Chapter 4: The Brother I Thought I Had Lost
For several seconds, I couldn't understand what Vanessa had said.
My brother.
Daniel.
The boy who had shared my bedroom, my childhood, and every family Christmas until he disappeared when we were twenty-three.
The brother I hadn't spoken to in almost nine years.
The brother I believed had moved overseas after stealing money from our father's business.
I stared at Vanessa.
“Take that back.””
She shook her head.
“I can't.””
“Daniel is not Lily's father.””
“Marcus—”
“Daniel left this family before Lily was even born. He was gone.””
Vanessa looked at me with an expression that was almost pitying.
“That's what Emily wanted you to believe.””
I felt the floor shift beneath me.
Robert was still holding Vanessa's arm.
“Sir, do you want me to call the police?”” he asked.
“Not yet.””
I pulled the DNA document from the wooden box.
The report was dated six months before Lily's birth.
The names were clearly printed.
*Alleged father: Daniel Bennett.*
*Child: Lily Bennett.*
The result was a probability of paternity exceeding 99.9 percent.
I read it again.
Then again.
“This is fake,” I said.
Vanessa shook her head.
“Emily arranged the test.””
“Why?””
“Because she wanted proof.””
“Proof of what?””
“That Daniel was Lily's biological father.””
I turned toward her.
“You're telling me my brother had an affair with my wife?””
Vanessa didn't answer.
That silence was worse than anything she could have said.
I dropped into a folding chair.
The storage unit suddenly felt too small.
Daniel and I had grown up sharing everything.
We had built treehouses, played football in the rain, and promised our mother we'd always look after each other.
When our father died, Daniel and I argued over the family business.
He accused me of taking control.
I accused him of stealing money.
Then one morning, he disappeared.
No goodbye.
No explanation.
Just an empty bedroom and a message saying he was leaving town.
I had spent years believing he betrayed me.
Now I was being told he'd betrayed me in a way I could never have imagined.
“Tell me exactly what happened,” I said.
Vanessa looked at the floor.
“Emily and Daniel had been seeing each other before she married you.””
My head snapped up.
“What?””
“They had a relationship.””
“No.””
“Marcus—”
“No. Emily and I were together for six years before we got married.””
“Then perhaps you should ask why Daniel left.””
I stood so quickly the chair fell backward.
“Don't you dare rewrite my marriage.””
Vanessa stepped back.
“I'm not rewriting anything. I'm telling you what I know.””
I pointed at the photograph.
“Why was he holding a baby carrier?””
“Because he wanted to meet Lily.””
“When?””
“After she was born.””
I looked at the date again.
The photograph had been taken outside a bank, not a hospital.
There was something strange about it.
Emily was smiling at Daniel.
But she wasn't looking at the camera.
She was looking at him.
I felt sick.
“Did Emily know he was Lily's father when she married me?””
Vanessa hesitated.
“I don't know.””
“Did you?””
“I found out later.””
“How much later?””
She pressed her lips together.
“About a year after Emily died.””
I stared at her.
“You knew for a year?””
“Yes.””
“And you married me anyway?””
Vanessa's eyes filled.
“I loved you.””
I laughed bitterly.
“You married a man whose daughter might not be his, whose dead wife was hiding a secret, and whose brother was apparently still alive. And you never thought any of that was worth mentioning?””
“I was protecting you.””
“From what?””
“From Daniel!””
Her voice echoed through the hallway.
She looked almost desperate now.
“You don't understand what he is capable of. Emily knew. That's why she made those arrangements.””
I looked at the USB drive in my hand.
“Then we're going to hear it from her.””
Vanessa lunged forward again.
Robert stepped between us.
“That's enough.””
I walked to the small office at the front of the facility.
Robert brought an old laptop from his desk.
My hands shook as I inserted the drive.
There was one audio file.
*EMILY_FINAL_RECORDING.wav*
I clicked it.
Static filled the speakers.
Then I heard a familiar voice.
“Marcus?””
My knees nearly gave way.
It was Emily.
Her voice was weaker than I remembered, but unmistakable.
“If you're listening to this, something has happened to Lily's doll. And that means Vanessa has probably decided she can no longer keep pretending.””
I closed my eyes.
“Oh, Emily…”
The recording continued.
“I need you to know something. Daniel is Lily's biological father. But that isn't the most important part.””
I opened my eyes.
“What?””
Emily took a shaky breath.
“I never told you because Daniel made me promise to protect you from the truth until I could prove what happened.””
There was a pause.
Then she said something that made my entire body go cold.
“Marcus, Daniel didn't disappear because he stole from our father. He disappeared because someone in our family paid him to leave.””
I looked at Vanessa.
She was staring at the laptop.
Her face had lost every trace of color.
Emily continued.
“And the person who paid him was…”
The recording abruptly stopped.
I clicked the file again.
Nothing.
The audio had ended.
I checked the file properties.
It was only forty-seven seconds long.
“That's it?”” I whispered.
Robert leaned closer.
“Maybe there's another recording.””
I searched the USB drive.
There were no other audio files.
Only a text document titled *READ THIS FIRST*.
I opened it.
A single address appeared.
And underneath it was a sentence.
If you want to know who arranged Daniel's disappearance, ask the person who signed the hospital visitor register on October 14.
I slowly turned toward Vanessa.
She was already backing toward the door.
“Where are you going?”” I asked.
“I need to leave.””
“Why?””
“Because this is getting out of control.””
I stepped in front of her.
“You signed the visitor register, didn't you?””
Vanessa looked at me.
Then she whispered:
“I wasn't the only one.””
Before I could ask what she meant, my phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
One message.
*Marcus, stop looking through Emily's things. Daniel is already on his way to your house.*
I stared at the screen.
May you like
Then another message arrived.
*And he isn't coming alone.*
