Chapter 6: The Baby in My Wedding Photograph
The photograph stayed on Laura's computer screen.
Nobody spoke.
My mother was the first to break the silence.
"Emily?""
I turned toward her.
"Do you recognize the man standing beside you in the picture?""
She looked at the photograph.
Then she looked away.
"Where did you get that?""
"Tyler sent it.""
Her face drained of color.
My father stepped closer.
"What's going on?""
My mother pressed her fingers against her lips.
"That's not possible.""
I stood.
"Mom, who is that man?""
She looked at me.
Her eyes filled with tears.
"His name is Christopher.""
"Who is he?""
She took a shaky breath.
"He was your mother's cousin's son. We knew him when you were younger.""
I stared at her.
"Why is he holding a baby at my wedding?""
My mother shook her head.
"I don't know.""
Daniel spoke quietly.
"Emily, I think you should sit down.""
I turned toward him.
"Stop telling me to sit down. Everyone seems to know something about my life except me.""
He lowered his eyes.
Laura closed the laptop.
"Let's slow down. We need to establish what the photograph actually shows before drawing conclusions.""
My mother took the photograph from the table.
She studied it carefully.
Then she pointed to the baby.
"Look at his left cheek.""
I leaned closer.
There was a small, dark birthmark just beneath the eye.
The same one I'd noticed on Noah.
My mother began crying.
"Oh, Emily.""
"What?""
She looked at me.
"I've seen that birthmark before.""
My stomach tightened.
"Where?""
"On Christopher's little boy.""
I stared at her.
"How old was he?""
"About three months.""
I looked at the photograph again.
The date was five years earlier.
The baby couldn't possibly have been Noah.
Which meant Tyler had sent me a photograph of a child who looked remarkably like Noah.
I swallowed.
"Was Tyler there when this photograph was taken?""
My mother nodded.
"Yes. He was standing beside you.""
"Did he know Christopher?""
"Of course. They spoke during the reception.""
I looked at Daniel.
He was staring at the floor.
"Daniel?""
He looked up.
"There's something I didn't tell you.""
I laughed bitterly.
"That seems to be everyone's favorite sentence.""
He took a breath.
"Tyler told me years ago that he had been helping someone with a private financial arrangement. I thought it was a business investment.""
"Who?""
"Christopher.""
My mother's hand flew to her mouth.
"Christopher?""
Daniel nodded.
"Tyler said Christopher had been involved in a property deal. There was a child, and some money needed to be transferred.""
My mother sat down.
"Oh, God.""
I turned toward her.
"What do you know?""
She shook her head.
"Not enough. I haven't spoken to Christopher in years.""
"Why?""
"He moved away after your wedding.""
"Why?""
My father finally spoke.
"Because there was an argument.""
I looked at him.
"What argument?""
He rubbed his forehead.
"Christopher claimed Tyler had promised to help him with something. Your grandfather became involved. It was ugly.""
My heart was pounding.
"What did Tyler promise him?""
My father looked at my mother.
She closed her eyes.
Then she said, "Money.""
I stared at her.
"How much?""
"Twenty-five thousand dollars.""
Daniel looked up sharply.
"That's the same amount.""
My mother turned toward him.
"What?""
"The first transfer I found in Tyler's records. Twenty-five thousand dollars. It was made to an account under Christopher's name.""
I felt as if the room had suddenly become smaller.
"Why?""
Daniel shook his head.
"I don't know.""
Laura stood.
"Before we go further, I want to make one thing clear. We have a possible pattern involving financial transfers, false documentation, and multiple people. We need evidence, not assumptions.""
She looked at my mother.
"Do you have any old correspondence from Christopher?""
My mother nodded slowly.
"I might.""
"Where?""
"At home. In a box of family photographs and letters.""
Laura wrote down the address.
"We'll need those.""
I looked at my mother.
"Why didn't you tell me about any of this?""
She reached for my hand.
"Because I thought it had nothing to do with you.""
I pulled away.
"Everything seems to have something to do with me now.""
She lowered her eyes.
"I know.""
For a moment, I felt angry with her.
Then I looked at the photograph again.
The woman in the wedding dress was me.
Young.
Happy.
Completely unaware that the man beside her might have been hiding a secret that had begun years before their marriage.
My phone rang.
Tyler.
I declined it.
He called again.
I declined again.
Then a text arrived.
*I sent you the picture because I want you to understand that Vanessa isn't the real problem.*
Another message followed.
*You need to know what happened at Mercy Bay.*
I stared at the screen.
The hospital.
The place where I'd delivered my daughters.
I typed:
What happened at Mercy Bay?
His answer took nearly a minute.
*Ask your mother why she came to see me the night your daughters were born.*
I looked up.
My mother was watching me.
"Mom?""
She went pale.
"What?""
"Did you visit Tyler at Mercy Bay the night Piper and Poppy were born?""
She didn't answer.
I stood.
"Mom?""
She pressed both hands together.
"Yes.""
The word came out barely above a whisper.
My chest tightened.
"Why?""
She started crying.
"Emily, I was trying to protect you.""
I stepped backward.
"From what?""
My father moved toward her.
"Maybe we should discuss this at home.""
"No," I said.
"We're discussing it now.""
My mother wiped her face.
"Tyler called me that evening.""
"What did he want?""
"He said he needed to speak to me privately.""
"About what?""
She looked toward Laura.
Then toward Daniel.
Finally, she looked at me.
"He told me that there was a problem with the birth records.""
I frowned.
"What problem?""
"One of the hospital forms had the wrong information.""
"Which form?""
She shook her head.
"I don't remember exactly.""
"Mom, you don't forget something like that.""
She began crying harder.
"I know.""
I took a step closer.
"Did he ask you to sign something?""
She nodded.
The room went silent.
I felt my heartbeat in my throat.
"What did you sign?""
My mother covered her face.
"A correction.""
I stared at her.
"What correction?""
She lowered her hands.
"Tyler said the hospital had made an error. He said one of the babies had been entered under the wrong family record.""
I felt dizzy.
"Which baby?""
"Poppy.""
I looked at Laura.
She immediately reached for her phone.
"Emily, I want you to request the original hospital birth records. Not copies supplied by Tyler. We need the official records directly from the hospital.""
I turned toward my mother.
"What did you change?""
"I didn't know.""
"What did you change?""
She shook her head.
"He told me it was a clerical error.""
My voice broke.
"Mom, what did you sign?""
She finally whispered:
"A declaration acknowledging that Poppy had been born under a different maternal record.""
For several seconds, I couldn't understand her.
Then the meaning hit me.
"No.""
My mother reached for me.
"Emily—"
"No!""
I stepped away.
"Are you telling me you signed something saying Poppy wasn't my daughter?""
"I was told it was temporary!""
"How could you sign that?""
"I trusted Tyler!""
"So did I!""
Piper began crying in the stroller.
I immediately picked her up.
My hands shook as I pressed her against my chest.
Poppy woke up too.
Laura approached carefully.
"Emily, we need to remain calm. A document does not automatically establish parentage. The hospital records, medical evidence, and DNA testing can clarify the situation.""
I looked at her.
"Could someone have switched my baby?""
She didn't answer immediately.
"That is something we need to investigate urgently.""
My mother started sobbing.
"I would never hurt your child.""
I looked at her.
"Then help me find out what happened.""
She nodded.
"I will.""
Laura made two phone calls.
One to the hospital's records department.
Another to a specialist attorney who handled complex family identity cases.
While she worked, Daniel stood near the window, staring at his phone.
I approached him.
"Why are you so quiet?""
He looked at me.
"Because I think I know what Tyler was doing.""
"What?""
Daniel swallowed.
"He wasn't trying to replace your daughters with Noah.""
I frowned.
"Then what was he doing?""
"He was trying to make the children legally connected to different families so the financial transfers would look legitimate.""
I stared at him.
"Explain.""
Daniel took out his phone.
He opened a photograph of a spreadsheet.
There were three names.
Emily Hayes.
Vanessa Reed.
Christopher Cole.
Beside each name was a financial amount.
And beside Poppy's name was a reference number.
I recognized the number.
It was printed on the hospital declaration my mother had signed.
Daniel pointed to the final column.
"These aren't ordinary payments, Emily.""
"What are they?""
"Trust allocations.""
I felt my stomach turn.
"Whose trust?""
Daniel looked at me.
"Your grandfather's.""
I froze.
My grandfather had died two years before my wedding.
He'd left behind a small investment company and several properties. My father had told me the estate had been divided among the family.
But I'd never seen the full paperwork.
"Why would Tyler have access to my grandfather's trust?""
Daniel looked at my mother.
"Because he was named in a private agreement.""
My mother shook her head.
"That can't be true.""
Daniel turned the phone toward me.
There was a scanned document attached to the spreadsheet.
At the top was my grandfather's name.
At the bottom was a signature.
And beside it, a clause that made my blood run cold.
*Any biological descendant of the Hayes family born within the designated trust period shall qualify as a beneficiary upon verified parentage.*
I read it again.
Then I looked at Daniel.
"What does that have to do with Poppy?""
He took a breath.
"Emily, your grandfather didn't establish a trust for you.""
He pointed to the clause.
"He established it for the grandchildren.""
My mind raced.
Piper and Poppy.
Noah.
The baby in the wedding photograph.
Suddenly, the strange hospital declaration made a terrible kind of sense.
Someone was trying to establish who belonged to which family before the inheritance could be distributed.
My phone rang.
An unfamiliar number.
I answered.
"Hello?""
A woman spoke in a professional voice.
"Is this Emily Hayes?""
"Yes.""
"This is Dr. Lauren Mitchell from Mercy Bay Medical Center. We've received your request concerning the birth records of Piper and Poppy Hayes.""
I gripped the phone.
"Yes.""
"We've located an inconsistency in the original documentation.""
My mouth went dry.
"What kind of inconsistency?""
There was a pause.
Then she said:
"Mrs. Hayes, according to the original delivery records, two babies were delivered under your name. However, one of the identification bands was later replaced.""
I closed my eyes.
"By whom?""
Another pause.
"We're still reviewing the security footage and the archived documentation.""
"Please tell me what happened.""
The doctor's voice became quieter.
"There's something else, Mrs. Hayes.""
"What?""
"The baby listed as Poppy on your discharge paperwork was not originally assigned to your hospital room.""
I felt the phone slipping from my fingers.
Laura immediately stood.
"Emily?""
I couldn't speak.
The doctor continued.
"And the original identification record for your second daughter contains a different name.""
I looked at my mother.
She was crying.
I looked at Daniel.
He had gone completely still.
Then the doctor said the name.
*Noah Reed.*
My knees nearly gave way.
May you like
Because if the hospital records were correct, the baby Vanessa had been raising as Noah might have been the child I'd carried, delivered, and held in my arms for the first time three months ago.
And the baby sleeping in the stroller beside me might not have been my daughter at all.
