CHAPTER 5 The Baby Who Exposed the Family's Biggest Lie
The sound of the monitor filled the delivery room.
Beep… beep… beep…
But the rhythm was getting weaker.
Valeria could barely keep her eyes open.
Her body felt like it was breaking apart, but the only thought in her mind was her daughter.
"My baby…"
Her voice trembled.
"Please… save my baby."
The doctor looked at the monitor and gave a serious order.
"We need to deliver now."
The nurses moved quickly.
Everything became a blur.
Bright lights.
Urgent voices.
Footsteps rushing around her.
But one thought remained clear.
Santiago.
Where was Santiago?
She needed him.
Not because she was weak.
Not because she couldn't survive alone.
But because after everything that happened, she needed to know that at least one person had chosen her.
Outside the delivery room, Santiago paced like a man trapped in a nightmare.
Every second felt like an hour.
His hands were shaking.
His mind couldn't stop replaying everything.
His mother's cold eyes.
Valeria lying at the bottom of the stairs.
The secrets.
The lies.
The phone call from the man he thought was dead.
His entire life had collapsed in a single day.
Alejandro sat nearby, silent.
For once, the two brothers had nothing to fight about.
Only fear.
Then Santiago turned toward him.
"Tell me something."
Alejandro looked up.
"What?"
"Did my father know?"
Alejandro understood immediately.
"About you not being his biological son?"
Santiago nodded.
"Yes."
A painful silence followed.
"How long?"
"Years."
Santiago clenched his fists.
"Why didn't anyone tell me?"
Alejandro looked down.
"Because your father loved you more than anyone."
"That doesn't answer my question."
"No."
Alejandro sighed.
"But maybe the truth would have destroyed you when you were younger."
Santiago laughed bitterly.
"Instead, they waited until my wife almost died."
Neither man spoke.
Then Santiago's phone buzzed.
A message.
From an unknown number.
His heart stopped when he opened it.
There was only one sentence:
"If you want to know who your real father is, come alone."
Below it was an address.
Santiago stared at the screen.
Alejandro noticed.
"What is it?"
Santiago quickly locked his phone.
"Nothing."
But Alejandro knew him too well.
"You're lying."
Before Santiago could answer, the delivery room door opened.
A nurse stepped out.
Both men stood immediately.
"Mr. Montes?"
"Yes?"
The nurse smiled.
"Congratulations."
Santiago's eyes filled with tears.
"Is she okay?"
"Your wife is stable. The baby was born healthy."
For the first time that day…
Santiago breathed.
"My daughter?"
"She's beautiful."
A broken smile appeared on his face.
A daughter.
His daughter.
The little girl everyone had fought over.
The little girl his mother had nearly destroyed.
"I want to see them."
The nurse hesitated.
"There is something you should know."
His smile disappeared.
"What?"
"The baby was born with a small mark on her shoulder."
Santiago frowned.
"A mark?"
The nurse nodded.
"The doctor noticed it and requested additional tests."
"Why?"
"Because it matches a medical record we found."
His heart began pounding.
"What medical record?"
The nurse looked confused.
"Your family has a history of a specific genetic condition."
Santiago felt cold.
"What condition?"
Before the nurse could answer, another doctor approached.
"Mr. Montes?"
"Yes?"
"We need to talk."
The doctor's expression was serious.
Inside the hospital room, Valeria held her daughter for the first time.
Everything disappeared.
The pain.
The fear.
The betrayal.
All of it.
The baby was tiny.
Perfect.
Beautiful.
She touched her daughter's little fingers.
"My miracle…"
A tear rolled down her cheek.
Then the door opened.
Santiago entered.
Their eyes met.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then he walked toward her.
"I'm sorry."
Those were the first words.
Not an explanation.
Not an excuse.
Just an apology.
Valeria looked at him.
"For what?"
"For not protecting you."
His voice broke.
"For believing my family would eventually accept you."
He sat beside her.
"I should have seen it."
Valeria looked down at their daughter.
"Everyone knew something except me."
"I know."
"No, Santiago."
Her voice was quiet.
"But do you?"
She looked at him.
"Your family didn't just hurt me."
A pause.
"They made me feel like I didn't belong."
Those words hurt him more than any accusation.
Because they were true.
"I love you," he whispered.
Valeria closed her eyes.
"I don't know if I can forgive you yet."
He nodded.
"I understand."
Then the doctor entered.
"Mr. and Mrs. Montes."
Both looked up.
"We need to discuss the baby's test results."
Santiago immediately became alert.
"Is something wrong?"
The doctor placed a folder on the table.
"The baby is healthy."
They both relaxed.
"But there is something unusual."
The doctor opened the folder.
"The genetic markers don't match the Montes family line."
Santiago froze.
"What?"
Valeria looked confused.
"What does that mean?"
The doctor continued.
"It means your daughter does not share the expected paternal DNA pattern."
The room became silent.
Santiago stared.
"No."
The doctor looked at him.
"We recommend a complete DNA test."
Valeria slowly looked at her husband.
A horrible thought entered her mind.
"Santiago…"
"No."
His voice was barely audible.
"No, that's impossible."
But then the doctor's next words destroyed everything.
"There is another possibility."
"What possibility?"
The doctor took a breath.
"The records show this genetic pattern belongs to another branch of the Montes family."
Santiago felt his blood run cold.
Another branch.
Another child.
Another secret.
The door suddenly opened.
A nurse rushed in.
"Mr. Montes!"
Everyone turned.
"What happened?"
The nurse was pale.
"The elderly man admitted yesterday… the one who claimed to be Ernesto Montes…"
Santiago stood.
"What about him?"
The nurse swallowed.
"He woke up."
Silence.
"And he asked for one person."
"Who?"
The nurse looked directly at Santiago.
"He asked to see the baby."
Valeria hugged her daughter tighter.
Santiago's face turned pale.
Because his dead father…
Had returned.
And the first thing he wanted to see…
May you like
Was the child everyone had tried to control.
To Be Continued…
