Chapter 3: The Daughter Who Wasn't Supposed to Exist
Damon entered the kitchen without knocking.
He was still wearing his wedding ring.
That small detail bothered me more than it should have.
He had been living two separate lives, yet he'd never bothered to remove the symbol of the one he was betraying.
His eyes went straight to the laptop.
"Close it," he repeated.
I didn't move.
"Did you use my eggs?""
He stopped.
For the first time since I'd known him, Damon looked genuinely lost for words.
"Emily—"
"Answer me.""
He rubbed his forehead.
"You're looking at documents you don't understand.""
"Then explain them.""
"It's complicated.""
"Was Claire carrying your child?""
He looked toward the hallway.
I followed his gaze.
"Is someone else here?""
"No.""
"Then look at me.""
He did.
I pointed to the screen.
"Why is my name on this form?""
He pulled out a chair.
"Sit down.""
"I'm already standing.""
"Emily, please.""
"Did you use my eggs?""
He exhaled.
Then he said something I would never forget.
"We were trying to give you a child.""
I stared at him.
"What?""
"You wanted a family.""
"I am pregnant.""
"I know.""
"Then why was Claire carrying your baby?""
He pressed his palms against the table.
"Before you got pregnant, we were having trouble.""
I felt my chest tighten.
"What trouble?""
"Your tests weren't coming back the way we hoped.""
"My doctor told me everything was normal.""
"Not everything.""
I shook my head.
"You're lying.""
"I'm not.""
He leaned forward.
"Claire offered to help.""
I laughed once.
A short, disbelieving sound.
"Help?""
"She was willing to be a surrogate.""
"Without telling me?""
"She said it would be easier if we waited until the pregnancy was established.""
"Waited until what?""
"Until we knew it would work.""
I looked at the document again.
My name was printed above the signature.
"Where did you get my eggs?""
He didn't answer.
I felt my stomach turn.
"Where did you get them, Damon?""
He looked down.
"From the clinic.""
"What clinic?""
"The fertility clinic.""
"I have never been to a fertility clinic.""
He stood up.
"Emily, I need you to calm down.""
"Don't tell me to calm down.""
"You don't understand what happened.""
"Then explain it!""
He ran a hand through his hair.
"You had a medical procedure two years ago.""
My mind went blank.
Two years ago.
I had undergone surgery to remove an ovarian cyst.
It had been a routine procedure.
Damon had taken me to the hospital.
He had waited beside my bed.
He had held my hand when I woke up.
I remembered him telling me that everything had gone perfectly.
"That was the cyst surgery," I whispered.
He said nothing.
I looked at him.
"What did they do?""
"Emily—"
"What did they do?""
He finally answered.
"They retrieved some eggs.""
The kitchen seemed to shrink around me.
"Without my permission?""
"You were under anesthesia.""
I stared at him.
"You knew?""
He closed his eyes.
"I thought it was the best chance we had.""
"You thought stealing my eggs was the best chance we had?""
"Don't call it stealing.""
"What should I call it?""
He stepped toward me.
I stepped back.
"Stay away.""
His hands dropped.
"Emily, listen. Claire agreed. She wanted to help us.""
"Then why did she have your baby?""
"Because it worked.""
I looked at the laptop.
The document.
The dates.
The signatures.
The hospital bracelet Claire had mentioned.
"How old is she?""
Damon's expression changed.
"Who?""
"Your daughter.""
He swallowed.
"Emily—"
"How old is she?""
He looked at the floor.
"One year and seven months.""
I gripped the edge of the counter.
One year and seven months.
That meant the child had been born before my pregnancy.
Before the ultrasound appointment.
Before Damon had started talking about becoming a father.
He had already been a father for nearly two years.
And he had kept it from me.
"Where is she?""
He hesitated.
"She lives with Claire.""
I shook my head.
"Does Owen know?""
His eyes snapped up.
That was answer enough.
I laughed bitterly.
"Of course he doesn't.""
Damon walked toward the laptop.
I closed it before he could reach it.
"Don't touch my things.""
"Emily, you need to understand the situation.""
"I understand that you had a child with my best friend.""
"It wasn't like that.""
"Then what was it like?""
He opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
I picked up my phone.
"I'm calling Owen.""
Damon moved so quickly that he knocked his chair backward.
"No.""
I stared at him.
"Why?""
"Because you don't know what you're doing.""
"Then tell me.""
He reached for my phone.
I stepped away.
"Don't touch me.""
"Emily, if Owen finds out, everything falls apart.""
I stared at him.
"Everything?""
He pressed his lips together.
Then he said:
"Claire's been telling him the baby is adopted.""
I felt a strange coldness settle over me.
"Adopted by whom?""
Damon didn't answer.
I opened my phone and searched for Owen's number.
Before I could press call, Damon spoke again.
"By you.""
I stopped.
The phone slipped slightly in my hand.
"What?""
He looked at me with a desperation I had never seen before.
"Claire told Owen that the baby was adopted by a family through a private arrangement. She said the birth mother didn't want contact.""
I could barely form the words.
"And what did you tell him?""
"Nothing.""
"You let him believe his wife had given up a child?""
Damon shook his head.
"Emily, I didn't want to hurt anyone.""
I stared at him.
"You didn't want to hurt anyone?""
He reached for the chair.
Then sat down.
"Claire was struggling. Owen had been working overseas. Their marriage was falling apart. She was desperate to have a child.""
"And you decided to help her.""
"Yes.""
"With my eggs.""
He didn't answer.
"With my medical records.""
Still nothing.
"And my signature.""
He lowered his head.
I felt something inside me break.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Just a quiet snapping, like a thread pulled too hard.
I picked up the laptop and carried it away from him.
Then I called the fertility clinic.
The receptionist answered after three rings.
"Good afternoon, Brookfield Fertility Center. How can I help you?""
"My name is Emily Carter. I need to speak with someone about a medical consent form.""
"Certainly. Do you have a patient reference number?""
I gave her my date of birth.
A few seconds passed.
Then she said:
"Thank you, Ms. Carter. I can see your file.""
"Can you tell me whether I ever authorized an egg retrieval?""
Another pause.
"I'm sorry. I can only discuss sensitive medical information after verifying your identity.""
"I can come in.""
"Of course. Would tomorrow morning work?""
"Yes.""
I glanced at Damon.
He was staring at me.
"One more thing," I said.
"Was Claire Bennett listed as a gestational carrier?""
The receptionist went quiet.
Then she said:
"Ms. Carter, I think it's best if you speak directly with our records manager.""
My stomach tightened.
"Why?""
"I don't want to give you incomplete information.""
"Is there something else in my file?""
She hesitated.
"Yes.""
"What?""
"I can see multiple consent documents associated with your account.""
"How many?""
"Three.""
I closed my eyes.
"Thank you.""
I ended the call.
Damon was already standing.
"You shouldn't have done that.""
I turned.
"Why?""
"Because you're going to make this worse.""
"For whom?""
He didn't answer.
I went upstairs.
I packed a small bag with clothes, my medication, and the ultrasound photograph.
Damon followed me into the bedroom.
"Where are you going?""
"To my sister's.""
"You can't just leave.""
"Watch me.""
He stood between me and the door.
"Emily, we need to discuss this.""
"We've discussed enough.""
"Claire made mistakes.""
I looked at him.
"You're blaming Claire?""
"I'm saying she was involved.""
"You were involved too.""
"I know.""
"Then why are you acting like she dragged you into it?""
His jaw tightened.
"Because you don't understand what she did.""
I froze.
"What did Claire do?""
He looked away.
"Nothing.""
"Say it.""
"Emily, please.""
"What did she do?""
He finally looked at me.
"She told me she was carrying one baby.""
I frowned.
"One?""
He nodded slowly.
"At the first ultrasound, there was only one.""
I waited.
"Then at the twenty-week scan, there were two.""
My fingers tightened around the strap of my bag.
"Twins?""
He nodded.
I stared at him.
"Where are the other babies?""
His face went pale.
"That's what I don't know.""
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then Damon explained.
According to him, Claire had delivered two girls.
One had been placed with the family he'd arranged through a private adoption contact.
The other had been taken somewhere else.
He claimed Claire had told him the second baby had died shortly after birth.
But he had never seen a death certificate.
He had never attended a funeral.
He had never received hospital records.
And he had never been allowed to see the second child.
"Why?"" I whispered.
"I don't know.""
"Did you ask?""
"Of course I asked.""
"And?""
"Claire said it was better that way.""
I looked at him.
"You believed her?""
"I didn't have a choice.""
I stared at the man who had apparently arranged a secret pregnancy, concealed medical procedures, and forged my signature.
"You always have a choice.""
He lowered his head.
I walked around him.
He didn't stop me this time.
At the bottom of the stairs, I turned.
"Don't contact me unless it's about the baby I'm carrying.""
His face crumpled.
"Emily, she's my daughter too.""
I looked at him.
"Then you should have remembered that before you climbed into bed with her mother.""
I left.
My sister Rachel lived twenty minutes away.
She opened the door in her pajamas, took one look at my face, and pulled me into her arms.
"What's happened?""
I couldn't speak.
She guided me to the sofa and brought me a blanket.
"Is it the baby?""
"No.""
"Is Damon okay?""
I shook my head.
Rachel sat beside me.
"Emily, talk to me.""
I handed her my phone.
She read the messages.
Then she opened the photographs.
When she reached the fertility consent form, her expression hardened.
"Did you sign this?""
"No.""
"Are you sure?""
"Rachel, I remember the surgery. I never agreed to any of this.""
She stared at the screen.
"Then you need a lawyer.""
"I know.""
"And you need a doctor who isn't connected to that clinic.""
I nodded.
Rachel took my hand.
"You're not handling this alone.""
For the first time that day, I cried.
Not because Damon had cheated.
Not because Claire had betrayed me.
I cried because I had spent years believing I was building a family with someone who loved me.
And somewhere in that house, a little girl existed because two people had used my body without my knowledge.
A little girl who might never know why she had been hidden.
My phone rang.
Owen.
I stared at his name.
Rachel noticed.
"Answer it.""
I did.
"Emily?"" Owen sounded cheerful.
"Hey! How are you?""
I swallowed.
"Fine.""
"Claire mentioned you found something of hers.""
My stomach tightened.
"She did?""
"Yeah. She said she left a necklace at your house.""
I looked at Rachel.
She was already shaking her head.
"Something like that," I said.
Owen laughed.
"That woman loses everything. Anyway, I wanted to ask you something.""
"What?""
"Have you spoken to Claire today?""
"Yes.""
His voice changed.
"Did she seem upset?""
I didn't answer.
"Because she's been acting strange lately. She's been getting calls from some private number, and yesterday I found a hospital bill in her desk.""
I sat straighter.
"What hospital?""
"St. Mary's.""
The same hospital listed on the old medical documents.
Owen continued.
"Do you know anything about that?""
I looked at Rachel.
She mouthed, Tell him.
I took a breath.
"Owen, I think you should come see me.""
"Why?""
"There's something you need to know about Claire.""
He went quiet.
Then he asked:
"Is this about the baby?""
My blood turned cold.
"What baby?""
A long silence followed.
Finally, Owen said:
"Emily, I found the adoption papers.""
I couldn't move.
"What adoption papers?""
"The ones with your name on them.""
I closed my eyes.
He continued.
"And there's something else.""
"What?""
"I checked the hospital records.""
His voice cracked.
"Claire gave birth to twins, Emily.""
I gripped the phone.
"Yes.""
"But the adoption papers only mention one child.""
I looked at Rachel.
She had gone completely still.
Owen took a shaky breath.
"Emily, I think someone stole the other baby.""
I couldn't speak.
Then he whispered:
"And I think I know who took her.""
A message arrived while he was still on the phone.
It was from an unknown number.
There was a photograph attached.
A little girl stood in a yellow dress, holding a stuffed rabbit.
She had dark brown curls.
A small birthmark shaped like a crescent sat just beneath her left ear.
I stared at the photograph.
Then I looked at the ultrasound picture lying beside me.
The tiny face on the screen.
The same curved forehead.
The same delicate nose.
The same crescent-shaped mark, visible just beneath the baby's left ear.
A message appeared beneath the photograph.
*Unknown:* You need to meet me before Damon finds out I contacted you.
Then another message.
*Unknown:* I'm the nurse who delivered Claire's twins.
And finally:
*Unknown:* The second baby wasn't adopted. She was registered as your daughter. And according to the hospital records, you signed the papers to take her home.
I read the sentence twice.
Then I looked at Rachel.
"Someone registered a child as mine.""
Rachel covered her mouth.
My phone rang again.
This time, the caller ID displayed Damon's name.
I answered.
His voice was sharp.
"Emily, where are you?""
"Why?""
"Because the clinic just called me.""
I went still.
"What did they say?""
He lowered his voice.
"Someone requested the original records.""
"Who?""
He didn't answer immediately.
Then he said:
"Your sister.""
I looked at Rachel.
She shook her head.
She hadn't called anyone.
Damon continued.
"And Emily?""
"What?""
"Whatever you do, don't meet that nurse.""
The call ended.
A second later, the unknown number sent another message.
*Unknown:* There's something you need to know about the little girl in that photograph.
I opened it.
*Unknown:* She isn't Claire's only secret.
Then came a final photograph.
A hospital bassinet.
Two newborn girls.
One had a blue identification bracelet.
The other had a pink one.
And written on the white card between them was a name I recognized immediately.
May you like
My name.
*EMILY CARTER.*
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