Chapter 6: The Man Who Knew My Daughter Before Me
The voice on the phone stayed in my head long after the call ended.
*“I was there the night your daughter was born.””*
I stared at the screen.
The call had ended.
But the fear it left behind remained.
Mia noticed my expression.
“Daddy?””
I looked down at her.
I forced myself to soften my face.
“It’s okay.””
But even as I said it, I knew it wasn’t.
Children can sense lies.
Especially children who have spent months surrounded by them.
Victoria was standing near the staircase, completely still.
She knew exactly who Jonathan Reed was.
And that terrified me.
“Who is he?”” I asked.
She looked away.
“Arthur…”
“No.””
My voice stopped her.
“I’m done asking questions and getting half answers.””
She closed her eyes.
“I never wanted you to know.””
“That’s the problem.””
I stepped closer.
“You never wanted me to know anything.””
Mia moved closer to my side.
I placed a hand on her shoulder.
Not because she needed protection from Victoria anymore.
Because I needed to remind myself she was here.
She was real.
She was my daughter.
And I would never let anyone make her feel invisible again.
“Tell me about Jonathan.””
Victoria looked exhausted.
Like she had been carrying a secret too heavy for too long.
“He was the doctor.””
The words hit me.
“The doctor?””
She nodded.
“The doctor who delivered Mia.””
I looked toward the phone.
“Why would he call me now?””
Victoria didn’t answer.
“Why does he know about the DNA test?””
Still nothing.
I felt anger rising again.
“Victoria.””
She finally looked at me.
“Because he knows what happened.””
“What happened?””
Her eyes moved toward Mia.
“I made a choice.””
The sentence made my blood run cold.
“What choice?””
Victoria sat down slowly.
“The night Mia was born…”
She paused.
“I was terrified.””
I waited.
“You remember that night.””
I did.
Every second.
The hospital lights.
The smell of disinfectant.
The sound of my daughter crying for the first time.
The moment I held her.
The moment I promised I would protect her forever.
Victoria looked at the floor.
“You remember when the doctor told us there was a complication?””
I nodded.
“Mia’s heartbeat dropped.””
“Yes.””
“And they thought they might have to perform an emergency procedure.””
My chest tightened.
“What are you saying?””
Victoria’s voice became quieter.
“Jonathan was the doctor who saved her.””
I stared at her.
“Then why is he a secret?””
She swallowed.
“Because after Mia was born, he found something.””
“What?””
Victoria didn’t answer.
I stepped forward.
“What did he find?””
She looked at Mia.
Then back at me.
“He found out the hospital records had been changed.””
My face went blank.
“Changed by who?””
Victoria’s silence was enough.
I whispered:
“You.””
She nodded.
The honesty shocked me.
“You changed the records?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Because I was afraid.””
“Afraid of what?””
She looked at Mia.
“Of losing everything.””
I shook my head.
“You already had everything.””
She laughed sadly.
“No, Arthur.””
She wiped her tears.
“You had everything.””
The words cut deeper than I expected.
Because they revealed something ugly.
Victoria had spent years looking at my love for Mia as something she lacked.
Not something she could share.
“So Jonathan knew?””
“Yes.””
“And he stayed quiet?””
“He tried to help.””
I frowned.
“Help who?””
Victoria looked away.
“Me.””
That answer bothered me.
“What does that mean?””
She took a breath.
“He told me I needed to tell you the truth.””
“And you refused.””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
Her voice cracked.
“Because I thought if you knew everything, you would leave.””
I stared at her.
“You were right.””
She looked down.
I didn’t feel satisfaction.
Only disappointment.
The kind that comes when someone confirms the worst thing you believed about them.
My phone buzzed.
A message.
From the unknown number.
I opened it.
A photo appeared.
Jonathan Reed standing outside a hospital.
Older now.
Beside him was another photo.
A baby bracelet.
*MIA HAYES.*
My hands tightened around the phone.
Then another message appeared.
*Meet me tomorrow. Alone.*
I looked at Victoria.
She immediately shook her head.
“No.””
“What?””
“Don’t go.””
“Why?””
“Because Jonathan knows things he shouldn’t.””
I stared at her.
“You’re afraid of him.””
She looked away.
“Yes.””
“Why?””
She whispered:
“Because he knows the truth about Mia’s birth.””
I felt a chill.
“The truth you’re still hiding?””
She didn’t answer.
That was enough.
The next morning, I met Jonathan at a small café outside the city.
I told Victoria I was going alone.
I didn’t tell her where.
Not because I wanted revenge.
Because I needed the truth without another person controlling the story.
Jonathan was sitting by the window.
He looked older than I expected.
Tired.
Like someone who had spent years carrying guilt.
When he saw me, he stood.
“Arthur Hayes.””
I nodded.
“Jonathan Reed?””
He extended his hand.
I didn’t take it.
“Tell me why you called.””
He sat down.
“I know you’re angry.””
“You don’t know anything about me.””
He looked at me carefully.
“I know you love your daughter.””
That stopped me.
“Everyone knows that.””
“No.””
He shook his head.
“Not everyone.””
He reached into his briefcase.
He pulled out a folder.
“I kept these because I knew one day you would need them.””
Inside were medical records.
Original records.
Not altered copies.
I opened the first page.
Everything looked normal.
Then I saw the notes.
My eyes moved across the page.
And stopped.
*Mother: Victoria Hayes.*
*Father: Arthur Hayes.*
Nothing surprising.
Until I saw the attached note.
Written by Jonathan.
*Patient requested confidentiality regarding additional information discovered after delivery.*
I looked up.
“What additional information?””
Jonathan was quiet.
Then he said:
“The night Mia was born, Victoria asked me to hide something.””
My stomach tightened.
“What?””
“She asked me to remove a document.””
“What document?””
He looked at me.
“A document proving Mia was biologically related to you.””
I stared at him.
That made no sense.
“She wanted to hide that I was her father?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
Jonathan leaned back.
“Because she believed you would never leave if you knew the truth.””
I frowned.
“She wanted me to doubt my own daughter.””
“Yes.””
“But why?””
Jonathan’s expression changed.
“Because she had already made another plan.””
I felt my heart slow.
“What plan?””
He opened another folder.
Inside was an old photograph.
Victoria.
A younger Daniel.
And another person.
Someone I didn’t recognize.
“Who is that?””
Jonathan looked at the photo.
“Someone who was involved before Daniel.””
I studied the image.
A man standing beside Victoria.
Smiling.
Comfortable.
Like someone who belonged there.
“Who is he?””
Jonathan answered quietly.
“His name is Michael Cross.””
My eyes narrowed.
“Cross?””
Jonathan nodded.
“Daniel’s older brother.””
I stared at the photo.
“What does he have to do with Mia?””
Jonathan hesitated.
Then said:
“Everything.””
I looked at him.
“Explain.””
He took a deep breath.
“Before Victoria married you, she was already connected to the Cross family.””
My stomach dropped.
“But that was years ago.””
“Yes.””
“Then why does it matter?””
Jonathan pushed one final document across the table.
The paper was old.
The ink faded.
But the words were clear.
*CONFIDENTIAL ADOPTION INQUIRY.*
My hands went cold.
I looked at Jonathan.
“What is this?””
He met my eyes.
“The reason Victoria tried to make you question whether Mia was your daughter…”
He paused.
“Was because she was afraid you would discover how Mia came into her life.””
I stared at the document.
The room around me disappeared.
“How Mia came into her life?””
Jonathan nodded.
Then whispered:
“Arthur, the woman you married may not have been the only person who lied to you.””
I looked at the paperwork again.
At the name written at the bottom.
A name that I had never seen before.
A name connected to my daughter’s birth.
And suddenly, I realized something terrifying.
For eight years, I thought I was fighting to protect Mia from Victoria.
But what if Victoria had been protecting a secret even bigger than herself?
May you like
A secret involving the Cross family.
And a secret that could change everything I knew about my daughter.
