Chapter 5: The Lawyer Who Buried the Truth
Richard stopped when he saw me.
His expensive leather briefcase slipped slightly in his hand.
“Daniel.””
I looked at him.
Then at Lila.
Then back at him.
“What are you doing here?””
Richard glanced at Vanessa.
She shook her head almost imperceptibly.
He noticed.
And I noticed him noticing.
“I'm here to discuss a personal matter,” he said.
I laughed once.
“A personal matter? My supposedly dead wife is sitting in a locked room upstairs, and you're telling me this is personal?””
Richard's expression tightened.
“Let's all calm down.””
“No. You're going to answer one question.””
I stepped toward him.
“Did you know Lila was alive?””
He removed his glasses.
“Daniel, there are circumstances you don't understand.””
“That's not an answer.””
He glanced at Lila.
She looked at him with open disgust.
“You told him I was dead,” she said.
Richard sighed.
“I did what I believed was necessary.””
Lila shook her head.
“You signed the documents.””
“I was following instructions.””
“You helped them take my daughter away from me.””
Richard looked down.
I felt my stomach turn.
“Take her daughter away?””
Lila looked at me.
“Daniel, I never abandoned Amara.””
I stared at her.
“What?””
She began speaking slowly, as though every word hurt.
“Five years ago, I discovered that Vanessa had been visiting you behind my back. She was pretending to be my friend.””
Vanessa interrupted.
“That isn't true.””
Lila continued.
“She told me she was helping me after the accident. She visited the hospital. She brought flowers. She offered to help with Amara.””
I remembered that period.
The car accident.
The phone call.
The hospital.
The funeral.
But I had never questioned the details because I had been overwhelmed by grief.
Lila looked at me.
“After the accident, I woke up in a private medical facility. Vanessa told me you had died.””
My chest tightened.
“What?””
“She said your car had gone off a bridge while you were coming to see me. She showed me a newspaper clipping. She told me Amara was being raised by your sister.””
I shook my head.
“I was alive. I was at home with Amara.””
“I know that now.””
Lila's voice broke.
“They kept me sedated. When I became stronger, Vanessa told me that if I tried to contact you, I would lose Amara forever.””
I looked at Richard.
“Did you know?””
He said nothing.
“DID YOU KNOW?””
Richard finally spoke.
“I received documentation indicating that Lila had suffered severe psychological problems following the accident. I was informed that she had voluntarily relinquished certain parental rights.””
“By whom?””
Richard looked toward Vanessa.
She folded her arms.
“By me.””
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
“You forged documents?””
“I protected this family.””
“You stole my wife!””
Vanessa raised her voice.
“She was never going to let me have you!””
Lila laughed bitterly.
“I never wanted you to have him. I wanted my daughter.””
Vanessa stepped toward her.
“You had everything! The house, the husband, the child! Everyone loved you!””
Lila looked at her.
“And you thought destroying me would make you loved?””
Vanessa's expression changed.
For the first time, I saw the hatred beneath her carefully maintained appearance.
“I spent my whole life being compared to you,” she whispered.
Lila shook her head.
“We were sisters.””
“Exactly! You were always the beautiful one. The successful one. The one everyone wanted.””
Richard cleared his throat.
“This conversation is becoming unproductive.””
I turned toward him.
“Get out.””
“Daniel—”
“Get out of my house.””
Richard placed his briefcase on the floor.
“Before you make a decision, you should know that the documents concerning Lila's disappearance were legally complicated. There were medical evaluations, custody arrangements, and financial agreements.””
I stepped closer.
“Did you take money?””
He looked away.
That was answer enough.
“How much?””
Richard adjusted his tie.
“I'm not discussing confidential client matters.””
I reached for my phone.
“Then you'll discuss them with the police.””
Vanessa suddenly screamed.
“No!””
She rushed toward the desk and grabbed the black notebook.
I lunged for it.
But she had already opened it to a marked page.
“Daniel, you don't know what Lila did!””
Lila went pale.
“Put that down.””
Vanessa looked at me.
“You think she's innocent because she cried in front of you?””
“What did she do?””
Vanessa turned the notebook around.
A hospital report had been tucked inside.
It contained Lila's name, a date, and a photograph of a newborn baby.
I read the first few lines.
Then my eyes stopped at the section marked FATHER'S INFORMATION.
The name written there wasn't mine.
I looked up slowly.
“What's this?””
Lila's face crumpled.
“Daniel, I can explain.””
Vanessa smiled through her tears.
“Ask your wife why she was in a different hospital the night Amara was born.””
I looked at Lila.
“Is this real?””
She lowered her head.
“Yes.””
My heart began pounding.
“Then whose name is that?””
Lila opened her mouth.
But before she could answer, my phone rang.
Rachel.
I answered immediately.
“What's wrong?””
Her voice was shaking.
“Daniel, the hospital just called.””
“Is Amara okay?””
“They've identified something in the medication. The doctor wants to speak with you.””
“What did they find?””
Rachel hesitated.
Then she said:
“Daniel, they found a second substance. And the doctor says it may not have been given to Amara for the first time tonight.””
May you like
I looked at Vanessa.
She had stopped smiling.
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