Chapter 10: The Sister Hidden in My Blood
The paper shook in my hands.
Not because I was scared of the DNA test.
Because I already knew what it meant.
My mother didn’t leave this behind to tell me who my father was.
She left it behind to tell me who I was.
The laboratory report sat on the old wooden table inside the blue room.
A room that had held years of silence.
A room that had watched my family fall apart one secret at a time.
My father stood behind me.
Vanessa stood near the doorway.
Neither of them spoke.
For once, nobody tried to explain.
Nobody tried to protect me.
I appreciated that more than they knew.
I looked at the first page again.
Subject One: Maya Elena Daniels.
Subject Two: Lily Elena Hale.
Relationship probability: 99.98% biological sisters.
My knees almost gave out.
Lily was real.
My sister was real.
All these years, she wasn’t just a photograph.
Not just a story.
Not just another secret.
She was alive.
Or at least she had been when this test was created.
I looked at my father.
“Did you know?””
He shook his head.
“No.””
“Not even a possibility?””
“No.””
His voice broke.
“Maya, I swear to you.””
I believed him.
Because there was something different about his face now.
Before, he looked like a man afraid of losing control.
Now he looked like a man grieving a daughter he never knew he lost.
I turned toward Vanessa.
“Where is Lily?””
Vanessa looked away.
“I don’t know.””
My heart sank.
“You knew my mother.””
“Yes.””
“You helped her.””
“Yes.””
“You knew about Marcus.””
“Yes.””
“And you still don’t know where my sister is?””
Her eyes filled.
“No.””
I hated that answer.
But I believed she was telling the truth.
Because Vanessa wasn’t hiding anger anymore.
She was carrying regret.
My phone buzzed.
Everyone froze.
Another unknown number.
I stared at the screen.
No one had to tell me.
We all knew.
Marcus.
I answered.
Nobody spoke at first.
Then his voice came.
“Maya.””
I stepped away from the others.
“How did you get my number?””
A pause.
“You really think your mother was the only one who planned for this day?””
My stomach tightened.
“What do you want?””
“The same thing I wanted twenty-two years ago.””
I gripped the phone.
“What?””
“My daughter.””
I looked at the DNA report.
“You don’t get to call me that.””
His breathing changed.
A tiny crack in his confidence.
“You have no idea what happened.””
“Then tell me.””
Silence.
Then:
“Meet me.””
My father immediately shook his head.
“No.””
I ignored him.
“Where?””
Marcus answered quickly.
“Not alone.””
I froze.
“What?””
“Bring Daniel.””
My father looked at me.
“And Vanessa.””
My eyes moved toward her.
“Why?””
Marcus’s voice became colder.
“Because she knows where Elena buried the truth.””
The call ended.
I stared at the phone.
My father walked toward me.
“You are not meeting him.””
“I need answers.””
“He’s manipulating you.””
“Maybe.””
I held up the DNA report.
“But he’s also the only person who knows where Lily is.””
My father went silent.
Because he knew.
We all knew.
The missing piece was Lily.
The child my mother spent her final years searching for.
The sister whose existence had been hidden from me.
Vanessa stepped forward.
“I’ll go.””
My father looked at her.
“Absolutely not.””
She didn’t flinch.
“I owe Elena.””
“You lied to me.””
“Yes.””
The honesty surprised him.
“I did.””
Her eyes moved to me.
“But I also kept my promise.””
I frowned.
“What promise?””
Vanessa reached into her purse.
She pulled out a small folded piece of paper.
Another note.
My mother’s handwriting.
I knew before she handed it to me.
Because my hands started shaking.
I opened it.
Vanessa,
If Marcus ever finds Maya, do not let him tell her the truth first.
She deserves to hear it from me.
But if I fail…
take her to Lily.
The paper slipped slightly.
I looked at Vanessa.
“You knew where she was.””
Vanessa’s face broke.
“I knew where Elena thought she was.””
“That’s different.””
“Yes.””
She looked toward the auditorium.
“There’s something else.””
My father stared.
“What?””
Vanessa swallowed.
“Elena didn’t hide Lily because she wanted to keep her from Marcus.””
She looked at me.
“She hid Lily because she discovered Lily was in danger.””
My chest tightened.
“From who?””
Vanessa didn’t answer.
Instead, she pointed at the DNA report.
“Maya, your mother spent years looking for Lily.””
A pause.
“But when she found her…”
Her voice became barely audible.
“She stopped searching.””
I felt cold.
“Why?””
May you like
Vanessa looked at me.
“Because Lily didn’t want to be found.””
