Chapter 6: The Medicine Wasn't the First Betrayal
I drove back to the hospital with Lila beside me.
Richard had left.
Vanessa remained at the house, refusing to answer another question.
Before leaving, I had called the police and requested that someone come to the property.
I wasn't going to let her destroy anything else.
Lila sat silently in the passenger seat.
Her hands were folded in her lap.
Every few minutes, she glanced at me as if she wanted to speak.
Finally, I broke the silence.
“Was Amara mine?””
Lila turned toward me.
“Yes.””
“Then why was there another man's name on that report?””
She closed her eyes.
“Because he wasn't listed as her biological father.””
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel.
“What does that mean?””
“Daniel, the report was from a different patient. Vanessa put it in the notebook because she knew it would frighten you.””
I looked at her.
“You're sure?””
“I remember that hospital. I remember the night Amara was born. I remember you holding her.””
Her voice trembled.
“You told me she had your eyes.””
I couldn't speak.
She reached toward me but stopped before touching my arm.
“I would never lie about that.””
We arrived at the hospital.
Rachel was waiting outside Amara's room.
She immediately approached us.
“Daniel.””
“What's happening?””
“The doctor wants to explain the results.””
Her eyes moved to Lila.
She froze.
For several seconds, she simply stared.
Then her lips parted.
“Lila?””
Lila began crying.
Rachel rushed forward and embraced her.
“Oh my God.””
They held each other for several seconds.
Then Rachel pulled away and looked at her face.
“Where have you been?””
Lila couldn't answer.
Rachel turned toward me.
“Is this real?””
I nodded.
“She's alive.””
Rachel covered her mouth.
Then the doctor appeared.
“Mr. Carter?””
I stepped forward.
“Yes.””
“Your daughter is stable. We have identified a medication that could explain some of her symptoms. However, there are indications that she may have been exposed to more than one substance.””
“What does that mean?””
“We cannot determine the full history from tonight's examination alone. We need to review any previous medications, prescriptions, and medical records.””
Rachel looked confused.
“Previous medications?””
The doctor nodded.
“Has Amara been unusually sleepy or disoriented recently?””
I remembered several things at once.
The afternoons when Amara fell asleep before dinner.
The mornings when she complained that her head felt heavy.
The days when Vanessa said she had given our daughter something to help her relax.
I had assumed it was ordinary children's medication.
“Vanessa told me Amara had trouble sleeping,” I said.
The doctor wrote something down.
“Do you know what she was giving her?””
“No.””
Lila suddenly stepped forward.
“Can I see my daughter?””
The doctor looked at her.
“Are you her mother?””
Lila nodded.
The doctor glanced at me.
I swallowed.
“Yes. She's Amara's mother.””
The doctor opened the door.
Amara was lying beneath a white blanket.
Her eyes were open.
When she saw Lila, she went completely still.
For a moment, I worried she wouldn't recognize her.
Then she whispered:
“Mommy?””
Lila covered her mouth.
“Oh, my baby.””
Amara started crying.
Lila rushed to her bedside and carefully gathered her into her arms.
“I missed you,” Amara whispered.
Lila kissed her hair.
“I missed you every single day.””
“Why didn't you come home?””
Lila's face crumpled.
“I tried, sweetheart.””
“Vanessa said you didn't want me.””
I looked away.
The words were unbearable.
Lila gently held Amara's face.
“Listen to me. I have always wanted you. There was never a day when I stopped loving you.””
Amara touched her cheek.
“You look like the lady in the picture.””
Lila nodded.
“That's me.””
Amara hesitated.
“Are you staying?””
Lila kissed her forehead.
“If your daddy lets me, I'm never going to stop trying to be with you again.””
I sat on the other side of the bed.
“Your mommy is here, sweetheart.””
Amara reached for my hand.
Then she looked at both of us.
“Can we be a family again?””
I had no answer.
Not yet.
An hour later, Rachel and I stepped into the hallway to speak privately.
“Daniel,” she said, “there's something I didn't tell you.””
I turned.
“What?””
“Last month, I found an envelope in Vanessa's car.””
“What was inside?””
“A photograph of Amara sleeping. On the back, there was a date and a note.””
“What note?””
Rachel looked uncomfortable.
“It said, 'Final dose before the hearing.''”
My blood ran cold.
“What hearing?””
“I don't know. I didn't take the photograph. I just remembered the words.””
I pulled out my phone.
I called the police officer who had taken my earlier report.
“There's another issue,” I said.
“I need you to investigate a possible medication history involving my daughter.””
He asked me to send whatever evidence I had.
I photographed the medication bottles, the notebook, and the hospital report.
Then I returned to Amara's room.
Lila was sitting beside her, reading a story from an old children's book.
For the first time that night, Amara looked peaceful.
But my phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number.
You need to stop looking into Vanessa's past.
I stared at it.
Another message arrived.
She wasn't the only one who knew Lila was alive.
Then a photograph appeared.
It showed Richard Hayes standing outside a courthouse.
Beside him was a woman holding a newborn baby.
I enlarged the picture.
The woman was Vanessa.
The baby was Amara.
And the date printed beneath the photograph was five years earlier.
I read the accompanying message.
Ask Lila what happened to the baby she delivered three days before Amara was born.
I slowly lowered the phone.
Three days before Amara was born?
That was impossible.
I looked through the glass at Lila.
She was kissing our daughter's forehead.
Then my phone rang again.
This time, the caller ID displayed a name I hadn't seen in five years.
*Evelyn Hart.*
I answered.
A woman's voice whispered:
“Daniel, if Lila is with you, don't let her tell you the whole story.””
I gripped the phone.
“Who is this?””
A pause.
Then:
“I'm the woman who gave birth to Amara.””
I stopped breathing.
May you like
The woman continued.
“And Vanessa has been raising my daughter under your name.””
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