Chapter 3 - The Other Child
Emily read the report again, certain she had misunderstood it.
Sophie Parker.
A.W.
First-degree biological relation confirmed.
Possible relationships included parent, sibling, or child.
Daniel took the paper from her.
“Who is A.W.?”
Victoria’s face had become unreadable.
“That report is incomplete.”
“It says Sophie has a close biological relative,” Daniel said. “Who is it?”
“A clerical error.”
Emily pointed to the laboratory seal.
“This was not a routine test. Someone submitted Sophie’s sample without my permission.”
Victoria folded her arms.
“You signed medical documents when she was born.”
“I signed consent for newborn screening. Not private genetic testing.”
Brooke picked up another page from the floor.
“This lab was funded by the Whitmore Foundation.”
Daniel turned to his mother.
“You tested Sophie because you knew she was mine.”
“I needed certainty.”
“And after you got certainty?”
Victoria looked away.
“You left them alone.”
“I ensured they had financial support.”
Emily’s anger broke through.
“You sent anonymous checks through a trust I could not trace. When I refused them, you contacted my landlord. When I moved, you found us again.”
Daniel stared at Emily.
“You received money?”
“Three checks. I returned all of them.”
“She was proud,” Victoria said coldly.
“She was protecting her child,” Brooke replied.
Daniel still held the genetic report.
“Who is A.W.?”
A nurse approached before anyone could answer.
“Mr. Whitmore?”
Daniel stepped forward.
“You are a compatible blood donor. We also need to review your family’s cardiac history.”
“My family does not have heart disease.”
Victoria’s eyes closed.
The nurse glanced at the file in Daniel’s hand.
“That report suggests otherwise.”
Daniel looked at his mother.
“Tell me.”
Victoria remained silent.
The nurse led Daniel toward the donation room.
Emily watched him go, then turned back to Victoria.
“You have spent seven years deciding which truths other people are allowed to know.”
Victoria’s composure finally cracked.
“You think I did all this because I hated you?”
“Yes.”
“I did not hate you. I was afraid of what your child represented.”
“A granddaughter?”
“A warning.”
Emily stared at her.
Victoria lowered her voice.
“Daniel’s older brother died before Daniel was born.”
Daniel had once told Emily that he was an only child.
“There was another baby?” Emily asked.
“My first son, Alexander. He died at eight months old from what doctors called sudden cardiac failure. We were told it was not hereditary.”
Brooke looked at the initials on the report.
“A.W. Alexander Whitmore?”
“No. Alexander died more than thirty years ago.”
“Then who is the living relative?”
Victoria bent down and gathered the remaining pages.
Emily stopped her.
“You came here with that file because you knew the hospital might need something in it.”
Victoria’s eyes moved toward the surgical doors.
“I came because a board member called me. He recognized Sophie’s name.”
“You had the hospital alert you if she was admitted?”
“I have been following her medical records for years.”
Emily felt sick.
“You watched her get worse?”
“I paid specialists to review her case.”
“Without telling me?”
“If I had contacted you, you would have refused help.”
“You had no right.”
“No,” Victoria said. “But I may have kept her alive.”
Emily wanted to strike her.
Instead, she forced herself to breathe.
“What did your specialists find?”
Victoria hesitated.
“The condition may run through Daniel’s father’s family.”
“Daniel’s father died in an accident.”
“That is what Daniel was told.”
Brooke’s eyes narrowed.
“What actually happened?”
Victoria looked at the operating room light.
“Richard collapsed while driving. His heart stopped before the crash.”
Daniel returned from the donation room before Emily could respond.
A nurse walked beside him carrying labeled blood bags.
Daniel appeared pale but steady.
“My father had a heart condition?”
Victoria faced him.
“He refused treatment.”
“You told me he died because another driver crossed the median.”
“There was another vehicle involved.”
“You let me believe a stranger killed him.”
“You were seventeen.”
“I am not seventeen now.”
“No, you are standing outside an operating room while a child you never met fights the same disease that destroyed this family.”
Daniel raised the genetic report.
“And someone else shares that disease. Who is A.W.?”
Victoria’s gaze moved toward Brooke.
Brooke’s expression changed.
Slowly, she reached for the silver chain around her neck.
Hanging from it was a small identification tag.
Her full legal name was engraved on the back.
Brooke Alexandra Wells.
A.W.
Brooke looked at Daniel.
“My mother told me I was conceived through a donor program.”
No one moved.
Daniel’s voice was barely audible.
“Why would your DNA be compared to Sophie’s?”
Brooke turned to Victoria.
May you like
The answer appeared in Victoria’s eyes before she spoke.
“Because your mother’s donor,” Victoria said, “was Richard Whitmore.”
