Chapter 9: The Child I Never Knew
Victoria’s face told me everything before she spoke.
Fear.
Regret.
Pain.
Not the expression of someone caught in a lie.
The expression of someone who had carried a terrible secret for too long.
I held the note in my hand.
*Ask Victoria why she never told you about the baby.*
The words burned into my mind.
Baby.
A single word.
A word that changed everything.
I looked at Lily.
Then back at Victoria.
“Tell me.””
She didn’t move.
“Damon…”
“No.””
My voice shook.
“I spent five years believing my family was gone.””
Victoria’s eyes filled with tears.
“I know.””
“No, you don’t.””
I stepped closer.
“You don’t know what it feels like to stand in front of a grave and talk to someone who isn’t there.””
She looked down.
“You don’t know what it feels like to wake up every morning thinking you failed the person you loved.””
My voice broke.
“And now I find out my wife was alive.””
I pointed toward Lily.
“My daughter was alive.””
Then I looked at her.
“And you knew something else.””
Victoria closed her eyes.
“I’m sorry.””
I shook my head.
“Stop saying that.””
She looked up.
“I don’t need an apology.””
I held the note tighter.
“I need the truth.””
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Victoria whispered:
“There was another child.””
The room went completely silent.
James looked shocked.
“What?””
Victoria looked at me.
“Emma was pregnant before the accident.””
I felt the air leave my lungs.
I knew.
Some part of me had always known.
Because when Lily said she was my daughter, I felt something impossible.
A connection.
A piece of Emma.
But hearing it confirmed still destroyed me.
“Another child?””
Victoria nodded.
“Yes.””
“Where?””
Her expression changed.
And that scared me more.
Because I expected sadness.
I expected regret.
I expected guilt.
But what I saw was fear.
“Damon…”
“Where is my child?””
Victoria looked away.
“I don’t know.””
I grabbed the edge of the table.
“No.””
My voice became sharper.
“No more secrets.””
“I’m not hiding it.””
“Then tell me.””
She took a shaky breath.
“Emma lost the baby.””
The words hit differently.
A different kind of pain.
A child I never knew.
A life I never got to meet.
My eyes closed.
“Why didn’t she tell me?””
Victoria looked devastated.
“Because she thought you would come after her.””
I frowned.
“What does that mean?””
“She thought if Charles knew about Lily and the pregnancy, he would use them against you.””
I looked at Lily.
My daughter was watching quietly.
She didn’t understand everything.
But she understood sadness.
“Emma knew she was pregnant?””
Victoria nodded.
“She found out shortly before everything happened.””
“And Charles knew?””
“Yes.””
My hands clenched.
“He knew about Lily.””
“Yes.””
“He knew Emma was carrying my child.””
“Yes.””
“And he still took her away.””
Victoria looked down.
“Yes.””
The anger inside me became something heavier.
Not rage.
Something colder.
A decision.
“Where is Emma?””
Victoria looked at me.
“I don’t know.””
“But you know where she went.””
“No.””
“Then why did she call you?””
Victoria hesitated.
“She wanted me to help her.””
“Help her with what?””
“To find the person who was helping Charles.””
My eyes narrowed.
“What person?””
Victoria looked toward the archive.
“The person who changed everything.””
James stepped forward.
“What are you talking about?””
Victoria’s face became pale.
“The person who changed the accident report.””
I stared.
“Adrian Cross?””
She nodded.
“Yes.””
“But he worked with Charles.””
“At first.””
“What does that mean?””
Victoria walked toward the table.
She picked up one of the files.
“This.””
She opened it.
Inside were medical records.
Not Emma’s.
Someone else’s.
I looked at the name.
My heart stopped.
*Damon Whitmore.*
My own name.
“What is this?””
Victoria looked at me.
“Your father wasn’t just trying to control the company.””
She turned the page.
“He was trying to control you.””
I read the document.
Medical evaluations.
Private reports.
Psychological assessments.
My entire life had been analyzed.
My weaknesses.
My habits.
My decisions.
“This is insane.””
Victoria nodded.
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because Charles believed you were becoming too difficult to control.””
I looked at James.
“He planned everything.””
“Yes.””
“Emma found out.””
“Yes.””
“And she tried to stop him.””
“Yes.””
The pieces finally connected.
But one question remained.
“Why would Charles keep Emma alive?””
Nobody answered.
Then Lily spoke.
“Because Mommy knew where the box was.””
Everyone turned.
I looked at her.
“What box?””
She held her rabbit tighter.
“The box Mommy said bad people wanted.””
My heart raced.
“Where is it?””
Lily pointed toward her stuffed rabbit.
Inside.
My eyes widened.
“Lily.””
She carefully pulled the rabbit closer.
“Mommy put something inside.””
My hands shook.
I took the rabbit gently.
The seam on the side had been repaired.
Recently.
I grabbed a small knife from the desk and carefully opened the stitching.
Inside was a tiny memory card.
Nobody spoke.
Emma had hidden the truth inside our daughter’s toy.
A place nobody would search.
I placed the card into my laptop.
A single video file appeared.
Created five years ago.
The title:
*For Damon.*
My heart stopped.
I clicked.
The screen went black.
Then Emma appeared.
Alive.
Five years younger.
Sitting in a small room.
Her eyes were red from crying.
But she smiled when she saw the camera.
“Damon.””
I covered my mouth.
Hearing her voice again was almost too much.
“If you are watching this, then something happened.””
Emma looked down.
“I’m sorry.””
Tears formed in her eyes.
“I wanted to come home.””
I couldn’t breathe.
“I wanted to hold you.””
She touched her stomach.
“And I wanted you to meet our children.””
Lily moved closer to the screen.
“That’s Mommy.””
I nodded.
Unable to speak.
Emma continued.
“But I learned the truth about Charles.””
She looked directly into the camera.
“He didn’t just want my silence.””
A pause.
“He wanted Damon’s entire life.””
The video shook slightly.
Emma looked frightened.
“There is someone helping him.””
My heart tightened.
Someone.
Not Victoria.
Someone else.
“He has access to everything.””
She whispered.
“Your home. Your company. Your accounts.””
Then she said something that made me freeze.
“Even your closest friends.””
The video continued.
“I don’t know who I can trust anymore.””
Emma wiped her tears.
“But there is one person I need you to listen to.””
The screen flickered.
Then Emma said:
“Victoria.””
I looked at Victoria.
She froze.
Emma continued.
“She made mistakes.””
Victoria covered her mouth.
“But she is not your enemy.””
My breathing stopped.
The video was proving Emma’s warning wrong.
Or at least more complicated.
“She helped me escape.””
Victoria started crying.
“I’m sorry, Damon.””
I watched the screen.
Emma looked directly into the camera.
“Damon, if Victoria is with you, it means she finally chose the right side.””
A pause.
Then Emma’s expression changed.
Fear returned.
“But there is one person you cannot trust.””
The room became silent.
Everyone leaned closer.
Emma whispered:
“The person who has been protecting Charles from the beginning.””
The video glitched.
Her final words became distorted.
Then clear.
“Damon…”
She looked terrified.
“It’s not your father.””
The screen went black.
Nobody moved.
Not one person.
Because the last thing Emma said changed everything.
Charles wasn’t the only person behind this.
Someone had protected him.
Someone closer.
Someone we never suspected.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
This time, a man spoke.
A voice I recognized instantly.
Not Charles.
Not Adrian.
Someone else.
Someone who had been standing beside me all night.
“Damon.””
My blood froze.
“Look at Victoria.””
Slowly, I turned.
The voice continued:
“She’s been lying to you again.””
Victoria’s face went pale.
The man whispered:
“She knows where Emma is.””
I stared at Victoria.
“Who is this?””
A pause.
Then:
“Ask her why Emma trusted her…”
The voice lowered.
“…but never trusted you.””
The call ended.
Victoria looked at me.
And for the first time, I saw something in her eyes I had never seen before.
Not fear.
Not guilt.
A warning.
“Damon,” she whispered.
“You need to leave.””
“Why?””
May you like
She looked toward the dark windows.
“Because they found us.””
