Chapter 4: The DNA Lie
"That's impossible."
Richard Bennett's voice shook.
He grabbed the DNA report from my hands and stared at it as if it had suddenly caught fire.
"No… this can't be right."
Sarah looked equally stunned.
"What do you mean?" she asked. "You were the one who said Ethan wasn't Lily's father."
Richard slowly looked up.
"Because that's what the original test said."
A chill ran through me.
"Original test?"
He nodded.
"Seven years ago, I ordered a paternity test."
"You what?" Sarah gasped.
"I needed to know who the father was."
"You had no right!"
"I was trying to protect you!"
"By stealing my child and controlling my life?"
People in the restaurant were openly staring now, but none of us cared.
I took the paper back.
"This report says I'm her father."
Richard looked pale.
"Then someone changed the results."
Silence.
Then Sarah whispered:
"There's only one person who could have done that."
I looked at her.
She had gone completely white.
"Who?"
She swallowed hard.
"Daniel."
The name meant nothing to me.
But Richard's face changed instantly.
"No," he said.
"Yes."
"No. He wouldn't."
Sarah let out a bitter laugh.
"You still don't understand who he is, do you?"
I frowned.
"Who is Daniel?"
She looked at me.
"The man I dated before I met you."
"The man you thought might be Lily's father?"
She nodded.
Then she said something that made my blood run cold.
"He became obsessed with me."
The room fell silent.
"He didn't want us to break up. He followed me everywhere. Called me hundreds of times."
I could hear my heartbeat.
"When I found out I was pregnant, I never told him."
"Why not?"
"Because I was afraid."
A terrible feeling settled in my stomach.
She continued.
"When my father sent me away, I thought Daniel would never find us."
Richard looked down.
"But he did."
Sarah nodded.
"He found me six months after Lily was born."
"What happened?" I asked.
Tears filled her eyes.
"He said something I'll never forget."
She paused.
Then whispered:
'If I can't have you, nobody will.'
A shiver went through me.
"He wanted me to raise Lily with him. He insisted she was his daughter."
"And was she?"
She looked directly at me.
"I never believed she was."
I looked at the DNA report again.
99.98%.
My daughter.
My little girl.
The little girl sitting beside me, quietly coloring on a napkin.
She had no idea that her entire world had just changed.
Then Richard spoke.
"I paid Daniel to disappear."
Everyone looked at him.
"You what?"
He looked ashamed.
"He promised to leave if I gave him money."
Sarah looked horrified.
"You made a deal with him?"
"I thought it would keep you safe."
"How much?"
Richard swallowed.
"Five hundred thousand dollars."
I nearly choked.
"Half a million?"
"He took the money and vanished."
For a moment, nobody said anything.
Then my phone buzzed again.
Unknown number.
I opened the message.
Family reunions are beautiful, aren't they?
My blood turned cold.
Another message arrived.
You finally know the truth.
I looked toward the window.
The black SUV was gone.
Then a third message appeared.
Now it's my turn to see my daughter.
Sarah saw my face.
"What is it?"
I handed her the phone.
She read the message and screamed.
"No."
Then another text arrived.
This time it included a photo.
A recent photo.
Of this restaurant.
Taken from outside.
Taken only minutes ago.
The caption read:
I'm closer than you think.
Every hair on my body stood up.
I looked around the room.
Whoever sent this...
Could still be here.
Suddenly, Lily tugged on my sleeve.
"Mister Ethan?"
I looked down.
She pointed toward the back of the restaurant.
A man wearing a baseball cap had just stood up from a corner booth.
I had never noticed him before.
Neither had anyone else.
The man slowly smiled at us.
Then he raised his phone.
As if to show us he had just sent the message.
Sarah's face lost all color.
Her voice became barely a whisper.
"No…"
The man tipped his cap.
And said three words.
"Hello, little family."
Then he looked directly at me.
"You must be Ethan."
I stood up.
"Who are you?"
The man's smile widened.
"You already know."
He looked at Sarah.
She began shaking uncontrollably.
Then he said the name himself.
"I'm Daniel."
The entire restaurant went silent.
And then Daniel pointed at Lily.
And said something that made my heart stop.
May you like
"I'm here to take my daughter home."
To Be Continued…
