Chapter 8: The Woman Behind the Lie
Damian drove back to his mother's mansion without turning on the radio.
Noah sat quietly in the back seat, holding Angela's letter against his chest. Patricia had refused to say anything more until an attorney could protect her, but the name she had given them was enough to turn Damian's world upside down.
Evelyn Brooks.
His mother had signed the settlement. She had sent Victor to the hospital. And according to Patricia, she had paid him to alter the records.
Yet one question remained.
Why?
When the SUV entered the mansion's driveway, Damian saw Evelyn standing on the front steps.
She wore the same lavender blouse as the previous day, though her pearl necklace was missing. Her eyes were swollen, and she clutched a folded sheet of paper.
Damian climbed out.
“Where is Victor?””
Evelyn stared at him.
“I don't know.””
“Don't lie to me again.””
She flinched.
Noah remained beside the SUV.
Damian glanced back at him.
“You can wait inside if you want.””
“No,” Noah said.
“I want to hear what she says.””
Evelyn looked at the boy.
“I'm sorry.””
Noah's expression remained guarded.
“For what?””
She opened her mouth, but no answer came.
Damian stepped toward her.
“Patricia Ellis told us everything.””
Evelyn closed her eyes.
“Then there's nothing left to hide.””
“Is that what you think? That hearing one person's account makes everything clear?””
“No.””
“Did you pay Victor to alter my son's hospital records?””
Evelyn looked at Noah.
Then she nodded.
“Yes.””
Noah took a step backward.
Damian felt something cold settle inside his chest.
“Why?””
Evelyn's voice trembled.
“Because Victor told me the original paternity report could destroy you.””
“Destroy me how?””
“He said there was a discrepancy involving another infant's records. He said the hospital could challenge the validity of the results, and that Angela might use the uncertainty to force her way into the company.””
Damian stared at her.
“You believed she would use our child against me?””
“I was afraid.””
“You keep saying that as though fear excuses everything!””
Evelyn lowered her head.
“It doesn't.””
“Then why did you do it?””
She looked at Noah again.
“Because Victor convinced me that if Angela returned, the company would become vulnerable to a scandal. He told me the safest option was to separate you from her until the records could be corrected.””
Damian laughed without humor.
“And you accepted that explanation?””
“I wanted to believe it.””
“Because it was convenient.””
Evelyn didn't deny it.
Noah spoke from beside the SUV.
“Did you know my mom was going to die?””
Evelyn's face collapsed.
“No, sweetheart. I swear I didn't.””
“Did you know she was scared?””
“Yes.””
“Did you help her?””
Evelyn began crying.
“No.””
The boy stared at her.
“Then why should I believe you now?””
She had no answer.
Damian opened the front door.
“Inside. All of us.””
In the kitchen, Evelyn placed the folded paper on the island.
It was a letter from Victor, dated three days earlier.
He had written that the old hospital investigation was being reopened by an independent legal team. He warned her that if the altered records were discovered, she could face criminal charges and civil liability.
At the bottom, he had added a handwritten note.
*If Damian learns who authorized the second sample, the agreement is finished.*
Damian read it twice.
“What second sample?””
Evelyn sat down.
“Victor told me that the original test was inconclusive because the hospital had attached another infant's file to Noah's. He said a second sample would settle the question.””
“Did it?””
“I don't know.””
“Mother, stop.””
She looked up.
“Stop telling me what Victor said. What did you actually do?””
Evelyn's shoulders shook.
“I signed the authorization for a second test.””
“Using whose samples?””
“Yours and the baby's.””
Damian frowned.
“Then why would the results need to be altered?””
Evelyn looked at the paper.
“Because Victor told me the second sample had been switched before testing.””
The kitchen went silent.
Damian felt his hands begin to tremble.
“You knew?””
“I suspected it. I never had proof.””
“And instead of reporting it, you helped him hide it.””
“Yes.””
Noah sat at the far end of the island.
“Was my mom telling the truth when she said he was my dad?””
Evelyn looked at him with unbearable sadness.
“I believe she was.””
“Believe?””
Damian turned toward his mother.
“Enough. We're getting an independent DNA test. Today.””
Evelyn nodded.
“I'll cooperate.””
“No. You'll tell the investigators everything you know, and you'll do it without Victor's lawyers.””
She looked frightened.
“Damian, you don't understand what he can do.””
“Then explain that, too.””
Evelyn took a long breath.
“Victor has handled our family's legal affairs for twenty years. He knows every weakness in the company, every private agreement, every account your father left behind.””
Damian went still.
“My father?””
Evelyn nodded.
“Before he died, your father created a private trust. It was meant to protect the family's assets if the company ever faced a serious legal challenge.””
“Why are we discussing that now?””
“Because Victor was appointed trustee.””
Damian stared at her.
His father had died when Damian was twenty-six. The trust had always seemed like a routine arrangement, something handled by attorneys and accountants.
“What does the trust have to do with Angela?””
Evelyn hesitated.
“Your father included a condition. If you ever had a biological child, that child would become a beneficiary.””
Damian looked at Noah.
The boy's eyes widened.
“So if he's really my son…”
“He would have rights under the trust,” Evelyn finished.
Damian slowly sat down.
“How much?””
Evelyn's voice dropped.
“More than you can imagine.””
The realization landed like a blow.
Someone had not merely been protecting the family's reputation.
Someone had been protecting a fortune.
Damian reached for his phone.
“I'm calling the independent attorney now.””
Evelyn grabbed his wrist.
“Wait.””
He looked down at her hand.
She released him immediately.
“There is something else. Your father left a letter with Victor. He instructed him to deliver it if the question of your heir ever arose.””
“Where is it?””
“I don't know.””
“Mother.””
“I swear to you, I don't know.””
Noah suddenly stood.
“Why does everybody keep saying they don't know?””
His voice cracked.
“My mom is dead. My grandma is sick. Somebody keeps threatening us. And all of you know something, but nobody will tell me what happened!””
Damian moved toward him.
“Noah—”
“Don't!””
The boy wiped his face angrily.
“I returned your wallet because it was the right thing to do. I didn't ask for your money. I didn't ask to be part of your family. I just wanted to know why you had my mom's picture.””
Damian stopped.
Noah looked directly at him.
“Now everybody is talking about money and papers. Was that why my mom died alone? Because she wasn't rich enough to matter?””
The question devastated him.
“No,” Damian said, his voice breaking.
“No. Your mother mattered. She mattered more than I understood, and I should have fought harder to find her.””
Noah shook his head.
“You can't fix everything by saying you're sorry.””
“I know.””
“Then prove it.””
Damian nodded.
“I will.””
At that moment, the front door slammed open.
Victor Hale strode into the kitchen with two men in dark suits.
“Damian, we need to talk.””
Damian rose.
“You're trespassing.””
Victor ignored him.
He placed a document on the island.
“This is a temporary court order preventing the transfer of assets from the Brooks family trust until the paternity question is resolved.””
Damian glanced at the paper.
“Who filed this?””
“An interested party.””
“Name them.””
Victor smiled faintly.
“You'll find out soon enough.””
One of the men beside him stepped toward Noah.
“I'm afraid the child will need to come with us for a confidential interview.””
Damian moved immediately between them.
“Touch him, and you'll answer to my attorneys.””
Victor's expression hardened.
“You should think carefully before making threats. Your mother's signature is on every document that matters.””
Evelyn stood.
“Victor, stop this.””
He turned toward her.
“You had your chance, Evelyn.””
Then he looked at Damian.
“Your father left instructions. If the original heir could not be identified, the trust would pass to the designated alternate beneficiary.””
Damian felt his stomach tighten.
“Who?””
Victor reached into his briefcase and removed a sealed envelope.
He placed it on the island.
The name printed on the front was not Damian's.
It was Angela Carter's.
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And beneath it, in smaller letters, were the words:
*TO BE OPENED ONLY IF HER CHILD IS FOUND.*
