Chapter 12: The Child Who Changed Everything

Daniel spent the next two days investigating Pilar's son.

I told him to leave no record unchecked.

Birth records.

Hospital files.

Private medical reports.

Everything.

On the third evening, he walked into my office carrying a sealed envelope.

He didn't sit down.

“I found something.”

I looked at him.

“Tell me.”

He placed the envelope on my desk.

“The hospital record lists Reed Ferraro as the father.”

I frowned.

“That's what we already knew.”

Daniel shook his head.

“The original record says something different.”

My breath caught.

He opened the envelope.

Inside was a photocopy of the first birth registration.

The father's name had been left blank.

I stared at it.

“Why was it changed?”

“Three days after the birth, someone requested an amended certificate.”

“Who?”

Daniel slid another document toward me.

Pilar Salazar.

“She claimed the original information had been entered incorrectly.”

I slowly sat down.

“And the hospital approved it?”

“After a payment was made to the administrator.”

My fingers tightened around the paper.

“Who was listed as the father on the amended record?”

Daniel looked at me.

“Reed Ferraro.”

Silence filled the room.

I remembered the first time Reed held that baby.

The pride in his eyes.

The certainty in his voice.

My child.

What if it wasn't?

I looked at Daniel.

“Can you find the biological father's identity?”

“We're trying.”

“And the DNA?”

“There's a private genetic test from before the birth.”

My heart began pounding.

“Who ordered it?”

“Pilar.”

“The results were sealed.”

I stared at the envelope.

“Get them.”

The next morning, Daniel called again.

His voice was unusually tense.

“Fernanda, we found the laboratory.”

“And?”

“The original DNA report is missing.”

I closed my eyes.

Of course it was.

Someone had been cleaning up the evidence for years.

“But we found a duplicate.”

I opened my eyes.

“Where?”

“In the doctor's private records.”

He sent me a scanned copy.

I read the first line.

Then the second.

My entire body went cold.

The test had been performed before Pilar gave birth.

The result showed that Reed Ferraro was not the biological father.

I stared at the screen in disbelief.

For years, Pilar had built her entire story around Reed's child.

She had used the baby to keep him close.

She had used the baby to destroy my marriage.

But the child wasn't Reed's.

Then another thought struck me.

“Who is the biological father?”

Daniel hesitated.

“We haven't confirmed his identity yet.”

“But the laboratory report contains a reference code.”

“We're tracing it now.”

I leaned back in my chair.

For the first time, I understood why my parents had mentioned Pilar's child in their final recording.

They had known.

They had discovered the truth before they died.

And Pilar had spent years making sure nobody else did.

That evening, I received another call.

This time, it was from Reed.

I almost ignored it.

Then I answered.

“What do you want?”

His voice was quiet.

“I know you've been investigating Pilar.”

I smiled coldly.

“You seem worried.”

“Fernanda, stop.”

“Why?”

He was silent.

Then he said something I had never expected to hear.

“Because Pilar is not who you think she is.”

I laughed bitterly.

“Neither are you.”

“You don't understand.”

“Then explain.”

Another silence.

Finally, Reed whispered, “The baby isn't mine.”

My heart stopped.

I said nothing.

“I found out recently,” he continued.

“Pilar lied to me too.”

I gripped the phone.

“How long have you known?”

“Three weeks.”

Three weeks.

The same time I had begun my investigation.

“Then why haven't you told anyone?” I asked.

His voice broke.

“Because the man who fathered that child is dangerous.”

I stared into the darkness outside my window.

“Who is he?”

Reed didn't answer.

The line went dead.

For the first time, I understood that my revenge wasn't simply about Reed and Pilar anymore.

There was another man behind the entire story.

And my parents had known his name.