Chapter 2 - THE LETTER THAT NEVER CAME FROM ME
The moment Ethan said he believed their baby had died, Claire understood something terrible.
The past was not what she thought it was.
But that didn't erase what he had done.
Ten years earlier, Ethan had thrown thirty dollars at his pregnant wife and told her to disappear.
He hadn't called afterward.
Hadn't come to her appointments.
Hadn't asked whether she'd survived childbirth.
And now he was standing in front of her claiming he'd been told their child was dead.
Claire stared.
"Who told you?"
Ethan looked toward Victoria.
"My mother."
The older woman gave a sharp laugh.
"Don't be ridiculous. This isn't the place."
Claire ignored her.
"What exactly did she tell you?"
Ethan's face was pale.
"That you lost the pregnancy shortly after the divorce."
Claire's hands went cold.
"She told you that?"
He nodded.
"She gave me a letter."
Claire stared.
"What letter?"
"From you."
A terrible silence settled between them.
Ethan continued.
"It said the pregnancy had ended and you wanted no further contact."
Claire felt sick.
"I never wrote that."
His eyes widened.
"What?"
"I never lost the pregnancy."
She looked toward Noah and Sophie.
"Obviously."
Victoria stepped between them.
"Ethan, don't listen to this woman."
For the first time that evening, Ethan turned on his mother.
"Did you give me a forged letter?"
Victoria's expression hardened.
"I protected you from a disastrous marriage."
The words were not an answer.
Claire knew it.
Ethan knew it too.
Lucas approached.
"Mr. Sullivan, I'm Lucas Bennett, Ms. Sullivan's attorney. My client has preserved documentation concerning the pregnancy, divorce, and subsequent correspondence."
Victoria snapped toward him.
"You have no business here."
Lucas remained calm.
"We're here as invited guests. My client is entitled to speak with her former husband."
Ethan looked toward Claire.
"I need to see that letter."
"So do I."
He nodded.
Then glanced at the crowd gathering around them.
The gala's giant video screens displayed the Sullivan Group anniversary logo.
Photographers were moving closer.
Claire noticed Sophie becoming uncomfortable.
She immediately crouched beside her daughter.
"Sweetheart, are you okay?"
Sophie nodded.
But her smile had disappeared.
Noah looked toward Ethan.
"Can we go somewhere private?"
Ethan stared.
The boy had spoken with the calm confidence Ethan once admired in himself.
"Of course."
He turned toward his event coordinator.
"Clear the executive lounge. No cameras. No press."
Victoria stepped forward.
"Ethan, the speech—"
"Can wait."
His voice was suddenly cold.
Claire took her children's hands.
They followed Ethan into the private lounge.
For several moments, nobody spoke.
Then Noah sat opposite him.
"I have a question."
Ethan swallowed.
"All right."
"If you believed we died, why didn't you check?"
The question hit harder than any accusation.
Ethan looked down.
"I should have."
Noah nodded.
"That's what I thought."
Sophie studied him.
Then whispered:
"Did you ever want us?"
Ethan's eyes filled with tears.
"More than you can imagine."
Claire felt her chest tighten.
She wanted to believe him.
But wanting children and being a father were two different things.
Before she could speak, Lucas's phone vibrated.
He looked at the screen.
His expression changed.
"Claire."
She turned.
"What?"
He showed her a scanned document just received from his office.
An old hospital record.
Dated ten years earlier.
A postpartum patient identification form.
Claire's name appeared at the top.
But the emergency contact was not Ethan.
It was Victoria Sullivan.
Claire stared.
"I never authorized that."
Lucas nodded grimly.
May you like
Then pointed toward the final line.
"Victoria Sullivan was listed as the person authorized to make decisions concerning both newborn twins."
Related Stories
