Chapter 2
Richard followed Lauren out of the hospital hallway.
He couldn't understand what was happening.
Every step felt heavier.
Every second felt like another piece of his perfect life was falling apart.
"Lauren, stop."
She continued walking.
"Lauren."
Finally, she stopped.
Slowly turned around.
"What do you want, Richard?"
The question surprised him.
Because she had never spoken to him that way.
Not once.
"I want to know the truth."
Lauren smiled slightly.
"The truth?"
She looked at him.
"You had ten years to ask."
Richard had no answer.
Because she was right.
For years, he never asked.
He assumed.
He blamed.
He judged.
Lauren reached into her bag.
She pulled out a small envelope.
Old.
Carefully preserved.
Richard stared.
"What is that?"
"The reason I stayed silent."
He opened it.
Inside were medical records.
Old examination results.
And one document that made his hands shake.
A birth certificate.
Richard looked at the name.
Then froze.
"Impossible."
Lauren watched his reaction.
"That's what I thought you would say."
His breathing became heavier.
"Lauren..."
She interrupted him.
"No."
"Listen."
She took a deep breath.
"The night you left me..."
"You didn't know I was already pregnant."
Richard looked up.
His face completely changed.
"I tried calling you."
"I tried telling you."
"But you were too busy telling everyone I was the problem."
His mind returned to those years.
The divorce.
The rumors.
The way people looked at Lauren.
And suddenly...
He saw everything differently.
"You had a child?"
His voice cracked.
Lauren nodded.
"A daughter."
Richard stepped backward.
A daughter.
The word echoed in his mind.
"Where is she?"
Lauren looked away.
"Growing up."
"Does she know about me?"
Silence.
That silence answered everything.
Richard covered his face.
Because for the first time...
He understood what he had lost.
Not a marriage.
Not a reputation.
A child.
But then he noticed something.
The hospital.
The examination.
The doctor.
"Why are we here?"
Lauren looked at him.
"Because your daughter needed a genetic test."
Richard froze.
"Why?"
Lauren's expression changed slightly.
For the first time...
A small amount of emotion appeared.
"Because she is sick."
The words destroyed him.
The powerful businessman who feared losing money.
The man who feared losing status.
Now stood helpless.
"What happened?"
Lauren remained calm.
"She inherited a condition."
Richard looked at her.
"Can it be treated?"
"Yes."
Relief appeared.
Then disappeared.
"But only if we act quickly."
Richard looked confused.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Lauren stared at him.
The question almost made her laugh.
"Because you never wanted the truth."
The sentence hurt.
Because it was true.
For years, Richard had created a story where he was the victim.
Lauren was the problem.
But now...
He discovered the real victim had been his own daughter.
"Can I see her?"
Richard asked quietly.
Lauren looked at him.
"You can."
A pause.
"But remember something."
"What?"
"She knows the man who abandoned her mother."
"She doesn't know the father who chose to stay."
Richard lowered his head.
Because he had no defense.
He had spent years blaming Lauren for a family he destroyed himself.
And now...
May you like
He had one chance.
One chance to become the father he should have been.
