Chapter 13: The Secret Hidden Beneath Our Honeymoon Cabin
The drive to the lakeside cabin took almost two hours.
Detective Harris followed in an unmarked vehicle while another officer coordinated with the facility where Olivia had been staying.
I held Emily's photograph in my hands the entire journey.
Three little girls.
Three identical smiles.
And one woman who had apparently known the truth long before I did.
Rachel sat beside me.
She hadn't spoken much since we'd left Claire's house.
Finally, she whispered, "Marcus, there's something I haven't told you.""
I kept my eyes on the road.
"What now?""
"Emily made me promise something before she died.""
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel.
"Please tell me this isn't another secret.""
Rachel shook her head.
"She made me promise that if you ever found all three girls, I would give you the original DNA results.""
I looked at her.
"Where are they?""
"Inside the cabin.""
I pulled into the gravel driveway.
The wooden building looked exactly as it had six years earlier. The porch swing still hung from the ceiling, and the old oak tree beside the entrance had grown taller.
Emily and I had spent our honeymoon there.
We'd carved our initials into the wooden railing.
I stepped onto the porch and found the letters.
M + E.
Beneath them, someone had scratched three tiny hearts.
I hadn't noticed them before.
Rachel unlocked the door.
The cabin smelled of cedar and dust.
Everything was covered in white sheets.
The fireplace.
The dining table.
The old rocking chair Emily used to sit in while reading.
I walked toward the bedroom.
"Where would she hide something?""
Rachel pointed toward the fireplace.
"She told me to look where you used to keep your wedding photographs.""
I removed the framed picture from the mantel.
Behind it was a small wooden compartment.
Inside lay a metal box.
The key Claire had given me fit perfectly.
I opened it.
There were three birth certificates.
Three DNA reports.
And a letter addressed to me.
I opened the first report.
Marcus Williams.
Child: Lily Williams.
Probability of biological paternity: 99.99%.
I stared.
The second report listed Sophie.
Again, 99.99%.
The third listed Olivia Grant.
The same result.
I sat down.
Rachel began crying.
"She was right.""
I couldn't speak.
All three girls were biologically mine.
Emily had given birth to three children.
Not one.
Not two.
Three.
I opened the letter.
My darling Marcus,
If you're reading this, then Daniel has finally pushed you far enough to uncover the truth.
I need you to know that I never stopped loving you. I never betrayed you. And I never willingly gave away our children.
I swallowed hard.
The letter continued.
The night I delivered the girls, Daniel told me there had been a complication. He said one baby had died and another needed emergency treatment.
But I saw three babies.
I heard three cries.
I held all three of my daughters before Daniel convinced the hospital staff to separate them.
My hands trembled.
He told me that our family had been chosen for a private financial arrangement. A wealthy investor wanted access to a family with three children because of a trust structure involving inheritance and guardianship.
I frowned.
What kind of arrangement could possibly involve three newborn babies?
The next paragraph answered part of that question.
Daniel had discovered that the inheritance Emily's father left me could be transferred into a protected family trust if I had multiple legal dependents. He wanted control of that trust.
I stared at the amount written on the attached financial statement.
$2.4 million.
Not $740,000.
The original inheritance had been worth more than three times what I'd believed.
The missing money had been transferred through several accounts.
I looked at Rachel.
"Did you know?""
She shook her head.
"No. I only knew about the payments Daniel made to the hospital.""
I continued reading.
Daniel arranged for Lily to come home with us. Sophie was sent to Patricia. Olivia was placed with another family. He told everyone the children had different mothers and fathers.
He believed he could control the truth by controlling the paperwork.
I reached the final page.
Emily had written one sentence in capital letters.
*DANIEL DIDN'T CREATE THIS PLAN. HE WAS WORKING FOR SOMEONE ELSE.*
Beneath it was a name.
GREGORY WILLIAMS.
My father's name.
I felt the room spin.
My father had died when I was twenty-eight.
He'd left the family business to me and Daniel.
He'd also been the person who introduced Daniel to the hospital administrator.
I looked at Rachel.
"Did Dad know?""
She slowly nodded.
"Emily suspected he did.""
I stood.
"Why didn't she tell me?""
"Because Dad threatened to disinherit you. He said if you interfered, he'd make sure Daniel received the company and everything else.""
I stared at the letter.
There was another document inside the box.
A photograph of my father standing with Daniel outside St. Mary's.
The date was six years earlier.
But the most disturbing detail was the man standing beside them.
I recognized him.
He was the attorney who had represented Daniel in the guardianship proceedings.
And he was still alive.
My phone rang.
Detective Harris.
"Marcus, we have Olivia.""
I exhaled.
"Is she safe?""
"She's with officers. But there's a problem.""
"What?""
"Daniel was at the facility. He left before we arrived.""
"Did he take anything?""
Harris paused.
"Yes. He took a sealed medical file.""
I looked at the documents in my hand.
"What was in it?""
"The original maternity records.""
I closed my eyes.
Then Harris added, "We've also identified the person who has been funding Daniel's operation.""
I waited.
"It's a private investment company owned by your father's former attorney.""
I looked at the photograph.
The man standing beside my father and brother.
Harris continued.
"Mr. Williams, the attorney has requested a meeting with you. He claims he can explain everything about the three girls.""
I looked at Emily's letter.
Then I noticed a small handwritten sentence at the bottom.
Marcus, if Daniel fails, the man behind him will come for you.
I picked up the phone.
"Detective, tell him I'll meet.""
"Are you sure?""
"Yes.""
"Where?""
I looked toward the lake.
"At the place where my father taught us that family always comes first.""
May you like
The old family estate.
And for the first time in six years, I knew exactly where the final confrontation would happen.
