CHAPTER 12 — MY MOTHER’S HIDDEN DEAL
I wanted to believe Rachel was wrong.
I wanted her to tell me there had been a mistake.
A wrong location.
A misunderstanding.
Anything.
Because the alternative was too painful.
My mother.
The woman who held me when I cried as a child.
The woman who sat beside me during every difficult moment.
The woman who told me I deserved better than Daniel.
Could she really have been hiding something from me?
Could she have known the truth all along?
I looked at Rachel.
“Are you sure?”
She nodded.
“The phone signal came from the location.”
“That doesn’t prove my mother was involved.”
“No.”
Rachel agreed.
“But it proves Chloe was there.”
I looked at Daniel.
He was silent.
And somehow, that hurt even more.
Because I expected him to defend someone.
Chloe.
My mother.
Anyone.
But this time, he had nothing.
Because every person he trusted seemed to be connected to a secret.
Rachel lowered her voice.
“We need to talk to your mother.”
I shook my head.
“Not over the phone.”
“Why?”
“Because if she has been hiding something…”
I looked toward the hotel entrance.
“I need to see her face when she answers.”
Daniel watched me.
“Jennifer.”
I turned.
“What?”
“I’m sorry.”
I stared at him.
That apology again.
But this time it sounded different.
Not because it fixed anything.
Because I realized Daniel was finally experiencing what I had felt.
The pain of discovering someone you trusted was not who they claimed to be.
The difference was…
I had felt it alone.
He had people around him.
I didn’t.
I walked away.
An hour later, we arrived at my childhood home.
The same house where I grew up.
The same place where my mother taught me kindness.
The same place where I once believed secrets did not exist.
The front door opened before we knocked.
My mother stood there.
And the second she saw Daniel and me together, her expression changed.
Not surprise.
Fear.
That was enough.
“Jennifer.”
I looked at her.
“Mom.”
Her face became pale.
“What happened?”
I stepped inside.
“We need to talk.”
She looked at Daniel.
Then at Rachel.
Then back at me.
And she knew.
She knew why we were there.
My heart sank.
“Why are you scared?”
My mother looked away.
“I’m not.”
I almost smiled.
The same lie.
The same hesitation.
The same avoidance.
Everyone around me had become experts at hiding the truth.
“Mom.”
My voice softened.
“Please don’t make me discover this from someone else.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I never wanted to hurt you.”
The words were enough.
Because people only said that when they knew they had already done something.
I sat down.
“Tell me.”
My mother remained standing.
“I made a mistake.”
Daniel looked uncomfortable.
I noticed.
Because that word again.
Mistake.
Everyone used it when they wanted forgiveness without explaining the damage.
“What mistake?”
She took a deep breath.
“When Daniel told me about the DNA report…”
I looked at her.
“You knew.”
She nodded.
“Yes.”
The room became silent.
“How long?”
She wiped her eyes.
“Before Lily was born.”
I felt my chest tighten.
My own mother had known there was a possibility something was wrong.
And she let me walk into the delivery room without telling me.
“Why?”
Her voice broke.
“Because Daniel begged me.”
I looked at Daniel.
He closed his eyes.
“Of course.”
My mother immediately stepped forward.
“No.”
I looked at her.
“No?”
“He was wrong.”
The words surprised me.
She continued:
“But I was afraid.”
“Afraid of what?”
She looked down.
“Afraid you would lose the happiness you had.”
I stared at her.
“What happiness?”
My voice cracked.
“The happiness where everyone knew the truth except me?”
She started crying.
“Jennifer…”
“No.”
I stood.
“I need to understand something.”
My voice shook.
“Why did you protect Daniel?”
She looked at me.
“I didn’t.”
“You kept his secret.”
“Yes.”
“That is protecting him.”
She had no answer.
Then Rachel spoke.
“There is another question.”
My mother looked at her.
“What?”
“Why did Chloe come to see you?”
My mother froze.
The silence answered before she did.
I closed my eyes.
“Mom.”
She sat down slowly.
“She came because she wanted something.”
“What?”
My mother looked at me.
“She wanted me to convince you to leave Daniel.”
The room went silent.
Daniel looked shocked.
“She wanted that?”
My mother nodded.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
My mother hesitated.
Then said:
“Because she believed Daniel would never choose her while you were still there.”
I felt sick.
“So she came to you?”
“Yes.”
“What did she offer?”
My mother looked away.
That hesitation was worse than anything.
“Mom.”
Finally, she whispered:
“Money.”
Nobody moved.
Daniel looked confused.
“Money?”
My mother nodded.
“She offered to pay off my debt.”
I stared at her.
“You had debt?”
She looked ashamed.
“I didn’t tell you.”
Of course.
Another secret.
Another person deciding what I should know.
“How much?”
She didn’t answer.
“Mom.”
“Twenty thousand dollars.”
The room went quiet.
And suddenly, everything became clearer.
Chloe wasn’t just trying to steal Daniel.
She was buying influence.
Buying silence.
Buying people.
Rachel asked:
“Did you accept the money?”
My mother immediately shook her head.
“No.”
“Did you meet her more than once?”
Silence.
My mother looked down.
And that was the answer.
“How many times?”
She whispered:
“Three.”
Daniel looked stunned.
“Three times?”
My mother looked at him.
“You were not innocent either.”
The words surprised everyone.
“What?”
She looked directly at Daniel.
“You came to me asking me to hide the DNA report.”
Daniel looked down.
“But you also came to me because you already suspected Chloe was lying.”
Daniel froze.
“What?”
My mother continued.
“You knew there were inconsistencies.”
The room changed.
Because this was the first time someone had said it.
Daniel wasn’t just manipulated.
He was willing to believe the manipulation.
My mother looked at him.
“You wanted an excuse.”
Daniel became pale.
“No.”
“Yes.”
Her voice was quiet.
“You were scared of becoming a father.”
Silence.
I looked at Daniel.
And I saw something I had not considered.
Maybe Chloe had planted the doubt.
But Daniel allowed it to grow.
My mother turned toward me.
“Jennifer, there is something else you need to know.”
I looked at her.
“What?”
She reached into a drawer.
And pulled out an old envelope.
“I kept this because I was afraid.”
Rachel immediately stepped forward.
“What is it?”
My mother handed it to me.
My hands trembled as I opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
A photograph from the night Lily was born.
I looked at it.
And my entire body went cold.
Because in the background of the picture…
Standing outside my hospital room…
Was a person I never expected to see.
Not Daniel.
Not Chloe.
Someone else.
Someone who had no reason to be there.
I looked closer.
Then whispered:
“That’s impossible.”
My mother looked at me.
“I know.”
I looked up.
“Who took this picture?”
My mother’s face turned pale.
“Jennifer…”
Her voice shook.
“The person who gave it to me…”
May you like
She paused.
“Was your father.”
