CHAPTER 4 — The Woman Behind Every Lie
Emily couldn't sleep.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the unopened letters spread across the table like pieces of a life she had never lived.
The next morning, Daniel arrived carrying one last box.
"I found something else."
Inside were dozens of birthday presents.
Each one carefully wrapped.
Each one labeled with a different year.
"For Noah's 1st Birthday."
"For Noah's 5th Birthday."
"For Noah's 10th Birthday."
Emily covered her mouth.
"You bought all of these..."
Daniel nodded.
"I never stopped believing I'd find him."
Noah slowly opened the oldest package.
Inside was a tiny pair of baby shoes.
Daniel smiled sadly.
"I bought those before you were born."
The room fell silent.
Then Noah asked the question nobody expected.
"Grandma destroyed your letters..."
"...but who sent Mom those fake photographs?"
Daniel's expression changed instantly.
"I've been trying to answer that for years."
Three days later...
The private investigator called.
"We found something."
The fake photographs had been printed at a photography studio nearly sixteen years earlier.
Only one customer had ordered them.
The name on the receipt made Daniel's blood run cold.
May you like
Richard Brooks.
His own father.
