Unexpected Love

Chapter 33

The morning was quiet—almost too quiet. Meredith was home alone with Sean while Derek and Crystal were out running errands. Sean, now a month old, was napping peacefully in his bassinet. Meredith sat at the kitchen table, sipping her decaf coffee and scrolling through her emails when a sudden knock at the door startled her.

She wasn't expecting anyone.

Cautiously, she stood, her heart thudding in her chest. Glancing out the window, she saw a man standing on the porch. He was tall, wearing a dark coat, and his face was partially obscured by a baseball cap. Something about him set her on edge.

Meredith grabbed her phone, keeping it close as she moved toward the door. "Who is it?" she called out, her voice steady but firm.

The man hesitated before answering. "Dr. Meredith Grey?"

Her grip on the phone tightened. "Who's asking?"

"I'm... someone from your past," the man replied cryptically.

A chill ran down her spine. "Look, I don't know who you are, but I'm not interested in anything you're selling. Please leave."

"I'm not selling anything," he said, his tone low. "I need to talk to you. It's about your father."

Meredith froze. "My father?"

"I don't want to cause any trouble," the man said quickly. "But I have something you need to know."

Against her better judgment, she cracked the door open slightly, leaving the chain in place. "Start talking. And make it quick."

The man pulled a folder from his coat and held it up. "I work as a private investigator. Your father... Thatcher Grey... left behind some unresolved matters. This concerns all of you."

Meredith's breath hitched. What could possibly be left unresolved?

"I don't know if this is a scam, but you need to leave," she said firmly, starting to close the door.

"Wait!" the man said urgently. "Just take the folder. Look it over. If you're not interested, fine. But there are people—relatives—you don't know about. This could change everything."

Meredith stared at him, her instincts screaming not to trust him. But curiosity gnawed at her. Against her better judgment, she took the folder through the crack in the door, slamming it shut immediately after.

The news hit Meredith like a punch to the gut. She'd just opened the envelope left at her doorstep, only to find the shocking revelation about her father's long-held secret. Thatcher Grey had another child—a daughter named Claire, the product of an affair before he married Ellis. Meredith sat frozen in her New York townhouse, staring at the documents. It wasn't just her burden to bear; this secret belonged to her whole family.

Without hesitation, she called her siblings.

"Margaret, we need to talk. Now."

Margaret, the eldest and the family's de facto leader, wasted no time organizing a family conference call. Soon, Meredith, Michael, Mellissa, and Maddison joined the call.

"Everyone, Meredith has something to share," Margaret began, her voice calm but firm.

Meredith took a deep breath. "I found out something about Dad... He had an affair before marrying Mom. And there's a child—a daughter named Claire. She's been trying to contact him, and the proof landed on my doorstep."

The line went silent.

Michael, ever the logical one, broke the silence. "We can't let this fester. If it's true, we need to know why Dad hid it from us."