The first document was my birth certificate.

I stared at it.

Something was wrong.

The name of the hospital wasn’t familiar.

The date was correct.

But the place of birth wasn’t.

“That’s not where I was born,” I whispered.

Mom closed her eyes.

“I know.”

I looked at her.

“What are you hiding?”

She began to cry.

Daniel stood silently.

Finally, Mom spoke.

“Before you were born, there was an accident.”

“What accident?”

“You were a baby.”

She took a deep breath.

“Your biological parents were involved in a terrible incident.”

I couldn’t understand.

“Who were they?”

She looked at me.

“Your biological mother was me.”

I froze.

“Then who is my biological father?”

Mom didn’t answer.

Daniel whispered:

“Richard.”

The room went silent.

I stood up.

“No.”

Mom nodded.

“Before I married your father, Richard and I knew each other.”

I felt sick.

“He abandoned us,” she continued.

“When you were born, he refused to take responsibility.”

Years later, the accident happened.

Dad found me.

He took me in.

He raised me as his daughter.

He became my real father in every way that mattered.

But Richard eventually discovered the truth.

And instead of protecting me, he used it.

He threatened Dad.

He wanted money.

He wanted control.

And he knew Dad would never allow him to come near me.

I looked at the DNA report.

There it was.

BIOLOGICAL FATHER: RICHARD CARTER.

My hands were shaking.

The man who had spent years destroying my family was also the man whose blood ran through my veins.

Then my phone rang.

Richard.

I answered.

“You finally know.”

I couldn’t speak.

He continued.

“I never wanted your father to raise you.”

“You abandoned me.”

“I made mistakes.”

“You murdered him.”

Silence.

Then:

“He was going to destroy everything.”

I felt tears running down my face.

“What do you want?”

“I want the evidence.”

“You’ll never get it.”

“Then your mother dies.”

My blood froze.

He continued:

“Come to the old warehouse.”

“Alone.”

The call ended.

I looked at Mom.

Then at Daniel.

They both knew what I had to do.

But they didn’t know that I had already made a decision.

I wasn’t going to the warehouse to surrender.

I was going there to end this.