Chapter 6: The Truth in Renee's Letter
Marcus read the sentence again.
You must tell David the truth about Marcus's real father.
He looked up from the letter.
“Dad?””
David's face had gone pale.
“Keep reading,” he said quietly.
Denise shook her head.
“Marcus, please. You don't have to do this right now.””
Marcus held the paper tighter.
“You had twenty years to tell me. I'm reading it.””
He looked back at Renee's handwriting.
The letters were neat, slightly slanted, with a small heart drawn beside her name at the bottom. Marcus imagined his mother sitting at a table, writing those words while he was still small enough to fit inside her arms.
The thought made his chest ache.
He continued.
I know you believe you're protecting David by keeping this secret. But Marcus deserves to know the truth when he's old enough to understand it. Derrick has made promises he may not keep, and I cannot leave my son with a lie that follows him for the rest of his life.
Marcus stopped.
“That's all?””
He checked the page.
There was more writing on the back, but the ink had faded. He angled the paper toward the window.
David leaned closer.
“What does it say?””
Marcus squinted.
“Something about a promise. And a name.””
Denise suddenly reached across the table.
“Let me see.””
Marcus pulled the letter away.
“No.””
“Marcus, the ink is old. You'll damage it.””
“Then stop reaching for it.””
David took a clean sheet of paper from the drawer and placed it beside the letter.
“Lay it flat. We'll read it carefully.””
Marcus followed his instructions.
The final paragraph became clearer as the paper settled.
If Derrick ever returns, ask him about the night we went to the courthouse. He knows why I chose David, and he knows what he promised me. I pray neither of you will ever have to explain this to Marcus.
David stared at the words.
“The courthouse?””
Denise lowered her head.
Marcus turned toward her.
“What courthouse?””
“I don't know.””
David looked at her sharply.
“You said you never opened the letter.””
“I didn't.””
“Then how do you know what it says?””
Denise's mouth trembled.
“I don't. I'm guessing.””
Marcus stood.
“Enough guessing. Enough secrets. We're calling Derrick again.””
David retrieved his phone.
This time, he dialed the number from the bank statement rather than the saved contact.
The call rang four times.
Then Derrick answered.
“David?””
“Where were you when Renee went to the courthouse?””
A pause.
“Why are you asking me that?””
“Because we found a letter she wrote to Denise. It says you know why she chose me and what you promised her.””
Derrick exhaled sharply.
“Did you open it?””
“Yes.””
“Then you know she wanted the truth to come out eventually.””
Marcus moved beside his father.
“I'm Marcus. I want answers.””
Derrick was quiet for several seconds.
Then he said, “Your mother was a good woman.””
Marcus swallowed.
“You knew her.””
“Yes.””
“How?””
“Marcus—”
“Don't say my name like you know me. You don't. You took money from my stepmother while I worked two jobs to pay rent in my own father's house. I deserve a straight answer.””
Derrick didn't respond immediately.
Then he said, “I knew Renee before she met your father. We were close. We had a complicated relationship, and when she became pregnant, I believed I could give her everything she needed.””
Marcus's grip tightened around the phone.
“Were you my father?””
The room went silent.
Denise sat motionless, her hands folded in her lap.
David looked at the phone.
Derrick finally answered.
“I was told I wasn't.””
Marcus frowned.
“What does that mean?””
“Renee told me she was going to marry David. She said she'd made her choice and wanted me to stay away.””
“That's not what I asked.””
“I know.””
Marcus could hear the strain in Derrick's voice.
“After Renee died, I tried to find out what happened to you. Denise told me your father had everything under control and that contacting you would only cause pain.””
David turned toward Denise.
“You told him not to contact my son?””
“I was protecting Marcus,” she whispered.
Derrick continued.
“Months ago, I ran into Denise. She said she needed money for something urgent. I helped her at first. Then she started sending regular transfers.””
Marcus looked at the bank statement.
“You accepted money without asking where it came from?””
“I asked. She told me it was hers.””
“And when did you learn it was mine?””
“Three months ago.””
Marcus felt the last fragile piece of his patience break.
“You knew for three months?””
“I tried to make her stop.””
“You could have called me. You could have called my father.””
Derrick's voice hardened.
“Your stepmother said she would explain everything herself.””
Denise rose from the chair.
“That's enough!””
David pointed toward the phone.
“You've had enough chances to tell the truth. What happened at the courthouse?””
Derrick sighed.
“Renee went there before she died because she wanted to change something in her legal paperwork. She wanted to make sure Marcus would be protected if anything happened to her.””
David's face tightened.
“Protected from whom?””
“From the people who would fight over him.””
Marcus looked at the letter.
“Was my mother trying to establish who my father was?””
Derrick didn't answer.
“Derrick,” David said, “answer the boy.””
“I can't prove anything over a phone call.””
“Then tell us what you know.””
Derrick's voice dropped.
“Renee told me there was a possibility Marcus was my son. But she also told me she'd had a private conversation with David and made a decision about how she wanted to raise him.””
Marcus stared at his father.
“Did Mom tell you that I might be his son?””
David shook his head slowly.
“No. She told me she had resolved the uncertainty.””
“Resolved it how?””
“I don't know.””
Derrick interrupted.
“That's why I need you to find the courthouse paperwork. Renee didn't want this decided by rumors. She wanted the truth documented.””
David glanced at the letter.
“What paperwork?””
“Ask Denise where she put the envelope from the courthouse.””
Marcus turned sharply.
Denise's eyes widened.
David's voice became dangerously quiet.
“What envelope?””
She backed away from the table.
“I don't have it.””
Derrick spoke over the phone.
“Denise, you told me you kept it.””
“I said I might have kept it!””
“You told me it was in your jewelry box.””
Marcus looked at the open box on the table.
Behind the velvet divider, beneath the earrings, a thin corner of another envelope was visible.
He reached for it.
Denise moved to stop him, but David stepped between them.
“Don't,” he said.
Marcus pulled out the envelope.
It was sealed with an old strip of clear tape. On the front, in official-looking handwriting, were the words:
*COUNTY FAMILY COURT — CONFIDENTIAL*
Below that was Renee's full name.
And another name.
David leaned over his shoulder to read it.
His hand flew to his mouth.
Marcus turned toward him.
“What?””
David looked at the envelope, then at Denise.
“You told me Renee never went to court.””
Denise began shaking her head.
“I can explain.””
Marcus opened the envelope.
Inside lay a folded document and a small photocopy of a birth record.
He unfolded the first page.
The document contained a line highlighted in yellow.
*PATERNITY DETERMINATION — ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE REQUIRED.*
Beneath it was a handwritten note.
Do not finalize until the second test result is received.
Marcus stared at the words.
“Second test?””
David took the document from him, reading every line.
Derrick's voice came through the phone.
“Now you understand why I told you to look for it.””
Marcus looked from the document to his father.
“Dad, what second test?””
David didn't answer.
He was staring at the date printed at the top of the page.
The test had been scheduled two weeks before Renee died.
And the final result was missing.
Denise backed toward the hallway.
Marcus saw her movement.
“Where is the second result?””
She shook her head, tears streaming down her face.
“I don't have it.””
David lifted his eyes.
“Then why did you keep this document hidden for twenty years?””
Denise's voice broke.
“Because Renee made me promise that if the second result proved what she feared, I would tell David before I ever told Marcus.””
Marcus went cold.
“What did she fear?””
Denise looked directly at him.
For a moment, the room seemed to hold its breath.
Then she whispered, “That the truth would destroy the only family you had left.””
David gripped the document.
Marcus stared at the missing-result line.
May you like
And from the phone on the table, Derrick spoke one final sentence.
“David, there's something else you need to know about that second test.””
