Chapter 7: The Woman Who Knew His Secret
The photograph trembled between my fingers.
I looked at it again.
Then again.
As if staring at it long enough would somehow make it become something else.
But it didn’t.
The image remained the same.
Garrett.
A wrecked car.
An injured woman on the ground.
And a little girl standing nearby.
A little girl I had seen before.
A little girl connected to Lena.
My mind struggled to put the pieces together.
“Garrett.””
My voice was barely above a whisper.
“What happened that night?””
He didn’t answer.
That was the moment everything changed.
Because silence was no longer something I ignored.
Silence was an answer.
Claire stood beside the bed, watching him.
“You have spent three years letting everyone believe a different story.””
Garrett’s jaw tightened.
“Claire, stop.””
“No.””
Her voice cracked.
“I stayed quiet because you promised you would fix it.””
I looked at her.
“Fix what?””
Neither of them spoke.
The hospital room felt too small.
My son slept peacefully in my arms while the adults around him carried years of secrets.
I looked at Garrett.
“I’m asking you one more time.””
He met my eyes.
“What happened in Cedarcliff?””
For a few seconds, he looked like he might lie.
Then something in him broke.
He sat down.
And for the first time since I met him, he looked defeated.
“Three years ago, I made a mistake.””
I waited.
A mistake.
That was always the word people used when the truth was too ugly.
“What kind of mistake?””
He rubbed his hands together.
“I was driving home after a work dinner.””
Claire looked away.
“You were drunk.””
Garrett closed his eyes.
“Yes.””
My stomach dropped.
I felt my grip tighten around my son.
“You drove drunk?””
“I know.””
“No.””
My voice became sharper.
“You don’t get to say you know.””
He looked at me.
“I know because I have lived with it every day.””
I shook my head.
“Apparently not enough to tell your wife.””
He looked down.
“I was scared.””
“Of what?””
“Losing everything.””
I almost laughed.
“Your solution was to hide it?””
Garrett didn’t answer.
Because there was no defense.
Claire stepped forward.
“The accident was my fault too.””
I looked at her.
“What?””
She swallowed.
“I was walking along the road because my car had broken down.””
She glanced at the photograph.
“It was raining. The road was dark.””
Her voice became quieter.
“Garrett hit the brakes too late.””
The room was silent.
“Why didn’t you report it?””
Garrett looked away.
“I did.””
Claire shook her head.
“Not everything.””
I looked between them.
“What does that mean?””
Claire’s eyes filled with tears.
“It means Garrett told the police he was driving carefully.””
My heart sank.
“And he wasn’t.””
“No.””
Garrett whispered.
“I wasn’t.””
I stared at him.
The man who left me on the kitchen floor.
The man who lied about another woman.
The man who hid an accident.
How many versions of him existed that I didn’t know?
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
Garrett looked at me.
“Because I was afraid you would see me differently.””
I looked down at my son.
“I see you differently now.””
The words hurt him.
Good.
For once, I wanted him to feel something close to what I had felt.
Claire sat down across from me.
“There’s more.””
Of course there was.
There was always more.
I closed my eyes for a second.
“What else?””
Claire looked at Garrett.
He shook his head.
“Don’t.””
She ignored him.
“After the accident, I found out I was pregnant.””
The room froze.
I looked at her.
Pregnant.
My eyes moved toward Garrett.
He looked away.
“No.””
The word escaped me.
Claire nodded.
“Yes.””
“Your baby?””
She nodded.
“Garrett’s.””
My entire body went cold.
I looked at him.
“You have a child?””
Garrett immediately shook his head.
“No.””
Claire’s face hardened.
“Not anymore.””
I stared at her.
“What does that mean?””
She took a breath.
“I lost the baby.””
The anger in the room changed.
For a moment, I saw something different in Garrett’s face.
Pain.
Real pain.
But it didn’t erase anything.
Because pain didn’t excuse deception.
“Then why did you say he had a baby?””
Claire looked at the photo.
“Because Lena’s situation is connected.””
My head was spinning.
“Explain.””
Claire looked at Garrett.
“You explain.””
He didn’t move.
So she did.
“After my accident, Garrett blamed himself.””
I looked at him.
“He started helping me financially.””
“How generous.””
My voice was cold.
Claire nodded.
“That’s what everyone thought.””
She looked down.
“But then Lena came back.””
My stomach tightened.
“She knew about the accident.””
“How?””
“Because she was there.””
My heart stopped.
“She was there?””
“Yes.””
Claire continued.
“She saw what happened.””
I looked at Garrett.
“Lena knew?””
He nodded slowly.
“Yes.””
“And she used it against you.””
Silence.
That was answer enough.
Claire leaned forward.
“Lena threatened him.””
“With what?””
“With exposing the accident.””
I frowned.
“But if he reported it…”
Claire looked at Garrett.
“He would lose his career.””
I stared.
“So he chose to protect himself.””
Garrett’s voice was low.
“I was trying to handle it.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“You were hiding.””
He didn’t argue.
The room became quiet.
Then Garrett spoke.
“Lena said she would stay quiet if I helped her.””
“With what?””
“She claimed the baby was mine.””
My eyes narrowed.
“The baby in the picture?””
He nodded.
“She told me she needed money. She said the child was mine and she had proof.””
“But the DNA test said no.””
“Yes.””
“And you believed her?””
“I didn’t know what to believe.””
I looked at him.
“You spent months meeting her.””
“Yes.””
“You hid it from me.””
“Yes.””
“You let me think you were cheating.””
His face tightened.
“I know.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“You don’t.””
I looked at Claire.
“So why send me the messages now?””
Claire looked uncomfortable.
“Because I found out Lena was planning something bigger.””
“What?””
She hesitated.
Then pulled out another document.
A legal paper.
She handed it to me.
I read the first line.
My blood ran cold.
It was a custody petition.
But the names weren’t Garrett and Lena.
They were:
*Garrett Carter and Vivian Carter.*
I looked up.
“What is this?””
Claire’s voice was quiet.
“Lena filed a claim saying you and Garrett’s baby was connected to her situation.””
I stared.
“That makes no sense.””
“No.””
Claire shook her head.
“But Lena doesn’t need things to make sense.””
Garrett stood suddenly.
“I can fix this.””
I looked at him.
That sentence.
Those four words.
They made me furious.
Because Garrett always believed he could fix things after destroying them.
“You can’t fix this.””
“Vivian—”
“You can’t fix months of lies.””
I looked at my son.
“You can’t fix leaving me alone.””
My voice cracked.
“And you definitely can’t fix making me question whether my own child is safe because you refused to tell me the truth.””
Garrett looked devastated.
But I couldn’t let that change anything.
Not anymore.
Then Claire’s phone rang.
She looked at the screen.
Her face drained.
“What?””
I watched her answer.
“Hello?””
A pause.
Then she looked at Garrett.
“No.””
Her voice became fearful.
“What did you say?””
She slowly lowered the phone.
“What happened?”” I asked.
She looked at me.
Then at Garrett.
“It’s Lena.””
Garrett froze.
“What about her?””
Claire swallowed.
“She knows you found out.””
The room went silent.
“How?””
Claire’s hands shook.
“I don’t know.””
Then she looked at me.
“But she sent one message.””
My chest tightened.
“What message?””
Claire turned the phone around.
The text was short.
Simple.
Terrifying.
*“If Vivian wants the truth, she should ask Garrett why he switched the DNA results.””*
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Because suddenly, the impossible question appeared.
The test.
The paternity test.
The one piece of evidence that changed everything.
What if it wasn’t real?
I looked at Garrett.
His face had gone completely pale.
And for the first time…
May you like
I wasn’t afraid of what he had hidden.
I was afraid of what he was still hiding.
