Chapter 9: The Child My Family Stole
I couldn't process what Rebecca had said.
Another baby.
Sarah had given birth to twins.
And I'd only brought one child home.
“Where is the other baby?””
My voice sounded strange.
Rebecca shook her head.
“I don't know.””
I turned toward my father.
“Dad, you knew?””
Robert nodded.
“Sarah told me.””
“And you let them take the baby?””
“I thought it was temporary.””
I grabbed his jacket.
“WHERE IS MY CHILD?””
Emily rushed between us.
“Daniel! Stop!””
My father stumbled backward.
“I didn't know where they were taking him!””
“Then why didn't you tell me?””
“Because Margaret said the baby hadn't survived!””
I released him.
For a moment, I couldn't breathe.
“Then why did you say Sarah told you Ari wasn't my only child?””
Robert wiped his face.
“Because she knew the other baby was alive.””
Rebecca reached into her handbag.
She removed a folded hospital photograph.
Two newborn babies lay side by side in an incubator.
One wore a pink identification band.
The other wore a blue one.
I recognized the date.
The night Ari was born.
On the back, Sarah had written:
My beautiful little miracles. I will find a way to bring you both home.
My knees weakened.
I sat down.
“Why didn't anybody tell me?””
Rebecca sat beside me.
“Because the second baby was transferred before you returned from the hospital corridor.””
I remembered that night.
A nurse had told me Sarah was stable and that the doctors were taking care of everything.
I'd been crying so hard that I couldn't see straight.
When I finally entered the maternity room, Ari was alone.
I'd assumed her twin had died during delivery.
Nobody had told me otherwise.
I looked at Rebecca.
“Who took him?””
She hesitated.
“Margaret arranged the transfer.””
“To where?””
“I never found out.””
My father suddenly spoke.
“Thomas knows.””
I turned toward him.
“Then we're going to ask him.””
Robert shook his head.
“He won't tell you.””
“Why?””
“Because he was paid.””
I felt rage rising again.
“How much?””
My father looked down.
“Five hundred thousand dollars.””
Emily covered her mouth.
“Who paid him?””
Robert's answer was barely audible.
“Your mother's company.””
I stood and walked toward the front window.
Outside, Margaret was speaking to the two social workers. Thomas was checking his watch.
Vanessa stood near the driveway.
They looked organized.
Prepared.
As if this was not the first time they'd taken a child from a family.
My phone rang again.
This time, the caller ID showed a private number.
I answered.
“Hello?””
A man's voice spoke.
“Mr. Carter, my name is Michael Hayes. I'm an attorney representing an individual who has been trying to contact you.””
“Who?””
“Your son.””
My heart stopped.
“Where is he?””
There was a pause.
“Safe, for now.””
I gripped the phone.
“Who are you?””
“Someone who received a sealed envelope from Sarah Carter four years ago. She instructed me to deliver it if you ever discovered the existence of the second child.””
I looked toward Rebecca.
She was staring at me.
“Where is my son?”” I repeated.
“I'm afraid there's a complication.””
“What complication?””
“The boy was adopted under a different name. His adoptive parents believe his biological mother abandoned him.””
I closed my eyes.
Sarah would never have abandoned either of her children.
“Can you prove he's mine?””
“Yes. I have the original birth records, a DNA report, and a letter signed by Sarah.””
I felt tears running down my face.
“Send me everything.””
“I can't. Not yet.””
“Why?””
“Because Margaret Carter has already contacted my office.””
I looked outside.
My mother was now pointing toward our house.
The social worker beside her was writing something on a clipboard.
The attorney continued.
“She has filed an emergency petition claiming you are attempting to abduct a minor child.””
I laughed in disbelief.
“She's trying to take my daughter.””
“Mr. Carter, she is trying to take both children.””
I froze.
“What?””
“She has located the adoptive family. Her petition claims the boy is the rightful heir to the Carter estate and that you are mentally unstable.””
My hands trembled.
“Why would she want custody of him now?””
The attorney hesitated.
“Because the boy is about to turn five.””
I remembered my grandfather's trust.
The money.
The company.
The inheritance.
Then I heard the attorney say something that changed everything.
“There's a clause in your grandfather's will. If both biological grandchildren are reunited before their fifth birthday, control of the family trust transfers to them equally.””
I looked at the calendar.
Ari's fifth birthday was less than three months away.
My mother wasn't simply trying to take my children.
She was racing against a deadline.
Suddenly, the front door opened.
Margaret entered with the two social workers.
“Daniel,” she said calmly.
“We need to discuss Ari's temporary placement.””
I stepped in front of my daughter.
“She isn't going anywhere.””
The older social worker held up a document.
“Mr. Carter, we've received allegations of emotional instability and potential child neglect. We'd like to speak with your daughter privately.””
I looked at the paper.
My signature appeared at the bottom of the complaint.
Again.
But this time, something else caught my attention.
The reporting party's name.
Thomas Bell.
I looked at my mother.
“You forged my signature.””
Margaret sighed.
“Don't make this harder than it needs to be.””
Then she turned toward Ari.
“Come here, sweetheart. Grandma has something special for you.””
Ari hid behind my legs.
“No!””
Margaret's smile vanished.
The younger social worker crouched beside my daughter.
“It's okay, honey. We're just going to ask you a few questions.””
Ari began crying.
Then she looked directly at Margaret.
And said something none of us expected.
“Grandma, why did you tell the doctor to take my brother away?””
My mother went completely still.
The social worker slowly turned toward her.
I looked down at Ari.
“Sweetheart, what did you just say?””
Ari wiped her cheeks.
“Grandma said my brother was bad because he cried too much.””
Margaret's face turned white.
Then Ari added one final sentence.
“Daddy, I saw his picture in Grandma's phone.””
My heart pounded.
“What picture, baby?””
She pointed toward Margaret's handbag.
“The little boy who looks exactly like me.””
Margaret immediately grabbed her bag.
But the younger social worker stepped forward.
“Ma'am, please put that down.””
For the first time, my mother looked genuinely frightened.
And when her phone slipped from her handbag and landed on the floor, the screen lit up.
A photograph appeared.
A little boy with dark brown eyes.
The same eyes as Ari.
May you like
And beneath the photograph was a message from Thomas Bell:
*The boy has started asking questions about his real parents. We need to move him before Daniel finds him.*
