Chapter 2: The Daughter I Never Knew Existed
"I... I'm pregnant."
The words exploded inside my head like thunder.
For a moment, I couldn't breathe.
I looked at the old photograph again.
Seven years ago.
The summer in Chicago.
A rooftop bar.
A beautiful woman named Sarah.
And one unforgettable weekend.
I remembered every detail.
Her laugh.
The way she stole my fries.
The tiny scar near her eyebrow.
And the morning she disappeared.
I had searched for her for months.
Called every number I had.
Even gone back to the coffee shop where we'd met.
She was simply... gone.
And now she was sitting in front of me with a six-year-old girl who looked suspiciously like me.
"No..." I whispered.
Sarah's eyes filled with tears.
"I tried to find you."
I looked up sharply.
"Then why did you disappear?"
She took a shaky breath.
"Because someone made me."
The restaurant suddenly felt too small.
"What are you talking about?"
Before she could answer, Lily climbed onto her mother's lap.
"Mommy, are you crying again?"
Again.
The word hit me.
This little girl had seen her mother cry many times.
Sarah forced a smile.
"No, sweetheart."
Lily touched her face gently.
"You always cry when you talk about him."
My chest tightened.
About him.
About me?
Sarah hugged her daughter tightly.
Then she looked at me.
"You deserve the truth."
I slowly sat down.
She swallowed hard.
"After that weekend together, I found out I was pregnant."
I couldn't move.
"I tried to call you."
"I never got any calls."
"I know."
She wiped away a tear.
"Because my phone was taken."
"Taken by who?"
Her lips trembled.
"My father."
I frowned.
"Your father?"
She nodded.
"You never met him. You should be grateful."
Something in her voice made my stomach turn.
"He was wealthy. Powerful. Controlling. He believed I ruined my future by getting pregnant."
I stared at her.
"He found out about you."
"And?"
"He hired someone to investigate you."
A chill ran down my spine.
"He knew everything. Your job. Your apartment. Your family."
I felt sick.
"He said you weren't good enough."
I laughed bitterly.
"So he erased me?"
"He tried."
Sarah looked down.
"He took my phone, changed my number, and sent me to another state until Lily was born."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"You just let him?"
Tears streamed down her face.
"I was twenty-four, pregnant, scared, and completely dependent on him."
I had imagined a thousand reasons why she disappeared.
None of them looked like this.
"I hated myself every day."
Silence filled the table.
Then Lily looked at me.
"Are you mad at Mommy?"
I looked into her innocent eyes.
"No."
She seemed relieved.
"Good. Because she's nice."
I almost smiled.
Almost.
Then she said:
"And she keeps your picture next to her bed."
Sarah covered her face.
"Sweetheart..."
"What? You do."
I looked at Sarah.
She nodded slowly.
"I never stopped thinking about you."
The air felt heavy.
Seven years.
Seven years that I could have known my daughter.
Seven birthdays.
Seven Christmas mornings.
Seven years of bedtime stories.
Gone.
I looked at Lily again.
She had my eyes.
My smile.
Even the tiny dimple in her left cheek.
A strange pain spread through my chest.
I had missed everything.
Then suddenly my phone buzzed.
I ignored it.
It buzzed again.
And again.
Claire.
I answered.
"Claire, not now."
Her voice sounded panicked.
"Ethan, where are you?"
"At the restaurant."
"Listen to me carefully."
Something in her tone made my heart race.
"What happened?"
"I think someone is following me."
I stood immediately.
"What?"
"I just left your apartment. There's a black SUV outside. It has been there for twenty minutes."
Sarah's face turned white.
I looked at her.
She looked terrified.
"Ethan..." she whispered.
I covered the phone.
"Do you know something?"
She looked toward the restaurant windows.
Then all the color drained from her face.
"Oh my God."
"What?"
She slowly raised her shaking hand.
Outside, across the street...
A black SUV had just parked.
A man in a dark coat stepped out.
And he was staring directly at us.
Sarah grabbed Lily and pulled her close.
"No... no, no, no..."
"Who is that?" I demanded.
Her voice broke.
"It's him."
"Who?"
She looked at me with pure terror.
"My father found us."
At that exact moment, my phone buzzed again.
A text message.
Unknown number.
I opened it.
Only six words appeared on the screen.
You finally met your daughter.
Then another message arrived.
Now bring her outside. Alone.
I looked up.
The man across the street smiled.
And slowly raised his hand...
May you like
As if he had been waiting for this moment for seven long years.
To Be Continued…
