Julian stared at them.
“You could have told me.”
“Yes,” Charles said.
“Why didn’t you?”
“Because I was ashamed.”
The admission silenced him.
For the first time, Charles’s confession did not sound like an excuse. It sounded like a truth he had carried until it became part of his character.
“Where does he live?” Julian asked.
“Seattle, last I knew.”
“Does he know about the boys?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then find out.”
Charles nodded once.
The attorney’s phone rang again. He stepped into the hallway to answer it, while Margaret remained seated with her hands folded in her lap.
I looked at her.
“Did you know about the clinic?”
“No.”
“Did you know Vanessa was undergoing fertility treatment?”
“She told us she had conceived naturally.”
“Why would she lie?”
Margaret’s gaze moved toward the window.
“Vanessa wanted to belong here. She understood how much Charles valued heirs, and how much Julian wanted to please him. When she learned she was pregnant with triplets, everything changed. She was suddenly treated as if she had saved the family.”
“But she had already been involved with Julian.”
Margaret nodded.
“She told us Julian was the father. He never questioned it.”
“Did you?”
“No,” she whispered. “I wanted to believe it.”
That answer held more honesty than I expected.
Margaret looked at me.
“I was cruel to you.”
“Yes.”
“I thought I was protecting my son.”
“You were protecting an idea of your son.”
Her eyes filled.
“I know that now.”
“I hope you do.”
She took a slow breath.
“You were the only person who could have given us four grandchildren, and we treated you as if you were the obstacle to our happiness.”
“Your family didn’t know about the children.”
“But we knew you were Julian’s wife.”
I had no response to that.
The attorney returned.
“The clinic wants a meeting tomorrow morning,” he said. “They have located the original embryology records, but they need consent from Vanessa and Daniel before releasing the full file.”
“Can they contact Daniel?” Julian asked.
“They have a number associated with the treatment records.”
Charles looked up sharply. “What treatment records?”
The attorney hesitated.
“The sample was stored under the name Daniel Whitmore, but the consent forms indicate he was part of a fertility program with a woman named Claire Whitmore.”
Charles’s face changed again.
Margaret noticed.
“Who is Claire?”
