Chapter 4: The Daughter I Never Knew Existed
For several seconds, I couldn't make sense of the photograph.
The young woman standing outside Maya's school looked to be in her early twenties. She wore a dark coat, carried a canvas bag, and watched the children with an expression that wasn't quite sadness and wasn't quite longing.
It was the birthmark that caught my attention.
A small crescent beneath her left ear.
Elena had one exactly like it.
I remembered kissing that mark the night before her first surgery, when we'd been young enough to believe love could protect us from anything.
I turned the photograph over again.
She says she's your daughter.
“Who took this?”” I asked.
Daniel rubbed his forehead.
“I did.””
“When?””
“Three days ago.””
“Why were you watching Maya's school?””
“Because I saw this woman outside the house last week. She asked our neighbor questions about you.””
I stared at him.
“And you decided the best response was to photograph her instead of telling me?””
“I was trying to establish who she was before I brought you something that might be nothing.””
I held up the picture.
“Does this look like nothing?””
“No.””
Vanessa sat at the kitchen island, gripping the edge so tightly her knuckles had turned white.
I looked at her.
“You know who she is.””
It wasn't a question.
Vanessa shook her head.
“Marcus, I don't know where Elena's first child is.””
“But you knew she existed.””
She looked down.
“Answer me.””
“Yes,” she whispered.
The word seemed to drain the warmth from the room.
I pulled out a chair and sat opposite her.
“How long have you known?””
Vanessa rubbed her eyes.
“Since before our wedding.””
Daniel muttered something under his breath.
I turned toward him.
“You knew too?””
“I suspected,” he said.
“Elena told me there had been a baby before Maya. She said the child had been adopted by another family.””
“Then why does this woman say she's my daughter?””
Daniel didn't answer.
Vanessa did.
“Because she believes Elena was still married to you when she was born.””
I stared at her.
“That makes no sense. Elena and I met when I was twenty-six. We married a year later.””
Vanessa swallowed.
“The baby was born before you met Elena. But she told the adoption agency that the father was a man named Marcus.””
My stomach tightened.
“There are thousands of men named Marcus.””
“Not with your surname.””
The silence that followed was so complete I could hear the refrigerator humming.
I looked at the photograph again.
“Are you telling me Elena knew me before we met?””
Vanessa nodded slowly.
“She told me that you and she had crossed paths years earlier. She said she'd seen you at a charity event in Boston, before either of you had serious relationships. She remembered your name.””
I tried to summon the memory.
Boston.
A winter charity gala my father had dragged me to when I was twenty-two. I remembered standing near the entrance, holding a drink I didn't want, while my father introduced me to people whose names I'd forgotten before the night ended.
There had been a young woman in a blue dress.
She'd asked me whether I believed people could start their lives over.
I remembered laughing and saying that people could start over whenever they were brave enough.
She had smiled.
Then someone called her away.
Could that have been Elena?
I pressed my fingers against my temples.
“Why didn't she tell me?””
Vanessa's voice became bitter.
“Because she was ashamed. The father of her first child was married, and she was terrified of what people would think. When she met you, she wanted a clean beginning.””
“Who was the father?””
Vanessa shook her head.
“She never told me his name.””
I stared at her.
“You expect me to believe you know all this but don't know who the father was?””
“I know what Elena told me.””
“And you decided to keep it from me for six years?””
“I was afraid you'd go looking for the child.””
“Why would that frighten you?””
Vanessa's eyes flicked toward Daniel.
He stood abruptly.
“Because she didn't want you to find the adoption papers,” he said.
Vanessa shot to her feet.
“Daniel!””
He ignored her.
“Elena told me the adoption hadn't been completed properly. She said there were financial arrangements involved, and someone had falsified documents.””
I felt sick.
“Financial arrangements?””
“Money changed hands.””
“Between whom?””
“I don't know.””
“You keep saying that!””
Daniel slammed his palm against the counter.
“Because I didn't know! I was trying to help Elena, but she wouldn't tell me everything. She said she'd made a terrible mistake and wanted to correct it without destroying the lives of everyone involved.””
I looked down at the photograph.
The young woman outside Maya's school had Elena's eyes.
If she was Elena's daughter, then she was my daughter's half-sister.
And if she believed I was her father, she might have spent her entire life wondering why I'd abandoned her.
I couldn't bear the thought.
“What's her name?”” I asked.
Daniel hesitated.
“Her name is Lily Bennett.””
I stood.
“Where can I find her?””
Vanessa caught my arm.
“Marcus, don't.””
I looked at her hand until she released me.
“She's been outside Maya's school. She knows where we live. Whatever happened in the past, I need to speak to her.””
“What if she's lying?””
“Then I'll find out.””
“And if she's telling the truth?””
I looked directly into Vanessa's eyes.
“Then she's been alone long enough.””
I took out my phone and called Maya's school. I asked the principal to make sure no unfamiliar adult could collect her without my written permission.
Then I called my attorney, explained that I needed an urgent appointment, and asked him to arrange a safe, neutral location for a meeting.
I wasn't going to let another person make decisions about my daughter without me.
When I finished, Daniel handed me a small card.
“There's a number on the back,” he said.
“It's the number she left with our neighbor.””
I studied it.
“You've already spoken to her?””
“Briefly.””
“What did she tell you?””
Daniel's gaze dropped.
“She said she'd come looking for Maya because she believed someone was going to hurt her.””
My blood turned cold.
“Who?””
“She wouldn't say.””
Vanessa backed away from the counter.
“That's ridiculous. No one is going to hurt Maya.””
I looked at her.
“You locked her in a shed tonight.””
She opened her mouth, but no words came.
I dialed the number.
It rang twice.
A woman answered.
“Hello?””
“Is this Lily Bennett?””
Silence.
Then, cautiously, “Who's asking?””
“My name is Marcus. I believe you've been looking for me.””
Her breathing changed.
“Oh, my God.””
I closed my eyes.
“Lily, I need to ask you something.””
“Is Maya with you?””
“Yes.””
“Is she safe?””
The urgency in her voice startled me.
“She is. Why?””
Lily began to cry.
“Because I promised Elena I'd find her before it was too late.””
I gripped the phone.
“Find whom?””
“My little sister.””
I looked toward the staircase.
Then Lily said the words that made the photograph slip from my fingers.
“Marcus, I'm not your daughter. I'm Elena's first child.””
May you like
She paused, fighting to catch her breath.
“And the man who fathered me is the same man who paid to have Maya taken away from her mother.””
