Chapter 9: The Grandmother's Last Secret
I rushed into the corridor.
“Eleanor!””
She turned.
The doctor beside her immediately stepped away.
“Marcus,” she said.
I held up my phone.
“What does this mean?””
Her eyes moved to the photograph.
The color drained from her face.
“Where did you get that?””
“Someone sent it to me. What procedure are they talking about?””
She looked toward the doctor.
“Dr. Bennett, please give us a moment.””
The man nodded and disappeared around the corner.
I stepped closer.
“Start talking.””
Eleanor took a shaky breath.
“Richard told me he had Lily.””
“And?””
“He said he'd release her if I helped him recover the original medical records.””
“What records?””
“The fertility clinic files.””
I stared at her.
“Why does he need them?””
“Because they prove how he created the embryo that became Ava.””
I shook my head.
“We already know Ava is my biological daughter.””
“Not everything.””
She looked toward Danielle's hospital room.
“Richard arranged more than one procedure.””
My stomach tightened.
“How many?””
“Three.””
I felt dizzy.
“What does that mean?””
Eleanor lowered her voice.
“He created three embryos using his genetic material and mine. One became Ava. Another was implanted into a woman who died during childbirth. The third was frozen.””
I stared at her.
“Where is it?””
“In the old medical center.””
I thought about Lily's photograph.
“Why does Richard want it?””
“Because he believes the third child is the key to controlling the inheritance.””
I shook my head.
“He's obsessed with children and money.””
“He's obsessed with ownership,” Eleanor replied.
“He believes everyone in his family belongs to him.””
I looked at her.
“Why did you agree to help him?””
Her eyes filled.
“Because he threatened Lily.””
“You could have called the police.””
“He told me he would kill her before they arrived.””
I stepped back.
“You knew where she was, and you didn't tell us?””
“I was trying to save her.””
I laughed bitterly.
“That's what everyone says.””
Eleanor reached for my arm.
“Marcus, please. I have spent thirty years regretting what happened to you. I lost my daughter, I lost you, and I thought I had lost every chance to make things right.””
“You didn't lose us. You abandoned us.””
She flinched.
Then she reached into her handbag.
She pulled out a small envelope.
“I want you to read this.””
Inside was a handwritten letter.
The paper was yellowed, and the handwriting was unfamiliar.
At the top was a date from thirty years earlier.
To my son, if you ever discover who you are.
I read the first few lines.
The letter was from my biological mother.
It described how she had met Richard, how he promised to marry her, and how he disappeared after learning she was pregnant.
She had eventually married another man and moved away.
At the bottom was an address.
I looked at Eleanor.
“Where is she?””
Eleanor shook her head.
“She died six years ago.””
I folded the letter.
For a moment, I couldn't speak.
I had spent my entire life believing I had one mother and one father.
Now I had discovered that the people who raised me weren't my biological parents, that my biological father was a criminal, and that my biological mother had died without ever knowing I'd been raised by another family.
I looked at Eleanor.
“Did she know about me?””
“Yes.””
“Did she ever try to find me?””
Eleanor nodded.
“Richard threatened her. He told her he'd make sure you never had a normal life if she contacted you.””
I closed my eyes.
Then I heard Danielle calling my name.
I returned to her room.
She was sitting upright, holding Ava's hand.
“What's happened?””
I told her everything.
When I mentioned the third embryo, her expression changed.
“Marcus, I remember something.””
“What?””
“During the months before I disappeared, Richard kept talking about a child who would be born with a perfect claim to the inheritance.””
I frowned.
“He already had Ava.””
“He said Ava was only the beginning.””
She reached for my hand.
“Lily told me something while we were underground.””
“What?””
“She said Richard had another little girl in the medical center. She called her the sleeping princess.””
My phone rang.
Detective Hayes.
I answered.
“Marcus, we have a location.””
“Where?””
“The old Savannah medical center. We found Lily's transport vehicle outside.””
“Are you going in?””
“We're assembling a team.””
“I'm coming.””
“Absolutely not.””
“Detective, my daughter was held in that building. My wife was imprisoned beneath my swimming pool. I'm not sitting in another hospital waiting room.””
He sighed.
“Then stay behind the officers. Do not approach anyone without instructions.””
I looked at Danielle.
She nodded.
“Go. Find that little girl.””
I kissed Ava's forehead.
“Daddy will be back soon.””
Ava opened her eyes.
“Bring Lily home.””
“I promise.””
The medical center stood at the edge of an industrial district.
Its windows were boarded up, and weeds had grown through the cracked parking lot.
Several police vehicles surrounded the building.
Hayes met me at the entrance.
“We've identified two guards inside.””
“Where's Richard?””
“Not here.””
I followed him through the lobby.
The smell of disinfectant lingered despite the building's abandonment.
We entered a corridor lined with old examination rooms.
At the far end, a door stood slightly open.
A faint crying sound came from inside.
“Lily?”” I called.
A small voice answered.
“Mr. Marcus?””
I rushed into the room.
Lily was sitting on a hospital bed.
A nurse stood beside her, holding a clipboard.
When she saw the officers, she dropped it and raised her hands.
Hayes moved forward.
“Step away from the child!””
I reached Lily.
“Are you hurt?””
She shook her head.
“Where's Vanessa?””
“I don't know.””
“Where's Richard?””
Lily pointed toward a second door.
“He went to see the other girl.””
I looked at Hayes.
“What other girl?””
Lily whispered:
“The little girl who looks like Ava.””
We opened the second door.
Inside was another child.
She was sleeping beneath a white blanket.
She had the same dark hair.
The same small scar above her right eyebrow.
And around her wrist was a hospital identification bracelet.
I leaned closer.
The name printed on it made my blood turn cold.
*AVA REED.*
Then I noticed the date of birth.
It was six years earlier.
The exact same date as my daughter's.
Hayes pulled me back.
“Marcus, don't touch anything.””
I stared at the sleeping child.
“Who is she?””
A doctor stepped out from behind the curtain.
He was holding a folder.
“She's the original,” he said.
I turned.
“What?””
The doctor looked at me.
“Your daughter was switched at birth.””
He opened the folder.
“And Richard has been searching for the other baby for six years.””
My phone rang.
Danielle.
I answered immediately.
“Marcus, listen to me. I've just remembered something important.””
“What?””
Her voice trembled.
“When Ava was born, Richard insisted on holding her before the nurses brought her to me.””
I stared at the sleeping child.
Danielle continued.
“He said he wanted to make sure the right baby went home.””
Then she whispered:
“Marcus, the little girl in that room isn't Ava's twin.””
A pause.
May you like
“She is Ava.””
And somewhere behind me, the doctor quietly locked the door.
