Chapter 10: The Daughter They Tried To Hide
I spent the entire night staring at June.
Not sleeping.
Not moving.
Just watching her tiny chest rise and fall.
Because every time I looked at her, I saw two different things.
My daughter.
The little girl I loved more than anything in the world.
And a mystery.
A mystery that had somehow existed before she even took her first breath.
Someone had known about her.
Someone had planned around her.
Someone had decided that my baby was not just a child.
She was something worth fighting over.
And I hated that.
Because June deserved to be nothing more than a baby.
She deserved soft blankets.
Gentle kisses.
A mother who worried about whether she was eating enough.
Not a life surrounded by secrets and people trying to control her future.
The next morning, Detective Harper arrived with a new update.
But the look on her face told me it wasn’t good news.
“We found the person who created the original file.””
I immediately sat up.
“Who?””
She hesitated.
Then placed a photograph on the table.
I recognized the face.
But not from my life.
From the hospital.
Dr. Adrian Wells.
The doctor who delivered June.
My stomach dropped.
“No.””
Detective Harper watched my reaction.
“You know him?””
“He delivered my daughter.””
“I know.””
I looked at the photograph again.
The man who had held my baby before I did.
The man who told me she was healthy.
The man who smiled and congratulated me.
“You think he was involved?””
“We think he knew more than he admitted.””
I shook my head.
“But why?””
Detective Harper opened another file.
“Because Dr. Wells was not just your doctor.””
She turned the paper toward me.
“He was also the executor of a medical trust connected to Luke’s father.””
I felt like the room tilted.
A medical trust.
Another piece of the puzzle.
Everyone was connected.
Everyone except me.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me?””
Detective Harper looked at me.
“Because someone made sure you never found out.””
Those words stayed with me.
Someone.
Not Luke.
Not Margaret.
Someone bigger.
Someone who had been moving behind the scenes.
Later that day, Luke agreed to reveal everything he knew.
Not because he suddenly became honest.
Because Detective Harper offered him a deal.
Information in exchange for cooperation.
When I entered the interview room, Luke looked exhausted.
The confident man I married was gone.
All that remained was someone who finally understood the damage he caused.
“You owe me the truth,” I said.
He nodded.
“I know.””
“Start from the beginning.””
Luke looked down.
“My father was wealthy.””
I said nothing.
“He had a company. Investments. Property.””
“And the trust?””
He nodded.
“Before he died, he created a trust for his descendants.””
I frowned.
“Descendants?””
“Yes.””
“Why would June matter?””
Luke swallowed.
“Because my father had another child.””
The room became silent.
I stared at him.
“What?””
“My father had a daughter before he met my mother.””
My heart raced.
“Who?””
Luke looked away.
“We don’t know.””
I froze.
“You don’t know?””
“No.””
“Then how does June connect to this?””
He hesitated.
“Because before he died, my father left instructions.””
“What instructions?””
Luke’s voice dropped.
“If a child from that bloodline was born, the trust would transfer.””
I stared at him.
A baby.
A newborn.
A financial key.
That was what they saw.
Not a person.
Not my daughter.
An opportunity.
“Why did they think June was connected?””
Luke looked ashamed.
“Because of a DNA test.””
My heart stopped.
“What DNA test?””
“One done secretly.””
“On me?””
“No.””
He looked at the floor.
“On June.””
My hands shook.
“They tested my newborn daughter without my permission?””
Luke closed his eyes.
“Yes.””
The anger that rose inside me was overwhelming.
Someone had taken my baby’s information.
Used it.
Analyzed it.
Before I even knew what was happening.
“Who ordered the test?””
Luke didn’t answer.
I already knew.
“Margaret.””
He nodded.
But then he said something unexpected.
“She wasn’t the one who started it.””
I looked at him.
“Who was?””
Luke whispered:
“My father’s old attorney.””
I froze.
“Your father is dead.””
“Yes.””
“Then who?””
Luke looked at me.
“His daughter.””
I frowned.
“The daughter nobody knows?””
He nodded.
“She came back.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“She’s alive?””
“Yes.””
“Who is she?””
Luke looked terrified.
“I don’t know.””
That answer made no sense.
“You’re telling me someone orchestrated all of this, but you don’t know who she is?””
Luke nodded slowly.
“She never showed her face.””
My mind raced.
A hidden woman.
A secret inheritance.
A baby targeted before birth.
A hospital employee involved.
A doctor hiding information.
The more answers I found, the deeper the nightmare became.
Then Luke whispered:
“She contacted me because she knew I was desperate.””
I looked at him.
“What did she offer?””
“Money.””
“How much?””
“Enough to change my life.””
I laughed bitterly.
“So you sold your daughter?””
His face collapsed.
“I thought I was protecting myself.””
“No.””
My voice was cold.
“You were protecting your greed.””
He looked away.
Because he knew I was right.
Before I left, Luke stopped me.
“There’s something else.””
I turned.
“What?””
His voice shook.
“The woman who contacted me knew something about you.””
I stared.
“What?””
“She knew things she shouldn’t have known.””
“Like what?””
He swallowed.
“Your medical history.””
The room went silent.
“She knew details about your pregnancy before anyone else.””
A chill moved through me.
Because suddenly, I remembered.
The first appointment.
The first ultrasound.
The first time someone asked about my family history.
Someone had been watching me from the beginning.
And they weren’t interested in Luke.
May you like
They weren’t interested in money.
They were interested in June.
