Chapter 8: The Father I Never Knew
I couldn’t breathe.
I looked at the birth certificate again.
Then again.
As if the letters might rearrange themselves.
They didn’t.
Father:
Unknown.
Mother:
Elizabeth Banks.
My mother.
The woman who died when I was five.
I looked at Gabriel.
“This is fake.””
He didn’t answer.
“Tell me it’s fake.””
His silence hurt.
Emily stepped closer.
“Matthew…”
“No.””
I pushed the paper away.
“My father was Alexander.””
Gabriel finally spoke.
“He was your father.””
The way he said it confused me.
“What does that mean?””
He sat down.
“Biologically, Alexander may not have been.””
The room went silent.
“But he raised me.””
“Yes.””
“He loved me.””
“Yes.””
“Then what difference does it make?””
Gabriel looked at me.
“Because Veronica used this secret to control him.””
I felt anger rising.
“So she knew?””
“Yes.””
“How?””
“Because she was there when Alexander found out.””
I stared.
“She knew my entire life?””
Gabriel nodded.
“And she used it against him.””
I walked outside.
I needed air.
The world felt too big.
Too complicated.
I sat on the porch steps.
For ten years, I believed I knew my story.
A boy.
A father.
A mother who died.
A stepmother who hated him.
Now everything had changed.
But one thing stayed the same.
Alexander Banks was the man who held my hand when I was sick.
The man who taught me how to ride a bike.
The man who stayed awake when I had nightmares.
Maybe blood mattered.
But maybe love mattered more.
A few minutes later, Emily sat beside me.
“I hated him for years.””
I looked at her.
“Your father?””
She nodded.
“I thought he chose to forget me.””
I didn’t say anything.
“Then I found out he never stopped looking.””
She looked at the road.
“Sometimes people make mistakes because they’re weak.””
She turned toward me.
“But sometimes they spend their whole lives trying to fix them.””
I thought about my father’s letter.
I knew she was right.
The next morning, Gabriel received a call from his lawyer.
The custody hearing was scheduled.
Tomorrow.
Veronica was moving quickly.
“She knows she’s losing,” Gabriel said.
“Then why fight?””
“Because if she loses control of you, she loses control of everything.””
The hearing took place in a small county courthouse.
I sat beside Gabriel.
Veronica walked in wearing a black suit.
Perfect hair.
Perfect smile.
Like the woman who abandoned me never existed.
She looked at me.
“Matthew.””
I looked away.
The judge asked questions.
Veronica answered calmly.
“She has always been my child.””
I almost laughed.
Almost.
The judge looked at her.
“Mrs. Banks, records indicate you left the child alone.””
Veronica sighed.
“I was overwhelmed.””
Gabriel stood.
“Overwhelmed enough to abandon him?””
Her lawyer objected.
The judge allowed the question.
Veronica looked at me.
“I made mistakes.””
Mistakes.
That word.
Like leaving a child on a road was a spilled glass of water.
Then she said something I never expected.
“I did what I had to do to protect him.””
Everyone went quiet.
I looked at her.
“Protect me?””
Her eyes met mine.
“Yes.””
“From what?””
She didn’t answer.
The judge demanded an explanation.
Veronica looked at Gabriel.
Then at Emily.
Her face changed.
“You have no idea what Alexander was involved in.””
Gabriel stepped forward.
“You’re the one who hid children.””
Her lawyer objected.
The judge ordered everyone to remain calm.
Then Veronica looked at me.
“Your father wasn’t a hero.””
My fists tightened.
“Don’t talk about him.””
She smiled sadly.
“That’s exactly what he wanted.””
“What?””
“He wanted you to worship him.””
The room went silent.
Then she said:
“Ask Gabriel why Alexander changed his will three days before he died.””
I looked at Gabriel.
He looked uncomfortable.
The judge asked:
“Mr. Banks?””
Gabriel stood.
“Alexander discovered Veronica had stolen from him.””
Veronica smiled.
“Half true.””
Everyone looked at her.
She continued:
“He also discovered something else.””
My heart raced.
“What?””
She looked directly at me.
“Your father was preparing to expose the person who really caused your mother’s death.””
I froze.
My mother.
The courtroom disappeared.
“What did you say?””
Veronica sat back.
“I think it’s time Matthew learns what happened the night Elizabeth Banks died.””
Gabriel looked terrified.
Because he knew something.
Something he never told me.
The judge ordered a recess.
Outside the courtroom, I grabbed Gabriel’s arm.
“What happened to my mother?””
He looked away.
“Matthew…”
“No.””
My voice shook.
“Everyone keeps protecting me from the truth.””
I stepped closer.
“I’m tired of being the last person to know my own life.””
Gabriel closed his eyes.
Then whispered:
“The night your mother died…”
He stopped.
“She wasn’t alone in the car.””
My blood went cold.
“Who was with her?””
Gabriel looked at me.
May you like
And answered:
“Veronica.””
