Chapter 2: The Secret Behind the Smile
The document fell from Claire’s hand before Daniel even touched it.
It landed on the white tablecloth between them.
Nobody moved.
My brother stared at it like it was something dangerous.
“Claire,” he whispered.
She looked like she was about to cry.
But this time, I couldn’t tell if it was because she was hurt or because she had finally been caught.
“What is this?”” Daniel asked.
Claire swallowed.
“You need to listen to me.””
My brother picked up the paper.
His eyes moved across the page.
Then his face changed.
I had known Daniel my entire life.
I had seen him angry.
I had seen him heartbroken.
I had seen him lose his job and rebuild his career from nothing.
But I had never seen him look completely lost.
“What is this?”” he repeated.
Claire stepped closer.
“Daniel, please.””
“Answer me.””
Everyone in the room watched silently.
The woman who had spent the entire evening receiving congratulations now stood in the center of a ballroom surrounded by people who no longer knew what to believe.
My father finally stood.
“Everyone needs to sit down.””
Nobody listened.
Because nobody could look away.
Daniel held the document tighter.
“Is this from the clinic?””
Claire didn’t answer.
That was answer enough.
My brother laughed once.
Not because anything was funny.
Because sometimes people laugh when they don’t know what else to do.
“You told me the appointment was next week.””
“Daniel—”
“You told me everything was fine.””
“It was complicated.””
“Complicated?””
His voice rose.
“You let me tell everyone we were having a baby.””
Claire wiped her eyes.
“I was scared.””
“Scared of what?””
She looked around.
Then she whispered:
“Of losing you.””
The room went silent again.
For a second, I almost felt sorry for her.
Almost.
Because I knew Daniel.
I knew how much he loved her.
Before Claire came into his life, my brother had always been the person everyone depended on. He helped our parents with bills. He showed up whenever anyone needed him.
When Claire told him she was pregnant, he cried.
Actually cried.
He called me that night and said, “I’m finally going to be a dad.””
He had spent months preparing.
He painted the nursery himself.
He assembled the crib three times because he thought the instructions were wrong.
He carried Claire’s bags everywhere.
He treated her like she was made of glass.
And now he was standing there wondering if every happy moment had been fake.
“You knew?”” Daniel asked quietly.
Claire looked confused.
“Knew what?””
“That there was no baby.””
Her silence was painful.
Then she whispered:
“I knew something was wrong.””
A murmur moved through the crowd.
Daniel’s jaw tightened.
“What does that mean?””
Claire looked down.
“I had a miscarriage.””
My mother covered her mouth.
Several relatives gasped.
Daniel froze.
“When?””
“Two months ago.””
The room changed instantly.
People who had been angry suddenly looked uncertain.
My mother stepped forward.
“Oh, Claire…”
But Daniel didn’t move.
“You lost our baby?””
Claire nodded.
“And you didn’t tell me?””
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
“I was afraid.””
“Afraid enough to pretend?””
She closed her eyes.
“I thought if I told you, you would leave.””
“That’s not an answer.””
“It is.””
Her voice broke.
“You wanted this baby so badly. Everyone did. Your parents, your family, you…”
She touched her stomach.
“I couldn’t be the person who took that happiness away.””
Daniel looked at her fake pregnancy bump.
Then at the document in his hand.
“So you decided to replace the truth?””
Claire shook her head.
“I didn’t plan for it to go this far.””
I looked at the wrapper Sophie had found.
The strange thing was, I still didn’t understand what it was.
Neither did anyone else.
My cousin Mark finally spoke.
“Wait. What exactly was Sophie talking about?””
Claire looked toward the little girl.
Her expression hardened for a moment.
“I don’t know.””
But Sophie did.
She stepped forward again.
“She took the baby pillow out.””
Everyone looked at her.
Emma gently touched her shoulder.
“Sophie, what did you see?””
The little girl looked at Claire.
“She was wearing something under her dress.””
Claire’s face changed.
Daniel noticed.
“What was she wearing?””
Sophie pointed at Claire’s stomach.
“The pretend baby.””
A cold feeling went through me.
Because suddenly the fake pregnancy made sense.
But one question remained.
Why?
Why would someone go through months of pretending?
Why would Claire risk destroying her marriage?
Daniel looked at his wife.
“Tell me the truth.””
Claire looked down.
For a long moment, she said nothing.
Then she reached into her purse again.
This time, she pulled out a small ultrasound photo.
Her hands were shaking.
“I didn’t fake everything.””
Daniel stared at the picture.
May you like
And then Claire said something that made my brother step backward.
“The baby was never yours.””
