On the night of our wedding, Scott wanted to be close to me, but I pretended to be too tired and declined. He accepted it easily and kissed me goodnight.
However, just past midnight, I suddenly felt the bed shake. Turning over, I saw Scott standing there, and my heart froze.
“Scott?” I gasped. “What are you doing?”
He paused, looking nervous, as if struggling to explain. Finally, he whispered, “Everly, this is Ella.”
“Ella?” I frowned. “What’s going on?”
“She’s my niece — my sister Maya’s orphan,” Scott explained, trying to calm me. “Maya passed away just a few weeks ago.”
“A few weeks ago?” I asked, stunned. “How did she end up here?”
“I was scared you’d leave me if you knew,” he admitted.
“How could you hide this? How can our marriage start with such secrets?” I asked bitterly. “Are we adopting Ella?”
“I haven’t decided yet,” he said. “Right now, the priority is taking care of her.” Our conversation ended quickly because I was too exhausted, but an uneasy feeling lingered.
The next morning, we arrived at Scott’s home with Ella as if it was all settled. I felt confused and overwhelmed.
One evening, holding Ella in my arms, I confronted him again. “Scott, if you cut ties with your sister, why take responsibility for her child?” I asked.
He hesitated. “It’s not about Maya anymore — it’s about Ella. She has no one else but us.”
But one question remained: where was her father?
Weeks later, I stumbled upon a photo on Scott’s desk that cast doubt on everything he told me. In the picture, he was smiling beside a pregnant woman — presumably Maya.
When Scott came home, his expression changed the moment he saw the photo. “What’s wrong, Everly?” he asked anxiously.
“Explain this,” I said firmly. “You said you weren’t in contact with your sister, but this photo tells another story.”
“You’re right,” Scott sighed, sitting down. “I secretly met with Maya to help her.”
“Why hide it?” I asked, shocked.
“I was afraid you’d leave me,” he confessed. “I wanted you to love Ella without linking her to the past.”
I felt betrayed. “How can we build a future when you hide the truth from me?” I questioned.
“Maybe we should consider giving Ella up for adoption,” I cautiously suggested.
“Adoption?” Scott repeated. “That’s impossible. Ella is my responsibility.”
“Maybe we could find her a better home,” I offered, but he cut me off sharply.
Our argument escalated when Scott accused me of testing him, which hurt deeply.
Confused and hurt, I went to the beach seeking clarity. There, I met a mysterious woman who smiled slyly and asked, “Is that Scott’s daughter?”
“No, his niece,” I replied, holding Ella close.
“Niece? She looks just like him,” the woman said before vanishing, throwing me a warning glance. “Run. Save yourself.”
“Who are you?” I called after her, but she was gone.
That encounter terrified me. I grew more convinced Ella was tied to Scott’s dark past and wondered what had brought her into our lives.
Back home, I confronted Scott. “We need to talk,” I said as I opened the door.
“Everly, I told you everything. No more secrets,” he said confidently, though his voice wavered.
“No, you hid something. Ella isn’t your niece, is she? She’s your daughter,” I accused.
Scott froze, then after a pause, admitted, “Yes, Ella is my daughter.”
“How could you lie about your own child?” I sobbed.
“I wanted you to love her and for us to become a family,” he explained.
In despair, I demanded the whole truth about his past and his relationship with Maya. That’s when I learned she wasn’t his half-sister and that he had secretly been involved with her.
“You lied not only to me but to your daughter too,” I said through tears. “You built our relationship on lies.”
After much soul-searching, I gathered my strength and left, despite having grown to love Ella. Scott tried to win me back, but I stood firm.
One morning, Scott knocked at my door, Ella beside him. Her joyful laughter pained me, but I let them in.
“Scott, would you forgive me if I did what you did?” I asked.
He had no answer, but his remorseful words moved me deeply.
“A family built on truth,” Scott said. “Come back, Everly.”
Despite my doubts, I hugged Ella and nodded. He wrapped us both in his arms.
But over time, Scott’s behavior grew strange. One day, rushing out, I found a photo of that mysterious woman with a baby and a message that shook me.
“Maya isn’t the only secret Scott hides,” the message read. I called the woman and met her at a café. She revealed she was Scott’s ex-wife, and the child she held was his daughter.
“You need to understand the danger you’re in,” she warned.
What shocked me most was discovering I was pregnant. Panicked, I rushed home, only to face Scott’s threats when he found out.
At that moment, police burst in and arrested him for his crimes while Amanda comforted me.
“You’re going to be a wonderful mother,” she told me as I struggled to cope.
Months later, when I finally recovered, I found peace in knowing I could build a family free from lies and shadows.