Chapter 4: The First Baby Nobody Spoke About
For several seconds, nobody moved.
I stared at Richard, waiting for him to take back what he'd said.
He didn't.
“What do you mean she wasn't the first baby?”” I asked.
Richard placed both hands on the back of a chair.
“Evelyn had another child before Aaliyah.””
Aaliyah shook her head.
“No. My mother never told me that.””
“Maybe she didn't know what happened to the baby.””
“Or maybe you're lying,” Jordan snapped.
Richard looked at him.
“I have no reason to lie.””
“You've been lying for thirty years!””
Denise suddenly stood.
“Richard, stop talking.””
He turned toward her.
“You've stayed quiet long enough.””
I looked between them.
“What are you two hiding?””
Richard sighed.
“Evelyn became pregnant when she was seventeen. She gave birth to a little boy. Her parents told everyone the baby had died shortly after birth.””
Aaliyah pressed a hand against her chest.
“My mother had a son?””
Richard nodded.
“But the baby didn't die.””
The silence that followed was almost unbearable.
“Where is he?”” I asked.
Richard glanced at Denise.
“She knows.””
Denise's face crumpled.
“I don't.””
“You do.””
“Don't you dare put this on me.””
Richard pulled another envelope from his briefcase.
It was old, yellowed, and sealed with a strip of brown tape.
He placed it on the coffee table.
“Evelyn gave me this shortly before she died. She wanted it delivered to Michael if anything happened to her.””
I picked it up.
“Why didn't you give it to me?””
“Because I was waiting for the right time.””
“Thirty years wasn't enough?””
Richard ignored the question.
“Read it.””
I opened the envelope.
Inside was a handwritten letter.
The first sentence made my knees weak.
Michael, if you're reading this, then Richard has finally admitted what he did to our family.
I looked up.
“Our family?””
Richard nodded toward the letter.
“Keep reading.””
I continued.
There were two babies. One belonged to me and the other belonged to Camille. The hospital told me they had both died. But one night, I heard a nurse call a name that I recognized.
My fingers tightened around the paper.
I heard her say, 'The Hayes boy is going home with his grandmother.''
I stopped.
The Hayes boy.
Our family name.
Aaliyah leaned over my shoulder.
“What does that mean?””
I continued reading.
*I later discovered that one of the babies had been taken from the hospital and raised under another name. I spent years searching, but every record led to a dead end. Richard told me to stop.
Denise begged me to forget. I couldn't.*
The letter ended with a sentence written in darker ink.
Michael, the child you're looking for may already be sitting at your dinner table.
I lowered the paper.
Everyone looked around the room.
Jordan's expression changed first.
He slowly stepped away from Aaliyah.
“Wait.””
I looked at my son.
“Jordan?””
He swallowed.
“Dad, what if she's talking about me?””
Nobody answered.
Richard looked toward the window.
Denise covered her mouth.
Aaliyah stared at Jordan, her eyes widening.
“No,” she whispered.
Jordan shook his head.
“I was adopted.””
I turned toward him.
“What?””
He looked at me.
“You and Mom told me I was adopted when I was three. You said my biological mother couldn't take care of me.””
The room seemed to tilt.
I remembered the conversation.
Denise had told me Jordan was her cousin's child. She had explained that the mother had died, that the father was unknown, and that we could give the boy a stable home.
I had believed every word.
I had never questioned it.
“Denise,” I whispered.
She began crying.
“Michael, I can explain.””
Jordan's voice broke.
“Am I Evelyn's son?””
Denise shook her head.
“No.””
Richard spoke before she could continue.
“Jordan is Camille's son.””
I stared at him.
Richard continued.
“Camille gave birth to a boy. She was terrified of the scandal surrounding our affair. Your father arranged for the child to be placed with Denise.””
I looked at my wife.
“Why did you tell me he was your cousin's child?””
Denise couldn't meet my eyes.
“Because I loved him.””
“That isn't an answer.””
“Camille wanted the baby gone. Richard arranged everything. Your father said the child deserved a proper home.””
Jordan stepped forward.
“And you knew?””
Denise nodded.
“I raised you from the day you came home.””
“But you let Dad believe I was biologically his.””
Denise started sobbing.
“I was afraid you'd lose everything. Your father had already lost Camille. I thought giving you a family was the right thing.””
I looked at Richard.
“So Jordan is my nephew.””
Richard nodded.
“My biological son.””
The words landed like stones.
Jordan sat down heavily.
Aaliyah approached him.
“Jordan…”
He held up his hand.
“Please. I need a minute.””
I looked again at Evelyn's letter.
If Jordan was Camille's child, and Aaliyah was Evelyn's daughter, then the two young people weren't related.
But the letter suggested something else.
A second baby.
A baby who might have been born to Evelyn.
I turned toward Richard.
“Who was the first child?””
Richard hesitated.
“Your father knew.””
“Then tell me.””
Richard rubbed his forehead.
“Your father had a relationship with Evelyn before she met you. She became pregnant. Her parents refused to let her raise the baby. They arranged for the child to be placed with another family.””
Aaliyah looked at him.
“Are you saying I have an older brother?””
Richard nodded.
“Possibly.””
“Where is he?””
“I don't know.””
I slammed my hand against the table.
“Enough with the secrets! Every one of you has known something for thirty years, and every time I ask a question, another secret appears.””
Denise stepped toward me.
“Michael, please. I was trying to protect Jordan.””
“From what? His own identity?””
She began to cry harder.
Jordan stood.
“I'm going to get some air.””
Aaliyah followed him toward the front door.
Before leaving, she turned to Richard.
“You said my mother gave you that envelope before she died. When?””
Richard hesitated.
“Three months ago.””
Aaliyah frowned.
“My mother died two years ago.””
Richard's face changed.
I saw it immediately.
He had made a mistake.
“What did you just say?”” I asked.
Richard looked down.
“I meant three months before she died.””
But Aaliyah was already shaking her head.
“No. My mother gave me that envelope herself. She told me it had been in her possession for years.””
She pulled another small piece of paper from her purse.
It was a receipt from a storage facility.
The date was six weeks before Evelyn's death.
The signature belonged to Richard.
Aaliyah looked at him.
“Why were you visiting my mother's storage unit six weeks before she died?””
Richard didn't answer.
Then my phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
One message.
Michael, stop listening to Richard. He didn't tell you what happened to the first baby.
A second message arrived.
Ask your wife who signed the original adoption papers.
I looked up.
May you like
Denise was staring at my phone.
And the expression on her face told me she knew exactly who had sent it.
