Chapter 10: The Son My Husband Never Told Me About
For several seconds, I couldn't move.
Laura Bennett stood on my porch with a brown envelope pressed against her chest. Her eyes were fixed on me, and there was something in her expression that made me feel as though I had opened a door to a life I had never known existed.
Behind me, Daniel whispered, "Mom, don't open the door yet.""
But Laura had heard him.
"I'm not here to hurt either of you," she said.
"I've spent twenty-five years waiting for the truth to come out. I'm tired of running.""
I looked at the woman who claimed my husband had fathered her son.
She didn't look triumphant.
She looked exhausted.
I opened the door.
"Come inside," I said.
Daniel turned toward me sharply.
"Mom—"
"If she's lying, we'll find out. If she's telling the truth, I want to know why.""
Laura stepped into the hallway. She glanced at the family photographs on the wall, stopping at the one of Robert and me on our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.
For a moment, her expression softened.
"He loved you," she said.
I stiffened.
"You don't get to tell me how my husband felt about me.""
Laura lowered her eyes.
"You're right. I'm sorry.""
She followed us into the dining room and placed the envelope on the table.
Daniel remained standing.
"You told me on the phone that my father was the man you loved before he married my mother.""
"Yes.""
"And you had a child together?""
"Yes.""
"Then why did he marry my mother?""
Laura looked at me before answering.
"Because I left him.""
The room fell silent.
She drew a photograph from the envelope.
It showed a younger Robert standing beside a woman with dark hair. Between them was a little boy wearing a striped shirt.
The boy was the same child in the photograph from the storage unit.
Laura pushed the picture toward Daniel.
"His name is Andrew. He turned thirty-one this year.""
Daniel stared at the photograph.
"My father would have been thirty-eight when this was taken.""
"He was thirty-seven when Andrew was born.""
I sat down slowly.
"How long were you involved with my husband?""
Laura folded her hands.
"We met when Robert was twenty-four. He was working for a construction company, and I was an assistant bookkeeper. We were together for almost four years.""
"And then?""
"Then he received an opportunity to invest in a development project with Thomas Reed. Robert believed it would give him the financial security he needed to start a family.""
Her voice faltered.
"I wanted him to leave the business and marry me. He wanted to finish the project first. We argued constantly. Eventually, I left town with Andrew.""
"Did Robert know where you went?""
"At first, yes. He sent money and visited when he could. But after he married you, Thomas convinced him that maintaining contact with us would create legal problems for the company.""
I stared at her.
"Are you telling me Thomas Reed forced my husband to abandon his son?""
"No."" Laura shook her head.
"Robert made his own decisions. He was a good man, Evelyn, but he wasn't perfect. He wanted to keep everyone happy, and sometimes he chose silence instead of doing what was right.""
Those words hurt because they sounded like something I might have said myself.
Daniel pulled out a chair.
"Why did you disappear for so many years?""
Laura took a breath.
"Because Thomas threatened to take Andrew away from me. He claimed Robert had signed documents giving him financial control over the boy's future. I didn't know whether those documents were real, and I couldn't afford a legal fight.""
"What documents?"" Daniel demanded.
Laura opened the envelope again and removed several photocopies.
"These.""
The first was a birth certificate listing Robert Carter as Andrew's father.
The second was a letter from Robert, dated twenty-five years earlier.
The third was a financial agreement.
Daniel read it in silence.
Then his expression darkened.
"This says my father agreed to transfer a portion of his future business interests to Andrew.""
"Yes," Laura said.
"Did he sign it?""
"That's what Thomas claimed. But the signature was never verified.""
Daniel placed the document on the table.
"So Thomas has been trying to use this agreement to claim my company?""
"Not exactly.""
Laura hesitated.
"Thomas believes the agreement gives Andrew a legitimate claim to certain assets. Marcus believes that if he can control the company before Andrew comes forward, he can prevent him from making that claim.""
"Why would Marcus care?""
"Because Thomas promised him control of the company in exchange for helping him recover the money he believed Robert owed.""
I looked at the documents again.
"Where does Vanessa fit into this?""
Laura's expression changed.
"Vanessa approached Andrew about eighteen months ago.""
Daniel went pale.
"She knew Andrew?""
"She found him through a private investigator. She told him she was trying to help him recover what his father had promised him.""
"And Andrew believed her?""
"At first.""
Laura took another photograph from the envelope.
This one showed Vanessa standing beside a dark-haired man outside a restaurant.
The man was older than the boy in the childhood photograph, but the resemblance was unmistakable.
Andrew.
Daniel stared at the picture.
"She knew him before we got married.""
"Yes.""
My son's hands curled into fists.
"She used me to get close to my father's business.""
Laura didn't answer.
She didn't need to.
Daniel rose and walked toward the window.
For a long time, he stared outside.
Then he turned.
"Is Andrew part of this?""
Laura shook her head.
"No. Andrew refused to help Vanessa once he realized she was trying to manipulate him. He wanted nothing to do with Thomas's claim.""
"Then why haven't we heard from him?""
Laura looked down.
"Because Andrew disappeared three months ago.""
The words seemed to drain the warmth from the room.
"Disappeared?"" I repeated.
"He left his apartment without telling anyone. His phone was disconnected. His bank accounts haven't been touched.""
Daniel picked up the photograph.
"Do you think Marcus knows where he is?""
"I think Marcus knows more than he's admitting.""
Laura reached into the envelope one final time and removed a folded letter.
"Andrew sent me this two days before he disappeared.""
She handed it to Daniel.
The letter contained only a few lines.
Mom,
I found the original agreement. It's not what Thomas says it is.
Robert never promised me ownership of Daniel's company.
Someone altered the document after Robert died.
I know who did it, but I need proof before I can expose them.
If anything happens to me, find the person who signed the transfer on October 19.
Andrew.
Daniel read the letter twice.
Then he looked at me.
"October 19. The day you signed the probate papers.""
Laura nodded.
"Andrew believed that signature was the key to proving who altered the agreement.""
I felt my stomach tighten.
"But I didn't knowingly sign a transfer of ownership.""
"I believe you," Laura said.
"Andrew did, too. He said whoever used your signature must have taken it from a legitimate document.""
Daniel returned to the table.
"Do you know where Andrew found the original agreement?""
"No. He wouldn't tell me until he was certain he could trust the person he was working with.""
"Who was he working with?""
Laura hesitated.
Then she whispered, "A woman named Patricia Cole.""
Daniel and I exchanged a look.
Patricia was the former assistant at Whitmore's law firm. She now worked for Westbridge Advisory Group.
The same company that had acquired Robert's storage account.
Daniel grabbed his phone.
"I need to find her.""
Laura stood abruptly.
"Don't.""
He turned.
"Why not?""
"Because Patricia isn't the person you should be worried about.""
"Who is?""
Laura looked directly at me.
"The woman who has been calling you from an unknown number.""
My blood ran cold.
"I haven't received any calls from an unknown number.""
Laura's face tightened.
"Then someone has been using a different phone.""
Daniel stepped closer.
"Laura, tell us exactly what you know.""
She opened her mouth.
Before she could speak, a phone began ringing inside her handbag.
She glanced at the screen.
Her face went white.
"Andrew?""
She answered immediately.
"Andrew, where are you? We've been looking everywhere for you!""
A man's voice came through the speaker, faint but unmistakable.
"Mom, listen to me. You have to leave that house.""
Laura gripped the phone.
"What? Why?""
"Because the person who altered the agreement is there.""
Her eyes lifted slowly toward me.
Daniel turned to face me, confusion spreading across his face.
May you like
Then the voice on the phone said five words that made the room go silent.
"Mom, don't trust Evelyn Carter.""
