Chapter 23: The Affair

The phone felt like a block of ice in my hand. I stared at the screen. My mother, Susan, was the girl from Arthur Vance’s past? It didn’t make sense. My mother was a quiet woman who loved her family. She wasn’t a mistress.

Edward took the phone from my shaking hand. His face went pale as he read the message.

"Edward?" I whispered. "Is it possible? My mother and your father?"

Edward didn't answer right away.

I turned to my dad, who was sitting at one corner of the room.

"Dad," I said, my voice shaking. "Did Mom ever go to France? Did she know Arthur Vance before you were married?"

My father’s face showed many feelings in three seconds. Shock, confusion, and then deep, heavy sadness. He sat back down in his chair. He didn't look surprised. He looked like a man whose biggest secret had finally come out.

"Thomas," Edward said, stepping toward him. "If you know something, you have to tell us. The Bennets are trying to break us apart."

"I... I can't," my father said. "I promised her. I promised Susan I would never tell."

"Dad!" I cried out. "Someone just tried to kill me and our baby. They are using Mom’s past as a weapon. If you love me, you’ll tell the truth."

My father looked at me, his eyes red. "Your mother was a different person back then, Serena. She was young and pretty, and she wanted to see the world. She went to Europe as a student. When she came back, she was broken. She wouldn't talk about what happened. She just wanted a quiet life with a man who would keep her safe. I loved her, so I never asked questions. I just took care of her."

"But the woman in Lyon," Edward asked. "The contract. Why would there be a second page about her?"

"Because," a voice said from the doorway.

We all turned. Lily was standing there. She wasn't wearing her usual pearls or her soft smile. She looked tired.

"Lily?" Edward asked, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Edward," Lily said. She walked into the room and closed the door behind her. She looked at me with disgust.

“I got a text from an unknown number, threatening to reveal Arthur’s mystery affair to you and Serena. I guess you know already." Lily said.

The room went silent. It felt like the ceiling was spinning.

She gave the brown envelope she was holding to Edward. It was the second page of the Vance trust.

"Read the small print, Edward," Lily said. "The part about the heir."

Edward’s eyes moved fast over the old legal words. Suddenly, he stopped. He looked at Lily, then at me, then back at the paper.

"It says... if the heir is of Vance's blood through both parents, the estate is tripled," Edward read, his voice barely a whisper. "But if the marriage is between blood family, the whole trust is lost and given to charity."

I felt my heart stop. "Blood family? Edward, what are you saying?"

Lily cut in, " Arthur Vance didn't just have an affair with Susan, your mother. He got her pregnant, and she had the baby years ago."

I felt cold sweat on my forehead. My hand went to my stomach. "My mother... Susan had a child for Arthur Vance?"

"Eleanor, Serena," Lily said, her voice breaking. "Wasn’t Thomas’s child by blood. She was Arthur Vance’s daughter. Edward’s half sister."

The world went black for a second. My father burst into tears in the corner. He didn't say anything. He just covered his face.

"No," Edward whispered. "No, that’s not possible. It’s a lie. Louise made this up."

"I saw the letters, Edward," Lily said. "That's why I sabotaged your engagement to Eleanor so we don’t lose everything we own." "I was Arthur’s help back then. I helped Susan escape when she found out she was pregnant. Thomas was a mechanic at the Vance garage. He loved Susan, so he agreed to marry her and take the baby as his."

"Wait," Edward said, his brain suddenly working again. He looked at the paper again, then at the date on the text. "Mother, why are you telling us this now?"

"Because Louise found the letters. She thinks Serena is the affair child and not Eleanor, and she’s planning on using that information to sabotage your marriage to Serena. Lily said.

I looked at my father. "Dad? Is it true?"

Thomas looked up, his face old and gray. "I’m sorry, Serena. I’m so sorry. I loved Eleanor like my own. I forgot the truth years ago."

I felt sick. I looked at the fancy hospital room; it all felt like a jail.

Edward stepped toward me, but I pulled my hand away. I couldn't touch him. Not yet. Not until I knew if I was also Arthur’s child.

"Edward," I said, my voice cold. "We need a DNA test. Right now. I want to be sure I’m not your half sister.

"Serena, even if you are, I don't care," Edward said, his eyes teary. "I love you and our baby that you’re carrying."

"Just get a doctor to run the test, please; I need to know," I said.

Edward kissed me on the forehead before he stepped out to go get a doctor.

I sat there in the quiet hospital room, the sun finally rising over Oaktown. I looked at Lily, who was still standing by the door, and at my father, who might not really be my father.

I picked up my phone. The unknown number was still there. I typed a reply.

Who are you really?

A minute later, the phone buzzed.

A friend. Check the back of the flower vase.

I looked at the floor. The broken glass of the flower vase was still there, mixed with water and petals. I stood up from the bed, walked over, and picked up a large piece of the heavy crystal base. Stuck to the bottom with clear tape was a small, plastic USB drive.

The man in the lab coat hadn't just come to kill me. He had come to deliver something.

I plugged the drive into Edward’s laptop he left on the bedside table. My heart was beating so fast against my ribs. A single folder appeared on the screen. It was labeled: ARTHUR VANCE  - 2001.