My hands shook as he placed it before me.
Inside was a letter.
Claire’s handwriting.
Dr. Mercer,
If Anna ever comes looking, please tell her Dad didn’t do anything wrong.
I stopped.
Stephen touched my arm.
I kept reading.
He didn’t know. Neither did Anna’s mother. I wish I’d never found the file because knowing changed the way I looked at everyone, even though none of them deserved it.
Beneath the letter was a laboratory report.
I didn’t understand it.
Stephen didn’t either.
Mercer did.
He explained carefully.
The study had included genetic testing to distinguish inherited respiratory conditions from exposure-related illnesses.
My father’s sample had been compared to mine.
They did not match as father and daughter.
For several seconds, I didn’t understand.
Then I did.
“My father wasn’t my biological father.”
Mercer nodded gently.
“No.”
The room tilted.
I had imagined corruption.
Danger.
Corporate secrets.
Instead, the secret was intimate.
