On our wedding night, my husband Scott wanted to get intimate, but I turned him down, saying I was tired. He agreed and kissed me goodnight. Suddenly, at midnight, I felt the bed shake and turned to see Scott kneeling by the bed, holding a baby.
“Scott?” I gasped. “What’s going on?”
He looked at me and whispered, “Everly, this is Ella, my orphaned niece. My stepsister, Maya, is gone now. I found out about her just a few weeks ago.”
“A few weeks ago?” I repeated, struggling to understand. Scott confessed he was scared I’d leave if I knew.
“How can we start our life together with secrets and lies?” I asked. “Scott, what’s the plan? Are we going to adopt Ella?”
“I haven’t thought that far,” he answered. “Right now, I just need to take care of her.” We postponed the discussion, but I felt uneasy.
The next day, we returned home to Scott’s estate with Ella, and I sought answers about his stepsister. “Scott, why raise her baby if you and your family cut ties with Maya?” I asked.
“It’s about Ella. She’s innocent and has no one but us,” Scott said. But a photograph on his desk contradicted everything. It showed Scott happy and close with a pregnant woman, possibly Maya.
When Scott came home, I confronted him with the photo. “Explain this, Scott. I want the truth.”
“That’s Maya, Ella’s mother,” he confessed. “I used to meet her secretly to help her.”
“Why hide it? Why lie to me?” I demanded. Scott admitted he feared I’d leave if I knew the truth.
“How can we build a life on secrets and half-truths?” I asked. “Maybe we should consider putting Ella up for adoption.”
“Adoption? That’s unthinkable. Ella is my responsibility,” Scott argued.
Caught in a whirlwind of emotions, I left the mansion with Ella, seeking solitude. At the beach, a mysterious woman approached and asked, “Scott’s daughter?”
“No, she’s his niece. Who are you?” I questioned.
“His niece? She’s his spitting image,” she said, smirking. “Run for your life,” she whispered before walking off. I returned home and confronted Scott again.
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