Chapter 8: The Heir Nobody Wanted
The photograph slipped from Nathaniel’s hand.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Not me.
Not him.
Not even Vanessa.
The image landed on the marble floor between us.
A single photograph.
A single impossible moment.
Nathaniel’s father.
A man who had been buried for five years.
Standing outside St. Mary’s Hospital.
Holding newborn Lily.
My mind refused to accept it.
Because it changed everything.
This was no longer about Vanessa.
It was no longer about a jealous woman trying to protect a relationship.
There was something bigger.
Something older.
Something that had started before Lily ever opened her eyes.
Nathaniel bent down and picked up the photograph.
His fingers shook slightly.
I had never seen that before.
Not during business negotiations.
Not during arguments.
Not even when he learned Lily was his daughter.
But this…
This reached somewhere deeper.
“My father…”
His voice was barely audible.
Vanessa looked away.
“You never knew.””
Nathaniel looked at her.
“How long have you known about this?””
She hesitated.
That was enough.
His expression hardened.
“How long?””
Vanessa swallowed.
“Since before the wedding planning.””
My eyes widened.
“You knew?””
She looked at me.
“I knew there was something wrong.””
“No.””
My voice sharpened.
“You knew about Lily.””
“I knew there was a connection.””
“You knew.””
The anger inside me finally broke through.
“You watched me raise her alone while you knew Nathaniel was her father.””
Vanessa looked guilty for the first time.
But then she defended herself.
“You don’t understand.””
“No.””
I stepped closer.
“I understand perfectly.””
She looked at Lily’s bedroom door.
“I thought I was protecting him.””
Nathaniel laughed quietly.
A painful sound.
“Everyone keeps saying that.””
He looked at the photograph again.
“Everyone says they are protecting me while they destroy my life.””
Nobody answered.
Because nobody could.
He walked toward his desk.
His movements were slower than usual.
Careful.
Like his entire reality had become fragile.
“My father died five years ago.””
Vanessa nodded.
“I know.””
“He knew about Lily.””
“Yes.””
“And he never told me.””
“No.””
Nathaniel looked at the photograph.
“Why?””
Vanessa looked down.
“Because your father believed the Cross family name mattered more than anything.””
The room went silent.
I remembered hearing stories about Nathaniel’s father.
A powerful businessman.
A man who built the foundation of the Cross empire.
A man people respected.
But respect and kindness were not the same thing.
“What does Lily have to do with the Cross family name?”” Nathaniel asked.
Vanessa didn’t answer.
He looked at her.
“Tell me.””
She took a breath.
“Your father believed the company needed an heir.””
Nathaniel frowned.
“I’m his son.””
“Yes.””
“Then what are you talking about?””
Vanessa looked at the photograph.
“Your father believed you were too emotional.””
A bitter smile crossed her face.
“He thought you cared too much about people.””
Nathaniel’s jaw tightened.
“He said that?””
“He said your heart would make you weak.””
I felt something twist inside me.
Because Nathaniel was not perfect.
But I had seen him help people when nobody was watching.
I had seen him stop meetings to protect employees.
The thing his father called weakness was the thing that made him different.
“What did he do?”” Nathaniel asked.
Vanessa was quiet.
Then:
“He arranged a plan.””
My stomach dropped.
“What plan?””
She looked at me.
“To secure the future of the Cross family.””
Nathaniel’s voice became colder.
“Explain.””
Vanessa sat down slowly.
“The night Lily was born wasn’t an accident.””
The words hit like a physical blow.
I felt my hands go cold.
“What does that mean?””
Vanessa looked at me.
“Your pregnancy was discovered by someone inside the company.””
Nathaniel stared.
“Who?””
“I don’t know.””
“You expect me to believe that?””
“I know enough.””
She looked at the photograph.
“Your father found out Emma was carrying your child.””
Nathaniel’s face changed.
“How?””
Vanessa looked away.
“I don’t know.””
“You’re lying.””
“No.””
She shook her head.
“But I know what happened next.””
She stood.
“Your father believed Lily was the future of the company.””
I frowned.
“That makes no sense.””
Vanessa looked at me.
“To him, blood mattered.””
The room became silent.
“He didn’t see Lily as a child.””
Her voice lowered.
“He saw her as the next person who could control everything he built.””
Nathaniel looked disgusted.
“My father never met her.””
“He did.””
Everyone froze.
“What?””
Vanessa looked at him.
“He came to the hospital.””
Nathaniel stared.
“You just said—”
“I said he never told you.””
She pointed to the photograph.
“But he was there.””
My chest tightened.
I thought about that night.
The hospital.
The fear.
The phone call.
The feeling that someone was watching.
Someone had been there.
I just didn’t know who.
Nathaniel walked closer.
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
Vanessa looked ashamed.
“Because your father made me promise.””
My eyes narrowed.
“Promise what?””
Vanessa whispered:
“To make sure Lily disappeared.””
The room went completely silent.
Nathaniel looked at her.
“You were following his orders?””
“Yes.””
The honesty shocked me.
Even Nathaniel seemed surprised.
“I thought…”
She stopped.
“What?””
She looked at him.
“I thought I could control it.””
A bitter laugh escaped her.
“I thought if Emma left, if Lily stayed hidden, everything would go back to normal.””
Nathaniel stared.
“You thought you could erase my daughter?””
“I thought I was protecting your future.””
“No.””
His voice was firm.
“You were protecting a company.””
Vanessa looked down.
And that was the answer.
A knock suddenly came from the hallway.
Everyone turned.
The security officer entered.
“Mr. Cross.””
Nathaniel looked at him.
“What?””
“We found the nurse.””
The room went still.
“Where?””
“She agreed to meet us.””
“Bring her here.””
The officer hesitated.
“She requested one condition.””
Nathaniel frowned.
“What condition?””
“She will only speak if Emma is present.””
My heart skipped.
“Why?””
The officer looked at me.
“She said she needs to apologize.””
I felt a strange fear.
“Apologize for what?””
The officer lowered his voice.
“She said she was the person who gave you the warning four years ago.””
My face went pale.
“The warning?””
Nathaniel looked at me.
“What warning?””
I swallowed.
“The call.””
The call Vanessa had made.
The call telling me Nathaniel didn’t want me.
But the nurse?
Why would the nurse know?
The security officer continued.
“She said she tried to stop someone from taking Lily.””
Nathaniel immediately looked at Vanessa.
“You said she was lying.””
Vanessa didn’t answer.
Because now even she looked uncertain.
The nurse arrived an hour later.
Her name was Rebecca Hall.
She was older than I expected.
Gray hair.
Tired eyes.
The kind of face that carried years of regret.
When she saw me, she immediately started crying.
“Emma.””
I froze.
“You know me?””
She nodded.
“I’ve never forgotten you.””
Nathaniel stood beside me.
“Tell us what happened.””
Rebecca looked at Lily’s closed bedroom door.
Then at me.
“I’m sorry.””
My throat tightened.
“For what?””
She looked down.
“For letting you leave that hospital believing you were alone.””
I frowned.
“What?””
She took a deep breath.
“Because you weren’t.””
Nathaniel stepped forward.
“What do you mean?””
Rebecca looked at him.
“Mr. Cross…”
She paused.
“Your daughter was never supposed to disappear.””
A silence followed.
“Someone changed the records after she was born.””
Nathaniel stared.
“Who?””
Rebecca looked terrified.
Then she answered:
“Your father.””
Nobody moved.
“And he didn’t do it alone.””
Nathaniel’s eyes narrowed.
“Who helped him?””
Rebecca looked directly at Vanessa.
Then said:
“The person standing beside him in the hospital that night.””
Vanessa’s face went white.
Nathaniel turned slowly.
“Who?””
Rebecca whispered:
“His wife.””
I felt confused.
“His wife?””
Nathaniel froze.
Because everyone knew his father had only one wife.
His mother.
A woman who had died years earlier.
Rebecca reached into her bag.
She pulled out an old envelope.
“I kept this because I knew one day the truth would have to come out.””
She handed it to Nathaniel.
On the front was a name.
A name that made his entire body go still.
Because it wasn’t Vanessa.
It wasn’t his father.
It was someone I had never expected.
*Eleanor Cross.*
Nathaniel’s mother.
The woman everyone believed had been dead for six years.
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And inside the envelope was one sentence:
*“If Nathaniel ever finds his daughter, tell him his mother was never the victim.””*
