Enemies forced to marry

The disclosure

The room remained silent after Mrs. Matthews spoke.

"They know where the missing child is."

David stared at his mother.

For several seconds, nobody moved.

Sally was the first to break the silence.

"Who called you?"

Mrs. Matthews shook her head.

"I don't know."

David stepped closer.

"You answered the phone. You heard their voice."

"I heard someone."

"Then who was it?"

"I couldn't tell."

David's frustration rose.

"Did they say the child's name?"

His mother looked down.

"No."

"Did they say where the child is?"

Mrs. Matthews hesitated.

"Yes."

David's eyes widened.

"Where?"

She slowly looked at him.

"They said the child is closer than we think."

Sally frowned.

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know."

David looked at the letter still in his hand.

Everything was becoming more confusing.

His father had a secret child.

Someone knew about that child.

Someone had contacted his father before the accident.

And now someone had called his mother.

But why?

David suddenly remembered something.

"Mum."

She looked at him.

"Yes?"

"Did the caller mention Dad?"

Mrs. Matthews nodded.

"They said your father knew the truth."

David's jaw tightened.

"So Dad knows where the child is?"

"I don't know."

"But they said he knew."

"I said I don't know!"

Her voice cracked.

David stopped.

His mother rarely raised her voice.

Sally moved closer to her.

"Mrs. Matthews, maybe we should calm down."

Mrs. Matthews took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry."

David looked at the letter again.

"There's only one way to find out."

His mother immediately knew what he meant.

"No."

"We're going back to the hospital."

"David, your father is still recovering."

"Then we'll wait until he's awake."

Mrs. Matthews shook her head.

"You don't understand."

"Then help me understand."

She stared at him.

"Your father didn't want you involved."

David's expression hardened.

"Maybe he should have thought about that before keeping secrets."

Sally quietly said, "David..."

He looked at her.

"What?"

"You shouldn't go there angry."

"I'm not angry."

Sally raised an eyebrow.

"You're holding that letter so tightly that your hands are shaking."

David looked down.

She was right.

He loosened his grip.

"I'm just tired of not knowing."

Sally nodded.

"I understand."

David looked at her.

"Do you?"

She hesitated.

"I know what it's like to have everyone make decisions for you without telling you the truth."

David's expression softened.

For the first time since they left the hospital, they understood each other.

Then Mrs. Matthews spoke.

"There's something else."

David turned.

"What?"

She walked toward the cabinet again.

"I didn't tell you everything about your father's first relationship."

David frowned.

"What else is there?"

Mrs. Matthews opened another drawer.

She removed an old photograph.

She stared at it for a moment before handing it to David.

He took it.

The picture showed a much younger version of his father.

Standing beside him was a woman David had never seen before.

And between them was a small child.

David stared at the photograph.

"How old was Dad?"

"About twenty."

"And the woman?"

"Her name was Rebecca."

David looked at the child.

"Is this the missing child?"

Mrs. Matthews nodded.

"Yes."

David studied the photograph.

The child's face was partly turned away.

"What's their name?"

Mrs. Matthews hesitated.

"We never knew what name they were given after they disappeared."

David looked up.

"Disappeared?"

"That's what your father always called it."

"What happened?"

Mrs. Matthews sat down.

"Rebecca's family moved away suddenly. Your father tried to find them, but he couldn't."

"Why?"

"There was a family dispute."

"About what?"

She looked uncomfortable.

"Money. Pride. And something your father refused to tell me."

David frowned.

"What?"

"I don't know."

David looked at the photograph again.

"Then how do you know all this?"

"Because your father told me pieces of the story over the years."

Sally leaned forward.

"Did he ever meet the child?"

Mrs. Matthews shook her head.

"Not after they left."

David looked at the photograph.

"Then why would someone say he knows where the child is?"

Mrs. Matthews didn't answer.

David's eyes narrowed.

"Unless he actually found them."

His mother looked away.

"That's what I'm afraid of."

Suddenly, David's phone vibrated.

He pulled it from his pocket.

Unknown number.

A message appeared on the screen.

STOP ASKING QUESTIONS.

David's heart dropped.

Sally saw his expression.

"What happened?"

David showed her the phone.

Her face changed.

"Someone is watching us."

Mrs. Matthews stood immediately.

"David, don't reply."

"I'm not going to."

Another message arrived.

This time, there was a photograph.

David opened it.

His breath caught.

It was a picture of the hospital.

Taken from outside.

The entrance was clearly visible.

And in the distance stood David's father being taken inside earlier that afternoon.

David stared at the image.

"They were there."

Mrs. Matthews looked over his shoulder.

Her face went pale.

"Whoever sent this was at the hospital."

Sally whispered, "How did they get that picture?"

David's phone vibrated again.

Another message.

YOUR FATHER IS NOT THE ONLY PERSON WHO KNOWS THE TRUTH.

David typed quickly.

WHO ARE YOU?

He pressed send.

The message showed as delivered.

No reply came.

Then his phone rang.

Unknown number.

Everyone stared at it.

David answered.

"Hello?"

For several seconds, there was only silence.

Then a calm voice spoke.

"You shouldn't have opened the letter."

David froze.

"Who are you?"

"You don't need to know that yet."

"What do you want?"

"Answers."

David tightened his grip on the phone.

"About what?"

"Your family."

David glanced at his mother.

"Where is the child?"

There was a pause.

Then the voice answered.

"You're asking the wrong question."

David frowned.

"What does that mean?"

"The question you should be asking is..."

The voice stopped.

David waited.

"Who is the child?"

The call ended.

David slowly lowered the phone.

Sally stared at him.

"What did they say?"

David looked at the photograph in his hand.

Then he looked at his mother.

"Maybe we've been looking for the wrong person."

Mrs. Matthews shook her head.

"What do you mean?"

David held up the old photograph.

"The caller didn't say where the child is."

He paused.

"They asked who the child is."

Sally's eyes widened.

"Maybe they aren't talking about someone missing."

David nodded slowly.

"Maybe they're talking about someone we already know."

Nobody spoke.

Then Mrs. Matthews suddenly looked terrified.

David noticed.

"Mum?"

She said nothing.

"Mum, what's wrong?"

Her eyes remained fixed on the photograph.

Then she whispered something that made David's blood run cold.

"I think I know who the child is."

David stepped closer.

"Who?"

Mrs. Matthews looked at him.

Her lips trembled.

Before she could answer, the front door suddenly opened.

Everyone turned.

A man stood in the doorway.

David had never seen him before.

The stranger looked directly at him.

Then he said quietly:

"Your father was never supposed to have another son."

David froze.

Sally stepped backward.

Mrs. Matthews dropped the photograph.

The stranger smiled faintly.

"And that's why your family has been lying to you."

David stared at him.

"Who are you?"

The man's expression became serious.

"My name is Michael."

He looked toward the photograph on the floor.

"And I knew your father twenty years ago."

David's heart pounded.

"What do you want?"

Michael looked at him.

"I came to tell you the truth before someone else gets to you."

He paused.

"Your father didn't lose his child."

David's face went pale.

"He gave the child away."

The room fell silent.

And suddenly, the mystery of the missing child became even darker than David had imagined.