Chapter 18: The Woman Who Knew Too Much
Christopher didn’t speak after the call.
Not for a long time.
He just stood there.
Holding the phone.
Looking at nothing.
I knew that expression.
It was the expression of someone whose entire understanding of the world had collapsed.
His mother.
The woman who raised him.
The woman he buried years ago.
The woman he believed died from illness.
Was now connected to the same secret that had haunted his family for decades.
“Chris.””
He didn’t respond.
“Christopher.””
He finally looked at me.
“What if everything I knew about my family is a lie?””
I wanted to comfort him.
I wanted to say something that would make the pain disappear.
But I couldn’t.
Because I was asking myself the same question.
What if?
What if the people we trusted most were the ones who had hidden the truth?
We took the recorder and documents home.
We didn’t call the police yet.
Not because we didn’t want justice.
Because we didn’t know who could be trusted.
That was the most terrifying part.
The people who were supposed to protect us might already know everything.
When we arrived home, Lauren was waiting.
She stood outside.
The moment she saw Christopher’s face, she knew.
“What happened?””
Christopher handed her the recorder.
She listened.
When William’s voice played, her face changed.
“He knew.””
Christopher looked at her.
“You knew?””
Lauren looked away.
“I suspected.””
My anger rose.
“You suspected?””
She looked at me.
“I didn’t have proof.””
“But you knew something.””
“Yes.””
I stepped closer.
“How many people knew?””
Lauren’s eyes filled with guilt.
“Not many.””
“Who?””
She hesitated.
Then whispered:
“One more person.””
Christopher froze.
“Who?””
Lauren looked at him.
“Your brother.””
The silence was immediate.
I frowned.
“Brother?””
Christopher’s face changed.
“I don’t have a brother.””
Lauren looked confused.
“Yes, you do.””
“No.””
“Christopher…”
“My parents had one child.””
Lauren shook her head.
“Your father told everyone that.””
The room went cold.
“What are you saying?””
Lauren swallowed.
“William Hayes had another son.””
I felt dizzy.
“Who?””
Lauren looked toward Daisy.
Then whispered:
“Daniel.””
Christopher stepped back.
“No.””
“Christopher.””
“My father never had another child.””
“He did.””
“Who is Daniel?””
Lauren’s eyes filled.
“Richard Cole’s son.””
Nobody moved.
The name hit like a storm.
Richard.
The man who had helped hide everything.
The man who wanted Daisy.
The man who had been connected to Christopher’s father.
“Why would he hide him?””
Lauren answered:
“Because Daniel was the reason everything started.””
Christopher shook his head.
“I don’t understand.””
Lauren looked at him.
“Twenty-two years ago, your father discovered Richard had been stealing from him.””
“What?””
“Money.””
“Information.””
“Everything.””
Christopher listened.
“And?””
Lauren’s voice dropped.
“Richard threatened to expose William.””
“So William protected himself.””
“Yes.””
“How?””
Lauren looked at Daisy.
“By using your family.””
The words made my chest tighten.
“What does Daisy have to do with Daniel?””
Lauren whispered:
“Because Daniel is Daisy’s father.””
The world stopped.
Christopher stared.
I stared.
Even Daisy seemed impossibly quiet.
“No,” Christopher said.
Lauren nodded sadly.
“Yes.””
“That’s impossible.””
“No.””
She looked at him.
“That is why they hid her.””
My mind raced.
A child.
A secret.
A stolen identity.
A family betrayal.
But one question remained.
“Then why did you believe Christopher was the father?””
Lauren looked at me.
“Because I did too.””
A painful silence followed.
Then she said:
“Until the night Daisy was born.””
I stepped closer.
“What happened that night?””
Lauren’s eyes filled with tears.
“The night Emma was born…”
She looked at Christopher.
“I learned the baby wasn’t yours.””
Christopher looked shattered.
“Then why didn’t you tell me?””
Lauren whispered:
“Because the person who knew the truth…”
She paused.
“…was the person who tried to kill me.””
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For the next reveal
- Uncover who tried to kill Lauren - Explain Daniel’s connection to Daisy
