Chapter 5: The Truth Hidden In The Hospital
Mark came to my apartment the next morning.
I knew it was him before I opened the door.
The way he knocked.
Three slow taps.
Like he still belonged there.
Like he still had a key to my life.
I didn’t open it immediately.
“Chloe.””
His voice sounded exhausted.
“I know you’re home.””
I looked at Lily sleeping on the couch with her blanket wrapped around her.
She had cried herself to sleep after asking why Daddy wasn’t coming home.
I hated him for that.
Not because he left.
Because he made her wonder if she was the reason.
I opened the door.
Mark looked terrible.
His shirt was wrinkled.
His eyes were red.
For one second, the old part of me wanted to hug him.
Then I remembered the recording.
*You’ll choose your family.*
And I remembered what family meant to him.
Everyone except us.
“What do you want?””
His face changed.
“Can I come in?””
“No.””
“Chloe.””
“No.””
He looked behind me.
“Is Lily okay?””
The question almost made me laugh.
Now he cared.
“She’s fine.””
“I want to see her.””
“No.””
His jaw tightened.
“You can’t keep my daughter from me.””
I stared at him.
“Your daughter?””
Something flashed across his face.
A moment of fear.
A tiny moment.
But I saw it.
And I knew.
He knew something.
“What?””
He looked confused.
“What?””
“Why did you react like that?””
“Like what?””
“When I said your daughter.””
He looked away.
“Because I’m tired.””
“No.””
I stepped closer.
“You’re scared.””
Mark became defensive immediately.
“Chloe, this is ridiculous.””
“Is it?””
“Yes.””
“Then answer me.””
He said nothing.
“Why did you go to the hospital two days before Lily was born?””
His expression changed.
Completely.
The color drained from his face.
And I knew Emma had told the truth.
“Who told you that?””
The question hurt more than any answer.
I whispered:
“So it’s true.””
“Chloe—”
“You went there.””
“Listen to me.””
“Why?””
He looked away.
“Because I needed to handle something.””
“Handle what?””
“Something from before.””
I laughed.
A broken, painful laugh.
“Before what?””
He didn’t answer.
“Before our marriage?””
Silence.
“Before Lily?””
His silence was enough.
I stepped backward.
“Wow.””
“Chloe, it’s not what you think.””
“That sentence should be illegal.””
“Please.””
“No.””
I pointed toward the hallway.
“Our entire marriage is built on secrets.””
“That’s not fair.””
“Fair?””
My voice rose.
“Your sister hit our child.””
“I know.””
“You knew she had done something before.””
“I was trying to protect Lily.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“You were trying to protect yourself.””
Mark looked hurt.
But not guilty.
That was the part I couldn’t understand.
How could someone look hurt when they were the one who caused the pain?
“I never wanted to hurt you.””
“You did.””
“I love you.””
The words used to mean everything.
Now they felt empty.
“If you loved me, you would have told me the truth.””
He looked down.
And for the first time, I saw something I had never seen before.
Shame.
“What truth?””
I whispered:
“Who is Lily’s biological father?””
The silence afterward was deafening.
Mark stopped breathing.
I watched him.
Waiting.
Begging him with my eyes to tell me I was wrong.
To laugh.
To say this was some horrible misunderstanding.
Instead, he sat down.
Slowly.
Like his legs couldn’t hold him anymore.
“Where did you hear that?””
My chest tightened.
“Answer me.””
He covered his face.
“Chloe…”
“Answer me!””
Lily stirred on the couch.
I immediately lowered my voice.
Mark looked toward her.
And the guilt in his eyes made me sick.
“Not here.””
“You don’t get to decide that anymore.””
He swallowed.
“I found out there was a possibility.””
“A possibility?””
“Yes.””
“What does that mean?””
He looked at me.
“I wasn’t sure.””
“About your own daughter?””
His eyes filled.
“I loved her.””
The words made me angry.
“You don’t get credit for loving her after hiding the truth.””
“I was afraid.””
“Of what?””
“Losing you.””
I stared at him.
“So you lied.””
“Yes.””
The honesty shocked me.
“Why?””
“Because when Lily was born, I saw her.””
He wiped his face.
“And I knew it didn’t matter.””
I shook my head.
“That’s not your choice to make.””
“I loved her.””
“You loved her enough to lie to me?””
“I thought I could bury it.””
“Bury what?””
He looked at the floor.
“The test.””
My heart stopped.
“What test?””
He went silent.
And then my phone buzzed.
I looked down.
A message.
From Emma.
A photo attachment.
I opened it.
It was a hospital document.
A DNA test.
The date was five years ago.
Two days before Lily was born.
And at the bottom were two names.
Mark Anderson.
And another man.
I stared at the screen.
Because the second name belonged to someone I knew.
Someone who had been at our Thanksgiving dinner.
Someone who had looked Lily in the eyes while pretending everything was normal.
The name was:
May you like
*Daniel Anderson.*
Mark’s brother.
