Chapter 4 - The Decision Ethan Made Before He Knew the Truth
Ethan asked Victoria to leave the mansion temporarily.
She refused at first.
“This is my home.”
“Yes.”
“I’m your wife.”
“Yes.”
“And you’re throwing me out because Elena showed up?”
“No.”
Ethan remained controlled.
“I’m asking you to stay at the downtown apartment because I just learned you secretly sent money to a woman you told me disappeared.”
Victoria crossed her arms.
“I protected you.”
“From my daughter?”
“We don’t know that yet.”
“You apparently knew enough to pay for seven years.”
That ended the argument.
Victoria packed.
Not much.
Two garment bags.
A suitcase.
Jewelry case.
She walked past the ruined suitcase still sitting inside the coat room and refused to look at it.
Before leaving, she said:
“Elena is not as innocent as you think.”
Ethan almost answered.
Then stopped himself.
Everyone seemed to want him to decide which woman was innocent.
He no longer trusted fast judgments.
The next irreversible decision was harder.
He called Elena.
“I want to establish parentage legally if the result confirms it.”
She became quiet.
“What does that mean?”
“It means I don’t want Lily living in a gray area where somebody can erase me again.”
Elena heard the edge in his voice.
“Don’t make this about Victoria.”
He closed his eyes.
She was right.
“What do you want?”
“For Lily?”
“Yes.”
“Slow.”
Ethan nodded even though she couldn’t see him.
“Okay.”
“No surprise school pickups.”
“Okay.”
“No telling people she’s your daughter before we get the result.”
“Okay.”
“And if the result is positive, you don’t get seven years back by overwhelming her with seven years of fatherhood at once.”
That one hurt.
“Okay.”
The call ended.
Ethan sat in the mansion alone.
For years he had believed Elena made one cruel decision: leave.
Now it looked like several people made decisions around him instead.
He refused to answer manipulation with more control.
The paternity result came two days later.
99.99% probability of biological paternity.
Ethan read it standing beside his kitchen island.
He sat down.
Then read it again.
Lily was his daughter.
Not possibly.
Not emotionally.
Not because Elena claimed it.
His daughter.
He called Elena.
Neither of them spoke for several seconds.
Finally Elena said:
“She wants to know if you’ll come for pancakes Saturday.”
Ethan laughed once, then covered his eyes.
“Yes.”
After he hung up, another email arrived.
From the family office archives.
The original confidential grant authorization had been located.
Dated seven years earlier.
Victoria’s signature was not the first one on it.
Above hers was another.
May you like
Malcolm E. Cole.
Ethan’s father.
