CHAPTER 2 — The Lie Hidden in Every Bottle
Daniel grabbed the bottle from the counter.
His hands were shaking.
He unscrewed the cap...
...and sniffed it.
It smelled exactly like expensive whiskey.
But something felt wrong.
Emma quietly opened the refrigerator.
She pulled out another identical bottle.
Then another.
Finally, she lined six bottles across the kitchen counter.
"They all look the same," she said softly.
Daniel frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
Emma twisted open one bottle and poured it into a glass.
Golden.
Perfectly clear.
She pushed it toward him.
"Drink."
Daniel hesitated.
Then took one cautious sip.
His eyes widened instantly.
It wasn't alcohol.
It was chilled apple tea mixed with caramel syrup.
The smell had been created with a few drops of oak extract.
Completely harmless.
Daniel looked confused.
"Why would you fake drinking every night?"
Emma reached into a drawer and placed a thick folder in front of him.
Private investigator reports.
Bank statements.
Photos.
Hotel receipts.
Phone records.
Every page carried Daniel's name.
"I stopped drinking two years ago," Emma said quietly.
"I only wanted you to believe I was too broken to notice what you were doing."
Daniel's face drained of color.
"You..."
"You hired someone?"
Emma nodded.
"I wanted proof before Lily was old enough to understand why her father kept disappearing."
Then she slid one final photograph across the counter.
Daniel's hands trembled.
It showed him embracing another woman.
Standing beside them...
...was a little boy about six years old.
The child looked almost identical to Lily.
Daniel whispered,
"Emma... I can explain..."
She slowly shook her head.
"No."
"The DNA test already did."
Silence filled the kitchen.
Then Emma delivered the words that shattered everything.
"That little boy isn't your affair partner's son."
Daniel blinked.
"What?"
Emma looked him directly in the eyes.
"He's your son."
"You've had another family for six years..."
"...and you never even knew."
Daniel collapsed into the nearest chair.
Everything he believed he controlled...
May you like
Had just turned into the biggest nightmare of his life.
But the most devastating secret was still waiting to be revealed...
