Chapter 6 - The Letter for Lily
Michael had brought the envelope with him.
He simply had not realized it mattered.
It sat inside his overnight bag upstairs.
Cream paper.
Henry’s handwriting.
FOR LILY — WHEN DANIEL DECIDES SHE IS OLD ENOUGH.
Daniel stared.
Six years old was not old enough.
He did not open it.
Not yet.
Claire became angry.
“He was my father.”
“And Lily is my daughter.”
“She’s mine too.”
Daniel looked at her.
“Then act like it.”
Claire flinched.
Good.
He hated hurting her.
But he hated what Christmas had exposed more.
Then Michael found a second envelope tucked behind Lily’s.
FOR DANIEL.
This one they opened.
Daniel,
If you have reached this letter, Patricia has probably started repeating the mistake we all made with Anna: punishing a child because adults are frightened of what the child represents.
Daniel read that twice.
Lily represented something.
What?
Henry continued.
Lily is not Grace’s daughter.
She is not Anna’s lost child.
Do not let anyone convince you of either.
Good.
Two theories eliminated.
Then:
But Lily is connected to both of them through Jacob.
Obviously, if Jacob was her genetic father.
Then:
The connection is why Claire must know the truth about the embryos.
Embryos.
Plural.
Daniel looked at Claire.
“How many embryos did you have with Jacob?”
She hesitated.
“Four.”
“Where are the others?”
Claire whispered:
“Destroyed.”
“When?”
“After Lily was born.”
“Who authorized?”
“I did.”
Daniel read further.
If Claire believes all remaining embryos were destroyed, she is mistaken.
Silence.
Claire stared.
“No.”
Henry knew one remained.
Embryo label:
J-4.
Stored at Meridian Reproductive Center.
Claire shook her head.
“Dad couldn't know that.”
He did.
How?
Because Jacob had created a private directive before his death.
If Claire ever chose to use embryos after his death, one must be withheld from transfer until she received complete genetic counseling regarding the Whitmore-Jacob cardiac line.
Why?
Jacob had discovered the heart-risk history after Anna’s baby.
He wanted Claire informed.
But someone altered the directive.
All embryos were released.
Lily came from J-3.
J-4 remained because the clinic mistakenly kept it.
Then Patricia learned.
She tried to have it destroyed.
Why?
Not because of disease.
Because of parentage.
Daniel frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Henry’s letter became more cryptic.
Jacob was not the sole genetic contributor to all four embryos.
Claire screamed:
“What?”
Evelyn stood.
“How is that possible?”
Lab error?
Donor contamination?
Mix-up?
Henry wrote:
J-1, J-2, and J-3 match Jacob.
J-4 does not.
Claire collapsed into a chair.
Lily came from J-3.
So Lily was Jacob’s biological daughter.
Good.
Then why care about J-4?
Because someone had created an embryo using Claire’s egg and another man’s sperm.
Without her knowledge?
Potentially.
Who?
Henry did not know at first.
Then he found out.
One line:
Patricia knows who the donor was.
Everyone turned.
Patricia shook her head.
“I didn’t choose him.”
“But you know.”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
Patricia stared at Claire.
Then:
“Your father.”
Silence.
Claire stopped breathing.
“No.”
Patricia corrected herself.
“Not Henry.”
Then who?
“The man who thought he was your father before Henry married me.”
Claire stared.
“You were married before Dad?”
Patricia whispered:
“For six months.”
May you like
Nobody knew.
And the man was still alive.
