CHAPTER 5 The Truth About Anna
Vanessa refused to explain anything.
She packed a suitcase.
She called Richard unreasonable.
She accused him of destroying their relationship.
But Richard didn't stop her.
He simply watched.
Because now he understood something.
Guilty people often leave when they realize their secrets are exposed.
Before Vanessa left, she turned around.
"You think Anna was perfect?"
Richard looked at her.
"What does that mean?"
Vanessa smiled strangely.
"You should ask yourself why Anna hid things from you."
Then she walked away.
Those words stayed in his mind.
Because deep down...
Richard knew Anna had secrets.
After all, every marriage had things left unsaid.
But he never imagined those secrets involved Sophie.
That evening, Richard opened Anna's notebook again.
He searched every page.
Every detail.
Then he found a name.
A person he had never heard of.
Dr. Michael Hayes.
Next to the name was a date.
The day Sophie was born.
Richard immediately searched for him.
The information shocked him.
Dr. Hayes was a genetic specialist.
A doctor who worked with families involving adoption, fertility, and complicated births.
Richard stared at the screen.
"No..."
A terrible possibility entered his mind.
The next morning, he contacted Dr. Hayes.
The doctor agreed to meet.
When Richard arrived, the older man looked nervous.
"I wondered when you would come."
Richard sat down.
"You know who I am?"
Dr. Hayes nodded.
"I knew Anna would eventually tell you."
Richard's heart raced.
"Tell me what?"
The doctor looked down.
"Richard... Sophie is your daughter."
The answer confused him.
"Of course she is."
"No."
Dr. Hayes took a deep breath.
"I mean biologically."
Silence.
Richard felt the room spin.
"What are you saying?"
The doctor opened an old file.
"Before Sophie was born, Anna discovered there was a medical mistake involving the fertility clinic."
Richard stared.
"What mistake?"
"There were incorrect records."
Richard's voice became quiet.
"Was Sophie switched?"
The doctor looked away.
"No."
A pause.
"Something much more complicated happened."
Richard's hands tightened.
"Explain."
Dr. Hayes looked at him.
"Someone changed the records intentionally."
Richard felt a chill.
"Who?"
The doctor hesitated.
Then whispered:
"Someone who wanted Sophie to disappear."
Richard stood up.
"Who?"
But before the doctor answered...
The office door opened.
A woman walked inside.
Richard froze.
Because he recognized her.
May you like
She was holding an old photograph.
And she looked exactly like Anna.
