Why would she test Sophie?""
"Because she already suspected the truth.""
"And what truth is that?""
Alexander opened the letter again.
He pointed to a handwritten sentence near the bottom.
I read it slowly.
The child may be the daughter of Richard Carter himself.
The room went silent.
I looked at Alexander.
Then at the report.
Richard had died six years earlier.
Sophie was born five years ago.
And according to the genetic evidence, Richard Carter might have been her biological father.
But before I could process the possibility, my phone rang.
It was Martin.
"Amara, I need you to come to the hospital immediately.""
"What happened?""
"Rebecca has been admitted.""
I stood.
"Is she okay?""
"She's conscious. But she asked for you.""
"Why?""
Martin hesitated.
"She says she knows who Sophie's father really is.""
I grabbed my coat.
May you like
Then Martin added one final sentence.
"She also says Daniel has been lying about where he was the night Richard Carter died.""
