CHAPTER 14 — THE SECRET MY FATHER HID
The call ended.
But nobody moved.
The silence afterward felt heavier than any argument.
Because Mark Ellis had not called to apologize.
He had not called to explain.
He had called because he wanted us to know one thing.
He was not afraid.
Not of Daniel.
Not of Rachel.
Not of the truth.
He believed he still had control.
And that scared me more than anything.
I looked at my father.
The man I had spent years believing abandoned me.
The man who had suddenly appeared in the middle of my husband’s betrayal.
“What was Mark talking about?”
My father looked away.
That was all I needed to see.
Another secret.
Another person who knew more than me.
My chest tightened.
“Dad.”
He slowly looked at me.
“I didn’t want you involved.”
I felt a familiar anger rise inside me.
Everyone said the same thing.
I didn’t want you hurt.
I didn’t want you stressed.
I didn’t want you involved.
But every secret they kept still affected my life.
“You don’t get to decide that anymore.”
My father looked down.
“You’re right.”
His voice sounded tired.
“I made the same mistake everyone else made.”
Daniel looked at him.
“What mistake?”
My father stared at him.
“Thinking protecting Jennifer meant hiding the truth.”
The words hit everyone.
Because they were exactly what Daniel had done.
Exactly what my mother had done.
Exactly what every person around me had done.
They had confused silence with protection.
My father sat down slowly.
“Mark Ellis came to me six months before Lily was born.”
Daniel immediately looked shocked.
“Six months?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
My father took a deep breath.
“Because he wanted information about your marriage.”
I looked at Daniel.
“Why would your business partner care about us?”
Daniel didn’t answer.
Because he knew.
His company.
His money.
His inheritance.
Everything was connected.
My father continued.
“At first, I thought he was worried about you.”
I frowned.
“About me?”
“Yes.”
“He told me Daniel was under pressure.”
“He said the company was unstable.”
“He said Daniel was making dangerous decisions.”
Daniel’s face tightened.
“That’s not true.”
My father looked at him.
“Not completely.”
The room became tense.
Because nobody wanted to hear it.
But everyone knew there was more.
“What did Mark want?”
My father looked at me.
“He wanted me to convince you to leave Daniel.”
My heart sank.
Another person trying to control my life.
“Why?”
My father hesitated.
“Because he said Daniel would destroy everything you built.”
I looked at Daniel.
For a moment, I remembered the husband I thought I knew.
The man who made promises.
The man who wanted a family.
The man who also betrayed me.
The truth was complicated.
Daniel had made terrible choices.
But that did not mean every accusation against him was true.
“What did you do?”
My father looked ashamed.
“I investigated.”
Rachel immediately paid attention.
“What did you find?”
My father opened the old file again.
“I found financial problems.”
Daniel frowned.
“What problems?”
My father looked at him.
“Your company was losing money.”
Daniel became defensive.
“That’s impossible.”
“No.”
My father shook his head.
“It was hidden.”
Rachel stepped closer.
“Hidden how?”
“Through fake contracts.”
“Fake suppliers.”
“Money being moved between accounts.”
Daniel’s expression changed.
Because this was something even he did not know.
“My company?”
My father nodded.
“Mark was slowly taking control.”
Silence.
The man Daniel trusted.
The man who worked beside him.
The man who knew every weakness.
Was stealing from him.
I looked at Daniel.
And for the first time, I saw something different.
Not guilt.
Not fear.
Betrayal.
The same betrayal I had felt.
My father continued.
“But Mark needed one more thing.”
“What?”
“Complete control.”
Rachel answered before he could.
“If Daniel lost his family inheritance, Mark could gain ownership.”
My father nodded.
“Exactly.”
I looked at the documents again.
The fake DNA report.
The altered hospital records.
The affair.
Everything.
It was all connected.
Mark didn’t need Daniel dead.
He needed Daniel distracted.
Broken.
Alone.
And Chloe had been the perfect weapon.
A woman Daniel already trusted.
A woman who made him question his marriage.
A woman who created chaos while someone else moved behind the scenes.
I looked at Daniel.
“Did Chloe know?”
He looked away.
“I don’t know.”
That answer hurt.
Because for once, he was honest.
Rachel picked up her phone.
“I need to verify something.”
She walked away.
A few minutes later, she returned.
Her face was serious.
“Jennifer.”
“What?”
“There is a problem.”
“What problem?”
She looked at Daniel.
“Mark Ellis disappeared.”
Daniel frowned.
“What?”
“He closed his accounts.”
“His house?”
“Empty.”
“His phone?”
“Disconnected.”
A cold feeling entered the room.
He wasn’t hiding.
He was running.
Then Rachel placed another document on the table.
“This was sent anonymously to my office.”
I picked it up.
It was a photograph.
A recent one.
Not old.
Not from the hospital.
A picture taken only days ago.
My eyes widened.
Because in the picture were two people.
Mark Ellis.
And Chloe.
Standing together.
Talking.
Planning.
Daniel stared at it.
“No.”
His voice was almost a whisper.
I looked at him.
“You still believe she had nothing to do with this?”
He didn’t answer.
Because the picture had destroyed the last excuse.
Chloe was connected.
But the question remained.
How deep?
Rachel looked at the timestamp.
“This was taken after the baptism party was planned.”
My stomach tightened.
Meaning Chloe knew.
She knew the party was coming.
She knew Daniel was presenting himself as the perfect husband.
She knew I would be there.
Then why?
Why allow everything to collapse?
Unless…
Unless the collapse itself was the plan.
My phone suddenly vibrated.
Another unknown message.
Everyone looked at me.
I opened it.
One sentence.
“Jennifer, if you want the truth about Lily’s birth, stop trusting everyone who says they are protecting you.”
My hands went cold.
Because the message was not threatening me.
It was warning me.
I slowly looked around the room.
At Daniel.
At my father.
At Rachel.
At the people who claimed they wanted to help me.
And for the first time…
I wondered if the person who sent the message was right.
Maybe the biggest danger was not the people who lied to hurt me.
Maybe it was the people who lied while saying they loved me.
Then another message appeared.
This time, there was an attachment.
A video.
The title made my heart stop.
“Delivery Room Footage — Original Copy.”
I looked at Daniel.
He immediately went pale.
Because he knew.
May you like
Whatever was inside that video…
Would finally reveal what happened the night Lily was born.
