Chapter 10 - Claire’s BrotherThe DNA result made no sense.
Until it did.
Rebecca Sloan.
Claire’s mother.
Marianne Cole.
Andrew’s mother.
Two women.
One man?
James Carter?
Daniel felt physically ill considering it.
If James fathered Andrew with Marianne and somehow also fathered Claire with Rebecca—
then Claire would be Daniel’s half-sister.
Impossible.
No.
Daniel’s DNA with Claire would have shown something if anyone had tested.
They hadn’t.
No reason.
His marriage suddenly became a horror he could not yet prove.
He called the genetic counselor back.
“Could Andrew be related through Claire without Claire and me being related?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Shared maternal ancestry. Half-siblings through a common parent unrelated to you.”
Daniel exhaled.
Rebecca and Marianne could share a parent.
Or—
Andrew’s legal mother might not be biological.
He needed records.
Jon found them by morning.
Andrew Cole’s original birth certificate had been amended.
Adoption.
His biological mother was Rebecca Sloan.
Claire’s mother.
Father unknown.
Daniel sat back.
Andrew and Claire were maternal half-siblings.
Marianne Cole had adopted Andrew as an infant.
James later had a relationship with Marianne and apparently believed or treated Andrew as his own son.
But biologically?
Not proven.
The previous paternity claim had lacked evidence.
Daniel ordered comparison against James’s archived genetic sample from an old cardiac study.
The result came quickly.
Andrew was not James Carter’s biological son.
Everything shifted.
Andrew had built his revenge on a lie.
Or someone had told him one.
Who?
Marianne?
Claire?
Eleanor?
Daniel remembered Andrew’s recorded words:
I saw him once.
He gave me five hundred dollars and told me not to contact his family again.
Maybe James thought Andrew might be his.
Maybe Marianne claimed it.
Or James simply paid to make a problem disappear.
Daniel called Andrew.
For once, he answered.
“You know.”
Daniel didn’t waste time.
“You are not my father’s son.”
Silence.
Andrew laughed.
“You’re desperate.”
“I have DNA.”
Longer silence.
“From where?”
“My father participated in a cardiac genetics study before he died.”
Andrew’s breathing changed.
Daniel continued.
“You don’t match.”
“That’s impossible.”
“You do match Claire.”
No response.
“You’re her brother.”
Andrew whispered:
“I know.”
Daniel’s anger sharpened.
“You knew?”
“Claire told me six months ago.”
“So why continue pretending you’re a Carter?”
“Because James told my mother I was his.”
“Did you ever prove it?”
“No.”
“You built a financial scheme around a claim you never proved?”
Andrew laughed bitterly.
“You think this is about blood?”
“What is it about?”
“Eleanor.”
Of course.
Always Eleanor.
Andrew continued:
“She knew my mother lied.”
“What lie?”
“Marianne told James I was his child.”
Daniel stared.
“Why?”
“Money.”
“And Eleanor?”
“She discovered the truth.”
“When?”
“When I was seventeen.”
Daniel remembered the age Andrew said he met James.
“She told my father?”
“Yes.”
“And he gave you money anyway.”
“He gave Marianne money.”
Andrew’s voice hardened.
“Then Eleanor cut us off.”
Daniel almost laughed.
“So your revenge is because my mother refused to continue paying someone who lied about paternity?”
“You didn’t live it.”
“No.”
“You grew up in that mansion.”
“And you grew up believing a lie. That is terrible.”
Daniel paused.
“But Lily did not lie to you.”
Silence.
“Noah did not lie to you.”
No answer.
“And you helped Claire use them.”
Andrew exhaled.
“I never agreed to hurting the kids.”
“Another line drawn after the crime.”
Andrew was silent.
Daniel continued.
“Did you tell Claire to leave Lily hungry?”
“No.”
“Did you tell her to rehearse abuse claims?”
“No.”
“Did you help fund Vanessa Harper?”
“Yes.”
“Then you helped.”
Andrew didn’t argue.
Progress.
Daniel asked:
“Why is Claire threatening paternity if she knows Noah is mine?”
“To scare you.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes.”
“You’re sure?”
“She did the DNA test herself months ago.”
Daniel froze.
“She tested Noah?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Hair from his brush. Your razor.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
Another violation.
“Why?”
“She wanted leverage if he wasn’t yours.”
“And when he was?”
“She kept the threat anyway.”
Daniel felt disgust.
“What is tomorrow?”
Andrew hesitated.
“The lien enforcement.”
“Court froze transfers.”
“I know.”
“So plan failed.”
“Yes.”
“Then why is Claire still at your hotel?”
“She’s not.”
Daniel stood.
“What?”
“She left last night.”
“With you?”
“No.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t lie.”
“I’m not.”
Daniel looked at Jon.
Andrew continued.
“She took cash.”
“How much?”
“About four hundred thousand.”
“From Redwood?”
“Yes.”
“You let her?”
“She stole it.”
For the first time, Andrew sounded personally betrayed.
Daniel almost laughed.
Claire had used everyone.
Marcus.
Peter.
Andrew.
Maybe even herself.
“Where would she go?”
“I don’t know.”
“What does she have left?”
Silence.
Then Andrew said:
“Lily’s passport.”
Daniel stopped breathing.
“What?”
“She took both children’s passports from the safe.”
Daniel’s chair scraped back.
“When?”
“Three days ago.”
He ran upstairs.
Safe.
Open.
Passports gone.
Lily’s.
Noah’s.
Claire had planned an exit.
Maybe not with Marcus.
Maybe not Andrew.
Just the children.
Daniel called police.
Amber-level precautions began despite the children currently being safe, because Claire had documents and supervised-contact rights pending.
Her supervised visit was scheduled the next afternoon.
Daniel canceled nothing unilaterally.
Maya Feld petitioned the court immediately.
Then Lily appeared in the doorway.
“Daddy?”
He forced calm.
“Yeah?”
“Mom said we were going on a trip.”
His stomach tightened.
“When?”
“Before you came home.”
“What did she say?”
“That I should pack only things I really like.”
Daniel crouched.
“Where?”
“She didn’t tell me.”
“What else?”
“She said Grandma Eleanor’s house would be gone when we came back.”
Daniel felt cold.
“Did she say who was coming?”
Lily thought.
“Uncle Marcus.”
Then shook her head.
“No.”
“Uncle Andrew?”
“No.”
“Who?”
Lily whispered:
“A lady.”
“What lady?”
“She showed me a picture.”
“Of?”
“A beach.”
Daniel’s pulse rose.
“What did the lady look like?”
“Mom said I’d meet her later.”
He looked at Lily.
“Did Mom call her anything?”
Lily nodded.
“Aunt Rebecca.”
Daniel stared.
Rebecca Sloan.
Claire’s mother.
Dead for twelve years.
“What?”
Lily frowned.
“Mom said Aunt Rebecca was waiting.”
Daniel’s skin prickled.
Claire had told a seven-year-old they were going somewhere with a dead woman.
Then Lily corrected herself.
“No.”
“What?”
“She said Rebecca’s daughter.”
Daniel froze.
Claire had a sister?
Records listed only Claire and Andrew.
Jon searched.
Rebecca Sloan gave birth three times.
Andrew.
Claire.
And a third child.
Female.
Adopted privately at birth.
Name sealed.
Daniel looked at Lily.
Claire wasn’t running to a random woman.
She was running to family no one knew existed.
And according to the adoption file—
that third daughter had been raised under a surname Daniel recognized immediately.
Harper.
Vanessa Harper.
May you like
The disgraced evaluator who interviewed Lily.
Vanessa was Claire’s biological sister.
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