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My mother refused to say another word in Daniel Reed's office.

She walked out without waiting for us, leaving the conference room door swinging behind her.

Tasha and I remained seated, staring at the letter Elizabeth had written.

David Carter had come to the hospital the night I was born.

And Elizabeth had been with him.

For seventeen years, my mother had allowed me to believe that my biological father had disappeared before I entered the world. She had described him as unreliable, someone who hadn't wanted the responsibility of raising a child.

Now I knew that he had been there.

I just didn't know what had happened afterward.

Daniel sat quietly across from us.

“I understand this is overwhelming,” he said.

“But I would encourage you not to confront anyone based solely on a letter. We need corroborating records.””

Tasha looked at him.

“Can we find David?””

“I can help you pursue that. Elizabeth's file contains an old address and a reference to a business he once operated. The information is several years old, so we'll need to verify it.””

I folded the letter carefully.

“Please help me find him.””

Daniel nodded.

“I will.””

He gave us copies of the relevant pages and reminded us to preserve the originals. Before we left, he also explained that Tasha could submit a formal dispute concerning the trust transaction and request an independent accounting.

For the first time since the birthday confrontation, we had a plan that didn't depend on Marcus telling us the truth.

Outside the office, Tasha stopped beside the elevator.

“Do you think Mom knows where David is?””

“I think she knows more than she's telling us.””

“Do you hate her?””

The question caught me off guard.

I looked through the glass doors toward the street.

“I don't know what I feel.””

Tasha nodded slowly.

“That's how I feel about Dad.””

We rode home in silence.

Marcus's truck was parked in the driveway when we arrived. The Highlander was gone.

The giant red bow lay crumpled beside the garage, and the balloons had begun to sag in the afternoon heat.

I stared at the empty space where the SUV had been.

Marcus had taken it away.

Somehow, I felt relieved.

Inside, we found him waiting at the kitchen table. A thick stack of papers sat in front of him, and his phone was placed faceup beside a glass of water.

My mother stood at the sink.

Nobody spoke until Marcus looked up.

“So,” he said, “you've been talking to Daniel.””

Tasha placed her copy of the bank notice on the table.

“We have questions about the trust.””

“I've already explained the circumstances.””

“No, you've given us several different explanations.””

Marcus pushed his chair back.

“I'm not doing this again.””

I set Elizabeth's letter beside the notice.

“Then answer one question about me.””

His eyes settled on the letter.

For a moment, his face became unreadable.

“Where did you get that?””

“From the attorney.””

He reached for it.

I pulled it away.

“Did David Carter come to the hospital when I was born?””

Marcus looked at my mother.

She remained facing the sink.

“Answer me,” I said.

He exhaled sharply.

“Yes.””

The word seemed to shake the entire room.

I gripped the back of a chair.

“Why did Mom tell me he left?””

“Because he did.””

“Not before I was born.””

Marcus looked at the letter again.

“You were too young to understand the circumstances.””

“I was a baby! I'm not a baby now.””

His jaw tightened.

“David made choices.””

“What choices?””

“He refused to accept responsibility.””

“Then why did he come to the hospital?””

Marcus didn't answer.

Tasha stepped closer to the table.

“Did Elizabeth bring him?””

Marcus's gaze snapped toward her.

“Stay out of this.””

“No. Elizabeth was my mother. If she was involved in Maya's life before I understood what was happening, I want to know why.””

Marcus rubbed his forehead.

“David came to the hospital because Nia contacted him. Elizabeth was there because she had accompanied him.””

“Why would my mother contact him if he was a terrible person?”” I asked.

“People make mistakes.””

“What did he do?””

Marcus stared at me.

Then he said, “He wasn't ready to be a father.””

“That isn't an answer.””

“It's the answer you're getting.””

I felt anger rise through my chest.

“You raised me for six years, and I trusted you. If you knew David was my father, why didn't you tell me the truth?””

“Because I was the one who stayed.””

The room fell silent.

Marcus stood.

“I was there when you cried at night. I was there when you needed help with school. I was there when you had nightmares.

David wasn't. I earned the right to be called your father.””

I stared at him.

“You could have been my father without lying to me.””

His face hardened.

“You don't understand what I sacrificed.””

“Then explain it!””

He struck the table with his palm.

“Because I loved your mother!””

The shout echoed through the kitchen.

Tasha flinched, but she didn't step back.

Marcus looked at her, then at me.

“I married Nia knowing she had a child. I accepted you as my own. I gave you a home, a family, and every opportunity I could.””

“And you used Tasha's money to buy me a car,” I replied.

His expression darkened.

“That is a separate issue.””

“It's the same issue. You decide what everyone deserves, and you expect us to be grateful when you give us something.””

My mother finally turned away from the sink.

“Marcus, stop.””

He ignored her.

“David Carter made a choice. I made a different one. You should be thanking me.””

I shook my head.

“You don't get to demand gratitude for hiding my father from me.””

Marcus stepped closer.

“You have no idea what David was involved in.””

My heart pounded.

“What was he involved in?””

He looked at my mother.

She was crying silently.

“Tell her,” Marcus demanded.

Nia shook her head.

“No.””

“Tell her what happened after David came to the hospital.””

“Stop it.””

“You want the truth? Fine. Tell her who signed the paperwork.””

My mother covered her mouth.

Tasha stepped forward.

“What paperwork?””

Marcus reached into the stack on the table and removed a photocopy.

He slid it toward me.

It was a hospital record dated the day I was born. The top section contained my mother's name, the hospital's information, and several handwritten entries.

I scanned the page.

Then I saw David Carter's name.

Beneath it was a section describing a parental acknowledgment.

The signature line was blank on the copy.

I looked up.

“What is this?””

Marcus folded his arms.

“A document David refused to sign.””

I stared at the page.

“Why?””

“Ask your mother.””

I turned toward Nia.

She was trembling.

“Mom?””

She walked slowly toward the table.

“I need you to understand that you were never unwanted,” she whispered.

“Then why didn't he sign?””

“Because someone told him he wasn't your father.””

The room went completely still.

I looked at Marcus.

He didn't move.

“What?””

My mother wiped her cheeks.

“David was told that the paternity test had excluded him. He believed it. He left the hospital because he thought he had no right to claim you.””

My knees felt weak.

“Was that true?””

Nia shook her head.

“No.””

I grabbed the edge of the table.

“Who told him?””

My mother looked at Marcus.

He immediately stepped forward.

“That is not what happened.””

“Then tell me what happened!”” I screamed.

Marcus's voice dropped.

“Your mother was confused. There were complications. People said things they shouldn't have said.””

“Who told David the test excluded him?””

He didn't answer.

Tasha picked up the photocopy.

“Was there even a test?””

Marcus looked at her.

“Yes.””

“Where are the results?””

“They were handled privately.””

“By whom?””

He turned toward my mother.

Nia began crying harder.

I could barely hear her when she finally spoke.

“Marcus arranged it.””

I stared at him.

“You arranged a paternity test?””

“I was trying to protect this family.””

“From what?””

“From a man who wasn't prepared to take responsibility for you!””

“But you just said the test excluded him!””

Marcus's mouth tightened.

For the first time, he had no quick answer.

My mother reached for my hand.

I pulled away.

“Did you know the result was false?””

She shook her head desperately.

“No. I believed what Marcus told me. I didn't know the truth until much later.””

“When?””

“After Elizabeth died.””

Tasha looked up sharply.

“What did Elizabeth tell you?””

Nia closed her eyes.

“She found evidence that the test had been mishandled. She said the report didn't match the laboratory's records.””

My stomach twisted.

“Then why didn't you tell me?””

“Because Marcus said it would destroy our family.””

I stared at the man who had raised me.

“You knew?””

He didn't answer.

“You knew David might be my father, and you let me believe he abandoned me?””

Marcus's face hardened.

“I gave you a home.””

“That isn't an answer!””

He looked at me with a mixture of anger and something close to desperation.

“David wasn't the only person who could have destroyed your life.””

Tasha slowly set the hospital record on the table.

“Then why did Elizabeth keep investigating?””

Marcus turned toward her.

“Because she never trusted me.””

“No,” Tasha replied.

“Maybe she discovered why she shouldn't.””

My phone buzzed.

Daniel had sent a new message.

I located a former laboratory administrator who handled the archived records. The original paternity report appears to have been amended after the initial result was issued. I am requesting confirmation and the surviving documentation.

I read the message aloud.

My mother began sobbing.

Marcus stood perfectly still.

Tasha took my hand.

Then another message arrived.

There is also a record of a second test requested by Elizabeth shortly before her death. The result was never included in the estate file.

I looked up.

“Why would Elizabeth order another test?””

Marcus's face had gone pale.

He stared at my phone as though it were a weapon.

Then he whispered something that made my blood run cold.

“Because she knew the first report wasn't the only lie.””