Two Girls, One Face, and the Name He Buried for Seven Years

CHAPTER 4 - WHAT WAS TAKEN, WHAT REMAINED

"Emma is not my only daughter."

Daniel stared at the photograph until the room blurred.

Two babies.

Not one.

Laura had never carried twins to term in any conversation they'd had. Or maybe she had tried to tell him in one of the last voicemails he never heard because his phone had been smashed in the highway wreck. The thought made him feel sick.

Melanie spoke first. "The second baby was sent to neonatal care right after delivery. She was stronger. When you finally got to the hospital, my husband had already taken her."

Daniel looked up sharply. "Your husband?"

"My husband then. Frank." Her mouth twisted. "He couldn't have children. He saw a chance to start over. He told everyone he was the father. We were separated by then, but I was weak and terrified and... I let him take her."

Daniel felt cold all over. "Emma."

Melanie nodded. "I found out months later that Frank had left the state with the baby. By the time I tracked him down, he'd already remarried. His wife raised Emma as her own until she died. Frank died two years after that."

Daniel sank back, trying to fit his life into this new shape. He had adopted Emma three years ago after fostering her through church outreach. She had been listed as a child with no close kin.

No close kin.

Because the truth had been buried under names and lies.

"Did you know it was her?" he asked.

"I suspected when I first saw you with her downtown last month," Melanie said. "Then I saw the pendant around Ruby's neck and remembered the matching one Laura bought for the second baby. I came to the flower shop today because I was going to tell you. Ruby got there first."

Ruby stood in the doorway, very still. She had heard enough.

She looked at Daniel, then at Melanie. "So Emma is my sister?"

"Yes," Daniel said, his voice rough. "If you'll let her be."

Ruby's chin trembled, but she held it high. "I knew it."

Daniel crossed the room slowly, giving her time to step back if she wanted. She didn't.

He knelt in front of her.

"I'm angry about what was done," he said. "But none of it is your fault. And Emma is not my only daughter."

Ruby stared at him for a long moment.

Then she asked the hardest question of all.

"If I come with you, does that mean I have to leave Aunt Mel?"

There it was. Not blood. Not law. Love.

Before Daniel could answer, someone pounded on the apartment door.

Melanie went pale. "That's Frank's brother. He wants custody money. He found us again."