Chương 7
Daniel looked at everyone in the room.
His expression was no longer anger alone.
It was a mixture of heartbreak, hope, and fear.
"She said the family would only heal when the child returned home."
Clara looked down at the newborn.
Daniel looked at the baby too.
And for the first time, he understood that this little child had not brought their family crisis.
She had brought the moment when every buried truth finally had to come into the light.
The room remained silent after Daniel finished reading the letter.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
The words from his mother seemed to remain in the air between them.
Clara looked at Daniel, waiting for him to say something.
But Daniel could not.
For years, he had imagined what it would feel like to hear from his mother again.
He had imagined anger.
He had imagined questions.
He had imagined finally receiving an explanation.
He had never imagined feeling this lost.
Richard slowly stepped closer.
"Daniel."
Daniel folded the letter carefully.
His hands were still shaking.
"She knew."
Richard nodded.
"Yes."
"She knew I was looking for answers."
"Yes."
Daniel looked at him.
"And you still stayed silent."
Richard lowered his eyes.
"Yes."
The honesty hurt more than another lie would have.
Daniel turned away.
He walked toward the window again, staring at the city below.
People moved through their ordinary lives while his entire past was being rewritten.
Clara approached him slowly.
"Daniel."
He did not turn around.
"I spent years blaming her."
His voice was quiet.
"I thought she abandoned me."
Clara stood beside him.
"And now you know she was trying to come back."
Daniel looked down at the letter.
"She was fighting to come back."
The difference mattered.
It changed everything.
He had not been forgotten.
He had not been unwanted.
He had been separated from someone who loved him.
A tear moved down his face before he quickly wiped it away.
Clara did not pretend not to notice.
She simply stood beside him.
For once, Daniel did not try to hide the pain.
Behind them, Eleanor looked at Richard.
"This cannot continue."
Richard nodded slowly.
"I know."
"The truth has to come from her."
Daniel turned around.
"From who?"
Richard looked at him.
"Your mother."
Daniel's heart raced.
"Then take me to her."
Richard hesitated.
That hesitation immediately made Daniel suspicious.
"What?"
Richard looked uncomfortable.
"There is a reason she has stayed away."
Daniel's expression hardened.
"Another reason?"
Richard accepted the anger in his voice.
"She is sick."
The words changed the room instantly.
Clara's face softened.
Eleanor closed her eyes.
Daniel stared at Richard.
"What kind of sick?"
Richard looked down.
"She has been fighting an illness for years."
Daniel felt the air leave his lungs.
"And nobody told me?"
Nobody answered.
Because again, there was no answer that could justify it.
Daniel walked back toward the bed.
His anger was still there.
But now fear was taking its place.
"How long?"
Richard's voice became quieter.
"Several years."
Daniel looked at the newborn.
Then at Clara.
Then back at Richard.
"She could have died without me knowing."
Richard nodded.
"Yes."
Daniel's eyes filled with emotion.
The thought was unbearable.
He had already lost so much time.
He could not lose more.
"Take me to her."
Richard looked at Eleanor.
Then at Daniel.
"Tonight?"
"Now."
The firmness in Daniel's voice left no room for discussion.
Clara looked at him.
"I am coming with you."
Daniel immediately shook his head.
"No."
Clara looked surprised.
"You think I am staying here after everything I just heard?"
Daniel opened his mouth to respond.
But he stopped.
Because he knew she was right.
She had been dragged into this story, but she was no longer standing outside it.
She was part of it.
Richard looked at Clara.
"You should understand something."
"What?"
"The people who hid this truth were not only trying to protect Daniel."
Clara looked at him.
"They were protecting the baby too."
Her expression changed.
"From what?"
Richard looked toward the door.
"From people who still want the past buried."
The warning created a new tension.
Daniel immediately noticed.
"Who?"
Richard did not answer.
"Who wants this buried?"
Eleanor spoke quietly.
"Someone who benefits from the truth never being known."
Daniel looked at the document.
At the photograph.
At the letter.
Every piece connected to something bigger.
"Is my father still involved?"
The silence answered before anyone did.
Daniel felt his anger return.
"My father has been gone for years."
Richard looked at him.
"Not everyone who controls something has to be standing in the room."
Daniel understood.
The damage left behind by a person could continue long after they were gone.
Clara adjusted the baby's blanket.
"What happens now?"
Daniel looked at her.
"For the first time, we stop hiding."
Richard nodded.
"Your mother will want to see you."
Daniel looked at the letter again.
"How do you know?"
Richard gave a sad smile.
"Because she never stopped asking about you."
Those words broke something inside Daniel.
A lifetime of believing he was forgotten disappeared.
He sat down beside the hospital bed.
For several moments, he simply held the letter.
Clara sat beside him.
The baby rested quietly between them.
The room that had begun with anger and violence was now filled with something different.
Pain.
Regret.
And a small possibility of forgiveness.
Eleanor walked toward Daniel.
"There is one more thing you should know before you see her."
Daniel looked up.
He was almost afraid to hear another revelation.
"What?"
Eleanor took a breath.
"Your mother did not leave because she wanted to."
Daniel waited.
"She left because she discovered the truth about your father's actions and tried to expose it."
Daniel listened carefully.
"Your father threatened to take everything from her."
"What everything?"
Eleanor looked at him.
"You."
Daniel froze.
The answer hurt more than he expected.
"He told her she would never see you again."
May you like
Clara covered her mouth.
Daniel looked away.
