It wasn't addressed to Sarah.
It was addressed to Eleanor Carter.
Daniel opened it carefully.
Inside was a single handwritten page.
The first sentence made him stop.
"My darling Eleanor, if you are reading this, I have failed to protect our family."
Daniel's eyes moved across the page.
Then he read the next line aloud.
"There is one more child."
Sarah stood up.
"What?"
Olivia looked at her brother.
Daniel continued reading.
"His name is Peter. And he knows who I am."
The following morning, Daniel could barely sleep.
He sat alone in the kitchen, Richard's letter spread across the table.
The message was short, but its implications were enormous.
Richard had written that before his death, he had discovered evidence that he might have another child.
The child had supposedly been born after an affair with a woman named Catherine Hayes.
Unlike Sarah, whose existence had eventually become known to Eleanor, this child had apparently remained hidden from everyone.
Richard had never confirmed the boy's identity.
But he had written that he wanted to find him.
He had also left an address.
A small town in Pennsylvania.
Daniel read the address again.
Then he heard footsteps.
Olivia entered the kitchen.
"You haven't slept."
"Neither have you."
She sat across from him.
"Do you think it's true?"
Daniel looked at the letter.
"I don't know."
"Another sibling?"
He nodded.
Olivia rubbed her forehead.
"How many secrets did our parents have?"
Daniel didn't answer.
Then Sarah entered.
She had overheard enough of their conversation to understand.
"Are you talking about another brother?"
Daniel nodded.
Sarah pulled out a chair.
"If he's real, we should find him."
Olivia looked at her.
"Why are you so certain?"
Sarah smiled sadly.
"Because I spent thirty years wondering whether I had a family. I don't want someone else to spend that long wondering the same thing."
Daniel folded the letter.
"Then we're going to Pennsylvania."
The journey took nearly six hours.
They arrived in a quiet town surrounded by wooded hills and old stone houses.
The address led them to a modest brick home at the end of a narrow street.
A faded wooden sign beside the front door read:
HAYES FAMILY.
Daniel knocked.
No one answered.
He knocked again.
Finally, a young man opened the door.
He was approximately twenty-seven years old, with dark hair and a familiar expression that made Olivia immediately look at Daniel.
"Can I help you?"
Daniel struggled to speak.
"My name is Daniel Carter. We're looking for Peter Hayes."
The young man's face changed.
"Who's asking?"
Daniel took the photograph of Richard from his jacket.
The moment Peter saw it, his expression hardened.
"Where did you get that?"
"It belonged to our father."
Peter stared at him.
Then he laughed bitterly.
"Your father?"
Daniel nodded.
"Richard Carter."
Peter stepped outside and closed the door behind him.
"My mother told me never to speak to anyone from that family."
Olivia moved closer.
"Why?"
Peter looked at her.
"Because your father abandoned us."
Daniel felt something tighten in his chest.
"Peter, I don't know what your mother told you, but we're trying to understand what happened."
Peter shook his head.
"My mother died believing Richard had forgotten us."
Sarah spoke gently.
"That may not be the whole story."
Peter looked at her.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Sarah. I'm his daughter."
Peter stared at her.
Then he looked at Daniel and Olivia.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Finally, he asked:
"Are you telling me we're related?"
Daniel nodded.
Peter stepped backward.
"Come inside."
Peter's house was small but carefully maintained.
Photographs covered the walls.
Most showed a woman with gentle eyes and a young boy growing up through the years.
Catherine Hayes.
Peter's mother.
He brought out an old photograph of Richard.
"I found this in my mother's bedroom after she died."
Daniel examined it.
It showed Richard holding Peter as a baby.
On the back were the words:
My son. My greatest regret is that I cannot be there every day.
Peter looked away.
"She told me he sent money sometimes. But he never visited after I was five."
Daniel swallowed.
"Did she ever tell you why?"
"She said he had a family and didn't want to hurt them."
Olivia's eyes filled.
"That sounds like something he might have believed."
Peter looked at her.
"Do you think he loved me?"
Daniel didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
Peter shook his head.
"You don't know that."
Daniel looked down at the photograph.
"No. I don't know everything he felt. But I know what it means to lose a parent before you understand them."
He paused.
"And I know that if he had been able to come back, I believe he would have wanted to."
Peter sat silently.
Then he brought out a small wooden box.
"My mother left this for me."
Inside were several letters.
Most were written by Richard.
They contained apologies, birthday wishes, and promises that he would explain everything when the time was right.
But one letter was different.
It was dated three weeks before Richard's death.
Catherine,
I have discovered that Michael has been using your name without your knowledge. He has created accounts and moved money through them.
I am afraid he will try to involve you.
Please protect Peter.
I am arranging something for him, but I need more time.
If anything happens to me, contact Arthur Collins.
He knows what I have found.