Chapter 6: The Man Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
Dad didn't speak during the drive home.
He kept both hands on the steering wheel, his knuckles pale beneath the afternoon sunlight.
I sat in the passenger seat with the documents on my lap.
Finally, I asked the question that had been bothering me.
“Why would Denise tell everyone Marcus was dead?””
Dad stared at the road.
“Because she wanted me to believe Brielle had no other parent.””
“But he was alive.””
“Apparently.””
“Did you ever meet him?””
Dad shook his head.
“Denise told me he'd abandoned them. She said he was dangerous and wanted nothing to do with Brielle.””
I looked down at the payment authorization.
“Then why was she sending him money?””
Dad didn't answer.
When we reached home, Denise's car was parked in the driveway.
The living room lights were on.
We walked inside.
She was sitting on the couch with Brielle.
Both looked up.
Denise immediately noticed the folder in Dad's hand.
“Where have you been?””
Dad placed the folder on the coffee table.
“Meeting Richard Warren.””
Denise's face went pale.
Brielle looked at her mother.
“Who?””
“Not now,” Denise said sharply.
Dad pulled out the payment authorization.
“Tell me who Marcus Hale is.””
Denise stared at the paper.
For several seconds, she didn't move.
Then she slowly stood.
“Where did you get that?””
“Answer the question.””
Brielle looked between them.
“Mom?””
Denise ignored her.
“You had no right to go through those records.””
Dad let out a short, bitter laugh.
“Those records concern my daughter's money.””
“Daniel, please. You don't understand.””
“Then explain.””
Denise looked at Brielle.
“Go upstairs.””
Brielle frowned.
“Why?””
“Because I said so.””
“No. I'm staying.””
Denise grabbed her daughter's wrist.
“Brielle.””
Brielle pulled away.
“Stop treating me like a child!””
Dad raised his voice.
“Let her stay. She's old enough to hear the truth.””
Denise looked furious.
Then she turned toward him.
“Fine. Marcus is Brielle's father.””
Brielle's face changed.
“What?””
Denise closed her eyes.
“Your biological father.””
Brielle shook her head.
“You told me he died.””
“I was trying to protect you.””
“From what?””
Denise didn't answer.
Brielle stepped backward.
“Why would you lie about that?””
Dad placed the bank document on the table.
“Because apparently, she was still sending him money.””
Brielle looked at the amount.
“Twenty-seven thousand dollars?””
Denise quickly grabbed the paper.
“That's none of your business.””
Brielle stared at her.
“Did you use my account?””
“No.””
“Then why is my name on it?””
Denise froze.
Dad looked at her sharply.
“Your account?””
Brielle nodded.
“Mom told me she'd opened a special account for me. She said it was money she'd saved over the years.””
Dad slowly turned toward Denise.
“Did you put Maya's money into Brielle's account and tell her it was hers?””
Denise's mouth tightened.
“I was going to replace it.””
“When?””
“When things improved.””
Dad shook his head.
“You used one daughter's inheritance to fund another daughter's expenses, then transferred the rest to a man you told everyone was dead.””
Denise slammed her hand against the table.
“I was desperate!””
The room went quiet.
It was the first honest thing she'd said.
Dad looked at her.
“Why?””
Denise sank onto the couch.
“Marcus came back into our lives.””
Brielle stood motionless.
“When?””
“Two years ago.””
“Two years?”” Brielle repeated.
Denise nodded.
“He contacted me. He said he wanted to see you.””
Brielle's voice cracked.
“And you told him no?””
“I told him he couldn't just walk back into your life.””
“So you paid him?””
Denise rubbed her forehead.
“He had debts. He threatened to expose things from my past.””
Dad looked at the payment authorization.
“What things?””
Denise remained silent.
Dad stepped closer.
“What did you do?””
She shook her head.
“Nothing.””
“Then why was he threatening you?””
Denise suddenly looked at me.
“Your father doesn't know what your mother was really like.””
Dad's expression hardened.
“Don't bring my wife into this.””
“You think she was perfect? You think she never made mistakes?””
“I know she helped you when nobody else would.””
Denise laughed bitterly.
“She helped me because she felt guilty.””
Dad stared at her.
“What?””
Denise looked away.
“Ask Richard what happened before you met me.””
Dad's voice dropped.
“Tell me.””
Denise stood.
“Your precious wife wasn't just trying to help Brielle. She was trying to keep a secret.””
I felt cold.
“What secret?””
Denise looked directly at me.
“Your mother knew Marcus before Brielle was born. She knew exactly what kind of man he was.””
Dad shook his head.
“That's impossible.””
“Is it?””
Denise reached into her handbag and pulled out a small envelope.
She threw it onto the table.
“Ask Richard why your wife kept this.””
Dad picked it up.
Inside was a photograph.
Mom was standing beside Marcus Hale.
They were outside the same bank shown in the photograph I'd found in Dad's drawer.
But there was something else.
Mom was holding a baby.
A tiny baby wrapped in a yellow blanket.
Brielle.
On the back of the photograph was a handwritten message:
Marcus, if anything happens to me, make sure Brielle never learns what really happened that night.
Dad's face went completely white.
Brielle grabbed the photograph.
She stared at it.
Then she looked at Denise.
“Why was Mom's first wife holding me?””
Denise snatched the photograph away.
“Don't call her that.””
“Why was she holding me?””
Denise's lips trembled.
Dad looked at the date.
Then he looked at the photograph again.
The date was three weeks before Brielle's first birthday.
He slowly turned toward Denise.
“What happened that night?””
Denise backed away.
“Daniel, you need to listen to me.””
“No.””
“Please.””
“You told me Marcus abandoned his daughter. You told me he was dead. You used Maya's inheritance to pay him.””
Dad's voice broke.
“And now you're telling me my late wife was involved in something you never explained?””
Denise began crying.
“I was protecting Brielle.””
Brielle shook her head.
“From what?””
Denise looked at her daughter.
Then she whispered:
“From the truth about who your father really was.””
Nobody moved.
Dad stared at her.
“Marcus is her biological father. We already know that.””
Denise shook her head.
“No, Daniel. You don't understand.””
She looked toward Brielle.
Then she said something that made the entire room feel smaller.
“Marcus wasn't the man who raised the baby in that photograph. He wasn't even supposed to be there that night.””
Dad gripped the edge of the table.
“Then who was?””
Denise opened her mouth.
But before she could answer, the doorbell rang.
Three sharp knocks followed.
I walked toward the front door and looked through the glass.
A tall man stood on the porch.
He wore a dark jacket and carried a small envelope.
He looked directly at me.
Then he raised his hand and pointed toward the living room.
“I'm Marcus Hale,” he said when I opened the door.
“I believe you have something that belongs to my daughter.””
I couldn't move.
Behind me, Brielle whispered:
“Dad?””
Marcus stepped inside.
And for the first time, I saw the face of the man Denise had spent years pretending was dead.
He looked straight at Brielle.
Then at Dad.
“I think it's time you both learned what happened to Maya's mother.””
He placed the envelope on the table.
Inside was a document bearing Mom's signature.
And beneath it was a second signature.
Daniel's.
Dad stared at it in disbelief.
“That's impossible,” he whispered.
Marcus pulled out a chair.
“No, Daniel. What's impossible is that you still believe your wife died without knowing why.””
He looked toward the stairs.
May you like
Then he added:
“Especially when the person who knows the truth has been living under your roof all along.””
