To Eli, that sounded like a good deed. Records were supposed to be easily accessible digitally, but some offices made it more complicated than it needed to be. But maybe he didn’t understand why Iris’s mother was doing that. Context could change everything.
“Okay…” Iris sounded confused.
“But I noticed something that raised a few questions—”
“Just tell her already,” Lily said.
“Don’t rush me! This isn’t an easy thing to say.” Another long pause.
Eli could only imagine how baffled and worried Iris must be. It took all his self-restraint not to interrupt and get in the middle of a complicated situation that had nothing to do with him.
Finally, Rose spoke up. “Mom wasn’t there when you got your physical before college. And none of us had any reason to check on your blood type. But it was in the records they sent—”
“Just tell me,” Iris said, sounding resolute.
“You’re AB,” her mother said in a neutral tone. “Iris, I’m type A. Your father is O. And…”
Oh shit. That’s not possible. Even basic bio informed him of that much. Eli wondered if the woman was about to confess to cheating or something. Maybe Iris was about to learn she had a different biological father? He glanced at Sally, who was standing beside him in silence, her eyes as wide as his own must be.
“This is better than a telenovela,” she breathed.
Rose continued the narrative. “I asked Mom if she cheated.”
“Never!” The woman sounded genuinely indignant, then she went on, “But…it raised serious concerns, so I went to the hospital. I…we hoped they’d simply gotten your blood type wrong, but everything seemed to be correct on that end. In the end, we found an old toothbrush… You’re apparently not related to any of us biologically, Iris.”
“There must have been a mix-up at the hospital,” Rose said. “I’m considering filing suit. This has just about broken Mom’s heart.”
Iris didn’t speak for several long excruciating moments. Then she whispered, “Did you come all this way to tell me I’m not family?”
He could hear the hurt in her voice, ached for her with every fiber of his being.
“That’s your decision,” her mother said quietly. “You’ve always found fault with us, and lately you’ve been giving us the silent treatment. So I suppose you can consider yourself free of obligation if that’s how you—”
“Enough of this nonsense,” Sally said, loud enough for the women in the front room to hear her.
Eli took a step, only to find Sally standing behind him on the verge of dropping her tray. He steadied her, and then she steamrolled right past him into the front room. He hadn’t known if he should step in, but Sally had no such qualms. Eli followed her just in case she needed backup.
“I’d like you to leave,” Sally added. “You’ve just given Iris some shocking news. You should be comforting her, not telling her she can cut ties if she wants. That’s not how family behaves.”
Iris’s mother snapped to her feet. “Who do you think—？”
“Her housemate. Do I need to get a broom to make a clean sweep? Or should I get salt, holy water, or garlic?”
“That’s offensive,” Lily snapped. “Iris, I can’t believe you told her.”
Sally blinked. “Told me what? That’s just what you do to get rid of bad energy. Please leave if that’s how you plan to handle this situation.”
“This is none of your business,” Iris’s mom said.
Sally didn’t back down. “It is, though. You’re doing this in my home, and if I feel uncomfortable, I have the right to ask visitors to leave. It’s in the rental agreement.”
Lily stood with a frosty look at Sally. “I can see there will be no having civil discourse, Iris. Your quality of friends is precisely what I’d expect.”
Rose seemed to feel incredibly awkward about it all. “Maybe we should…take some time? We can talk again when tempers cool.”
“Indeed,” said Iris’s mother. “Reach out when you’re ready.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Dazed, iris stared at the cup in her hand.
It was part of the china set she particularly liked—with the purple flowers and scalloped edges. She had no memory of picking it up. Sally sat beside her, gently rubbing her back while Eli hovered.
“I’m so sorry,” Sally said softly.
She glanced between them with a growing sense of bewilderment. “My mom and sisters were really here, right?”
“Is there anything I can do?” Eli asked, sounding anxious.
Shaking her head, Iris whispered, “How does something like this even happen?”
There was no map for navigating this revelation. With shaking hands, she took a sip of the tea and gathered herself as best she could. This was the kind of reveal she’d enjoy in a Korean drama, but living it?
Not much fun.
Sally said, “I’ve heard of rare cases where infants have been switched at birth. Usually, staff made a mistake and mixed up the tags or something. I remember one case where it happened because both babies had jaundice and there was only one incubator.”
“I don’t know if that applies here.” Oddly, hearing Sally discuss the possibilities in such a matter-of-fact manner? It helped.
“The most important thing for you to keep in mind? This isn’t your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Iris drew in a shaky breath, trying not to cry. “I swear, Lily was glad. Now she doesn’t have to feel guilty about Dylan, I guess. Because I’m not really her sister. It was harder to read Rose and Mom. Or should I call her Delphine now?”
“Lily is a piece of work,” Sally muttered, shaking her head. “Bruce and Mitch adopted both their kids, and they’re every bit as precious to me as Megan.”
Iris tried to smile because Sally was right; blood ties shouldn’t matter. The people who raised and loved you ought to be your family. But she didn’t feel confident that Mom really wanted her to reach out later. Maybe everyone would be happier if Iris used this as an opportunity to cut ties for good, and that was a heartbreaking possibility.
Her voice came out unsteady. “It’s odd; I never felt like I fit in, and now I have literal confirmation. It wasn’t just a feeling. I was a cuckoo in the nest.”
“I don’t understand your mother. She was so cold!”
Iris couldn’t muster a smile. “Delphine might be relieved. I was always the weird one, the child she couldn’t explain.”
“You don’t need to be explained,” Sally said in an indignant tone.
It was incredible that this was why they’d been calling lately. Not to argue about Rose’s party or to demand that she forgive Lily or even to smooth things over in their usual dismissive way—by calling her dramatic. But…to tell her that she wasn’t biologically related. Lily hadn’t bothered to hide her opinion either—You’re not one of us. You never have been. And now we have documentation to prove it.
Everything about this was messy, a scandal the rest of the family would hate other people knowing about. Iris wondered how Dad and Olive felt and what she was supposed to do now. Do I change my last name? But I don’t know what my actual last name is. How does this even work? Presumably, if something went wrong at the hospital, there should be records regarding her biological family, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to meet them.