Chapter 6: The Name on the Birth Certificate
The police searched the house for Vanessa.
She was gone.
The front door stood open.
A rear window was shattered.
And in the mud outside, we found footprints leading toward the woods.
But I didn't care about the woods.
I cared about Ava.
My eight-year-old daughter was asleep at home that morning when I had left.
My daughter.
My little girl.
The child who climbed into my bed whenever storms frightened her.
The child who called me her hero.
The child whose hand I had held in the hospital when she was born.
Except now I didn't know what was real.
I looked at Daniel.
“Tell me about Ava.””
He sat at the kitchen table while the police searched the rest of the house.
Nia sat beside me.
Neither of us trusted him.
But neither of us could walk away.
Daniel folded his hands.
“Ava is your daughter.””
I exhaled.
“Then why did Elena's photograph say otherwise?””
“Because Elena wasn't talking about biology.””
I stared at him.
“Then explain it.””
Daniel looked at Nia.
“You need to hear this too.””
Nia nodded.
He pulled a folder from inside his jacket.
“You remember when Ava was born?””
“Yes.””
“Where?””
“At St. Mary's.””
“That's what you remember.””
I frowned.
“What does that mean?””
Daniel opened the folder.
Inside was a copy of a birth certificate.
My name appeared under father.
But the mother's name had been blacked out.
I looked at him.
“Why is her name hidden?””
“Because that's the part Vanessa never wanted you to see.””
I grabbed the paper.
“Who is it?””
Daniel slid another document toward me.
A hospital admission record.
Then another.
A photograph of a woman.
I didn't recognize her.
“Who is she?””
“Elena's sister.””
I stared at the photograph.
“Elena never had a sister.””
“She did.””
“Why didn't I know?””
“Because Elena spent years trying to protect her.””
I looked at Nia.
She was listening carefully.
“From who?””
“From Vanessa.””
My stomach tightened.
Daniel continued.
“Vanessa wasn't Elena's friend.””
“Then what was she?””
“She worked for the people Elena's sister was running from.””
“Who?””
“People who trafficked identities.””
I shook my head.
“That doesn't make sense.””
“It will.””
He pulled another document from the folder.
“Years ago, women in vulnerable situations were approached with promises of money, housing, medical care, even protection. Their identities were used to create false records.””
I stared at the paperwork.
“Why would they do that?””
“Money.””
“That's it?””
“Money and leverage.””
He looked at Nia.
“And sometimes children became part of the transaction.””
Nia's face went pale.
I immediately moved closer to her.
“Don't look at her.””
Daniel shook his head.
“I'm not blaming her.””
“Then say what you mean.””
Daniel swallowed.
“Vanessa wasn't trying to replace Elena.””
He paused.
“She was trying to control what happened to Elena's children.””
My blood ran cold.
“Why?””
“Because one of them had something Elena had taken.””
“What?””
“A ledger.””
I remembered the photographs.
The files.
The blue box.
“What was in the ledger?””
“Names.””
“Whose names?””
“Everyone involved.””
I leaned back.
“Daniel, why would Elena fake her death?””
“She didn't.””
I stared at him.
“She was attacked.””
“By Vanessa?””
“No.””
“Then who?””
Daniel looked toward the window.
“Your father.””
I stopped breathing.
“My father died twenty years ago.””
“I know.””
“You're telling me everyone in my family is secretly alive now?””
Daniel almost smiled.
“Your father is dead.””
“Then what does he have to do with this?””
“He started it.””
I didn't understand.
Daniel pushed a final document across the table.
It was a photocopy of an old ledger.
One name appeared repeatedly.
*Marcus Reed.*
My name.
I stared at it.
“What is this?””
Daniel shook his head.
“Not you.””
“It's my name.””
“It belonged to someone else.””
“Who?””
Daniel looked at Nia.
Then back at me.
“Your father had another son.””
My mouth went dry.
“I had one brother.””
“No.””
Daniel's voice was barely audible.
“You had two.””
The room seemed to tilt.
“Who was the other one?””
Daniel didn't answer.
A police officer entered.
“We found something.””
He placed a phone on the table.
“Recovered from the woods.””
I looked at the screen.
There was a video.
The officer pressed play.
Vanessa appeared.
She was sitting in what looked like a hotel room.
Her face was swollen.
She looked directly into the camera.
“Marcus, if you're watching this, I'm sorry.””
I stared at the screen.
She continued.
“I know you think I'm the villain.””
Nia whispered, “She is.””
The video continued.
“I lied to you.””
Vanessa took a shaky breath.
“But not about everything.””
She held up a document.
“Your daughter Ava was never supposed to be yours.””
My hands clenched.
“But Elena changed the plan.””
Vanessa looked toward the door.
“She stole the baby.””
I stood so quickly the chair fell backward.
“What baby?””
The video froze.
Then resumed.
Vanessa whispered,
“Your baby.””
My heart hammered.
“You were told Ava was born at St. Mary's.””
She shook her head.
“She wasn't.””
I stared at the screen.
“She was born somewhere else.””
“Where?””
Vanessa's eyes filled with tears.
“In the same place Elena gave birth to Nia.””
The video cut to black.
Nobody spoke.
I turned slowly toward Daniel.
“Nia was born at St. Mary's.””
He shook his head.
“No.””
I felt my stomach drop.
“Then where was she born?””
Daniel looked at the door.
Before he could answer, my phone rang.
The caller ID showed a number I knew.
A number I had not seen in six years.
Elena.
I couldn't move.
Nia stared at the screen.
“Dad…”
I answered.
For several seconds, there was only static.
Then a woman's voice whispered,
“Marcus?””
My knees nearly gave out.
“Elena?””
A breath.
Then a quiet sob.
“Yes.””
I gripped the phone.
“Where are you?””
“I can't tell you.””
“Are you alive?””
“Yes.””
“Why did you leave me?””
Silence.
“Why did you let me think you were dead?””
Her voice broke.
“Because they had Nia.””
I looked at my daughter.
She was crying.
I turned away so she wouldn't see my face.
“Who had her?””
“Elena,” I whispered, “what are you talking about?””
“They told me if I came back, they would take her again.””
“Who?””
Another silence.
Then Elena said,
“Vanessa was only following orders.””
I closed my eyes.
“Whose orders?””
I heard a door open on her end.
Elena suddenly became frightened.
“Marcus, I have to go.””
“No. Don't hang up.””
“I need you to do something.””
“What?””
“Go home.””
“I am home.””
“No.””
Her voice dropped.
“Your first home.””
I looked at Daniel.
“The old house?””
“Yes.””
“I've been there.””
“Then you found the blue box.””
“Yes.””
“You found the photographs.””
“Yes.””
“Then you know.””
“Know what?””
Elena began crying.
“I never had two daughters.””
I looked at Nia.
Then at the hallway.
“What does that mean?””
Elena whispered,
“Nia was never the child they wanted.””
The line crackled.
I heard another voice in the background.
A man's voice.
The same voice from the night before.
“Elena.””
She gasped.
Then the call ended.
I stared at the phone.
Daniel stood.
“Marcus.””
I looked at him.
“Who was that man?””
Daniel's face had gone pale.
“I don't know.””
“You're lying.””
He shook his head.
“No.””
Then he pointed at the phone.
“Look at the call log.””
I did.
The number was gone.
No history.
No trace.
Only one notification remained.
A voicemail.
I pressed play.
Static.
Then a child's voice.
Ava.
“Daddy?””
I froze.
She was crying.
“Daddy, please come home.””
Then another voice whispered behind her.
“Tell him your mother's name.””
Ava sobbed.
“Mommy.””
The stranger's voice became colder.
“Not Vanessa.””
A pause.
Then Ava whispered,
“Elena.””
The voicemail ended.
Daniel looked at me.
“We have to go.””
I grabbed my keys.
“Where?””
He stared at me.
“Home.””
I shook my head.
“No.””
I looked toward Nia.
Then at the phone.
Then at the birth certificate.
“We're going to find out who my daughters really are.””
Daniel's expression changed.
Before he could answer, my phone buzzed one more time.
A photograph appeared.
It showed Vanessa standing beside Elena.
Between them stood two little girls.
Nia.
And Ava.
On the back of the photograph was a date.
*The day before Nia was born.*
May you like
And beneath it, written in black ink:
*Only one of them was supposed to survive.*
