Chapter 3: Evelyn’s Envelope
I knew my mother's handwriting immediately.
There were certain things a child remembers without realizing it.
The way your mother writes your name on a birthday card.
The way she labels leftovers in the refrigerator.
The way she leaves a note on the counter when she has to leave early.
That handwriting had been part of my life for decades.
And now it was on an envelope sitting in Aaliyah's bedroom.
I picked it up.
Renee stopped behind me.
“Don't.””
I looked at her.
“Why?””
“Because if that's what I think it is…”
“What?””
She couldn't answer.
Derek came up the stairs.
“Where's Aaliyah?””
I turned.
“I don't know.””
His face changed.
“What do you mean?””
“She was here.””
Derek rushed to the window.
“Was she taken?””
“I don't know.””
He looked outside.
“Her car?””
“Still here.””
“Then she walked.””
I stared at the envelope.
There was no way Aaliyah had opened it.
The seal was intact.
Maybe she hadn't even known it was here.
Maybe someone had placed it after she left.
I tore it open.
Inside was a single handwritten page.
The first line made my heart stop.
*Marcus, if you are reading this, then I failed to tell you the truth while I was alive.*
I sat on the edge of Aaliyah's bed.
Renee covered her mouth.
Derek stood behind me.
I continued.
*You will probably hate me. You have every right to. But please read everything before you make a decision about the people you think betrayed you.*
My fingers trembled.
The next paragraph was dated twenty-three years earlier.
**Renee came to me because she was terrified. She had just given birth to a baby girl. The baby's father was not Derek.
The DNA test proved that. But Renee was afraid of what would happen if Derek found out who the biological father really was.**
I looked at Renee.
“Who was the biological father?””
She shook her head.
“I don't know.””
I read the next line.
*The first DNA sample did not come from Marcus. It came from Samuel.*
My father's name.
Again.
I continued.
*Samuel was not the father of Renee's baby. The test was performed because Samuel believed he had a connection to the child's biological father. He was right.*
My breath caught.
“What does that mean?””
Derek said, “Keep reading.””
I did.
*The biological father was someone from Samuel's past. Someone Marcus must never meet.*
I looked up.
“My father knew?””
Renee nodded.
“He knew something.””
I returned to the letter.
*I convinced Renee to leave the hospital and raise the baby quietly. She asked me to help protect the child. I agreed. But I made one terrible mistake.*
My eyes moved down.
*I changed one page in the hospital record.*
The room went silent.
I read it again.
Changed one page.
My mother's handwriting continued.
*I changed the father's name. I did it because the truth could have put the baby in danger. I told myself I was protecting her.*
I looked at Renee.
“You knew?””
She was crying.
“Yes.””
“You let me raise her without telling me?””
“I didn't know everything.””
“You knew enough.””
“I was scared.””
“You keep saying that.””
Renee dropped her head.
Derek moved closer.
“Marcus, let her explain.””
I turned on him.
“You knew too?””
“No.””
“You knew my mother?””
“No.””
“Then why are you here?””
He looked at me.
“Because I got a copy of my own test.””
He pulled a folded document from his jacket.
“I found out I wasn't her father years ago. I thought that was the end of it.””
He placed the paper on the bed.
“But three months ago, someone contacted me.””
“Who?””
“I don't know.””
“What did they want?””
Derek looked toward the empty doorway.
“They wanted me to come back.””
“Why?””
“They said Aaliyah was in danger.””
My anger paused.
“What kind of danger?””
“I didn't believe them at first.””
“And now?””
Derek swallowed.
“Now I do.””
I looked back at my mother's letter.
The final section had been underlined.
*Marcus, there is something you must understand. The DNA test was never meant to prove who Aaliyah's father was. It was meant to identify someone else.*
My eyes narrowed.
“Identify who?””
The answer was on the next line.
*The name on the test belongs to the man who caused everything.*
I turned the page.
There was a name.
Not Samuel.
Not Derek.
Not Marcus.
I had never seen it before.
But Renee had.
The instant I read it, she made a sound like she had been punched.
I looked at her.
“You know him.””
She backed away.
“No.””
“You know this name.””
“I don't.””
“Renee.””
“I don't!””
Her voice cracked.
Derek took the paper from my hand.
His eyes moved over the name.
Then his face went completely blank.
“What?”” I asked.
He didn't answer.
“What is it?””
Derek looked at Renee.
“You told me he was dead.””
Renee whispered, “He was supposed to be.””
My skin prickled.
“Who is he?””
Neither spoke.
I grabbed Derek by the collar.
“Who?””
He looked me directly in the eyes.
“Your father's brother.””
I let go.
“My uncle?””
Derek nodded.
“Your uncle Daniel.””
I stared at him.
I had never known I had an Uncle Daniel.
My father had always told me he was an only child.
Always.
A cold realization settled over me.
“My father lied.””
Renee shook her head.
“Not just your father.””
“What do you mean?””
She looked at the letter.
“Your mother lied too.””
I felt something crack inside me.
All those years.
Every family story.
Every Christmas.
Every photograph.
There had been another man.
A man my father erased.
A man my mother knew.
A man connected to Aaliyah.
And apparently a man who was supposed to be dead.
I looked toward the window.
“Where is Aaliyah?””
Derek suddenly pulled out his phone.
“I just got something.””
He stared at the screen.
“What?””
He turned it toward us.
A photograph.
Aaliyah.
She was sitting in the passenger seat of a black SUV.
Her face was frightened.
Someone had taken the picture from outside the vehicle.
Below it was a message.
*Tell Marcus to stop asking questions.*
My heart stopped.
Then another message appeared.
*Or Aaliyah learns why her family changed her name.*
Renee screamed.
“What name?””
I looked at her.
“What do you mean?””
She was staring at the photograph.
Her face had lost all color.
“Marcus…”
“What?””
“The name on the DNA test.””
She pointed at the screen.
“That wasn't Daniel Hale.””
I frowned.
“Then whose name was it?””
May you like
Renee's voice barely came out.
“It was Aaliyah's.””
