Chapter 15 - THE SECOND CHILD|
Claire couldn't breathe.
Twins.
She had given birth to two babies and been told one had died. Amelia had been hidden from her, and now another child might still be alive.
"Where is he?" she asked.
Richard's voice weakened.
"I don't know."
Daniel laughed.
"I do."
Ethan raised his weapon.
"Tell us."
Daniel looked at Claire.
"Your son is alive. He was raised by people who never knew his real name."
Claire's eyes filled.
"Where?"
Daniel smiled.
"Somewhere far from this house."
Ethan stepped closer.
"Give me his location."
"Not until you hand over the ledger."
"Then you'll never get it."
Daniel shrugged.
"Then your son stays missing."
Claire moved toward him.
"Please."
Daniel looked at her.
"You should have stayed in the cellar."
Ethan struck him across the face.
Daniel fell against the wall.
Marcus seized him and restrained his arms.
"Enough," Ethan said.
He turned to Richard.
"Where is the church key?"
Richard pointed toward the bedside table.
A small brass key lay beneath a folded handkerchief.
Ethan took it.
He ordered Marcus to secure Daniel and Vanessa. Then he and Claire returned to the mansion.
The old church stood beyond a cemetery, surrounded by bare trees. Rain had begun falling as they entered.
Claire approached the altar.
Her hands shook.
"Do you remember our wedding?" she asked.
Ethan nodded.
"I remember every second."
"I thought you would never forgive me."
"Why?"
"Because I thought you believed I had abandoned you."
Ethan looked at her.
"I believed it because I let someone convince me that you were gone."
He knelt beside the altar and found a small metal compartment beneath the stone.
The key fit.
Inside was a recording device and a sealed envelope.
Claire opened the envelope.
A letter from Richard's wife was inside.
If you have found this, then I am no longer able to protect my children. The truth is that Daniel took the second baby from the hospital. He was told the child would be raised by a trusted family. I later discovered that the child had been moved into the custody of a man connected to the Hart organization.
A name appeared at the bottom.
Thomas Bell.
Claire recognized it.
Thomas had been her mother's family attorney.
She pressed play on the recording.
Her mother-in-law's voice filled the church.
"Claire, if you're hearing this, then I failed to protect you. Your son was taken because he carried the same rare blood condition as Richard. The family believed he could become the key to a medical fortune. They did not want him dead. They wanted him alive."
Claire covered her mouth.
The recording continued.
"His name is Noah. And the person who knows where he is..."
The audio crackled.
Then a man's voice interrupted.
"Stop the recording."
Ethan turned.
A figure stood at the entrance.
May you like
Thomas Bell.
And he was holding a little boy's hand.
