“Your son wasn’t the only baby taken from that hospital.”
\nMy father’s words hung in the air like a death sentence.
\nI stared at him, unable to understand what I had just heard.
\n“What are you talking about?”
\nHe didn’t answer.
\nInstead, he looked toward the woman standing beside him.
\nShe was in her late sixties, with carefully styled gray hair and a dark green coat.
\nShe held the brown envelope against her chest as though it contained something precious.
\nAdrian stood between them and my hospital bed.
\n“Nobody is going anywhere until you explain what’s happening,” he said.
\nMy father gave a cold smile.
\n“Still giving orders, I see.”
\nAdrian’s expression hardened.
\n“You don’t get to speak to me like that.”
\nMy father looked at him for a long moment.
\nThen he said something that made my stomach twist.
\n“You have your mother’s eyes.”
\nI gripped the hospital blanket.
\n“Don’t you dare.”
\nHe turned toward me.
\n“Eleanor\u2014”
\n“You don’t get to stand there after thirty-one years of lies and pretend you know anything about my son.”
\nHis smile disappeared.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
My mother was still sitting on the floor beside the wall.
\nShe looked as though she might faint.
\n“Richard,” she whispered. “You promised me you wouldn’t come here.”
\nMy father ignored her.
\nI stared at him.
\n“Five years.”
\nHe looked at me.
\n“For five years, I visited your grave. I brought flowers. I cried over you.”
\nMy voice broke.
\n“I thought my father was dead.”
\nHe lowered his eyes.
\n“It was necessary.”
\n“Necessary?”
\nI almost screamed.
\n“You let your own daughter mourn you!”
\nAdrian stepped closer to my bed.
\n“Eleanor, your blood pressure is rising. Please don’t strain yourself.”
\nI looked at him.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
“How am I supposed to stay calm when every person who raised me has spent my entire life lying?”
\nHe gently squeezed my hand.
\n“I know.”
\nThen he turned toward my father.
\n“You have exactly one chance to explain what you meant about another baby.”
\nThe woman beside him finally spoke.
\n“Perhaps I should.”
\nHer voice was calm.
\nToo calm.
\nShe placed the envelope on the small table beside my bed.
\n“My name is Catherine Bennett.”
\nAdrian stared at her.
\n“You’re Aunt Catherine.”
\nShe nodded.
\n“I haven’t seen you since Margaret’s funeral.”
\n“Because you disappeared afterward.”
\nCatherine looked away.
\n“I had my reasons.”
\nAdrian crossed his arms.
\n“Then start explaining them.”
\nCatherine opened the envelope.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Inside were several yellowed documents, a faded photograph, and two tiny hospital identification bracelets.
\nShe placed the bracelets on my blanket.
\nMy heart nearly stopped.
\nOne bracelet read:
\nBABY BOY WHITMORE.
\nThe other read:
\nBABY GIRL WHITMORE.
\nI stared at them.
\nMy mind refused to understand.
\n“No.”
\nCatherine watched me carefully.
\nI picked up the second bracelet with trembling fingers.
\n“Baby girl?”
\nMy voice sounded distant.
\n“Why does this say baby girl?”
\nNobody answered.
\nI looked at my mother.
\nShe had begun crying silently.
\n“Mom?”
\nShe shook her head.
\nI turned toward my father.
\n“WHAT IS THIS?”
\nHe sighed.
\n“Eleanor, you need to understand that things were different back then.”
\n“Don’t you dare tell me things were different!”
\nMy hands were shaking so violently that Adrian gently took the bracelets before I dropped them.
\nI looked at Catherine.
\n“Tell me what this means.”
\nShe pulled a chair closer.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
“Thirty-one years ago, when you went into labor, the doctors discovered you were carrying twins.”
\nThe room went completely silent.
\nI stared at her.
\n“Twins?”
\nShe nodded.
\n“A boy and a girl.”
\nMy breath caught.
\n“No.”
\n“You gave birth to two healthy babies.”
\nI shook my head.
\n“That’s impossible.”
\nAdrian looked just as stunned as I felt.
\n“Her medical records only mention one child.”
\nCatherine nodded.
\n“Because the records were altered.”
\nI stared at her.
\n“Altered?”
\n“Your father arranged for the second birth to be removed from the documents you were given.”
\nI felt my stomach turn.
\nI remembered the delivery room.
\nThe bright lights.
\nThe nurses moving around me.
\nThe pain.
\nAnd then the sudden exhaustion.
\nI remembered hearing a baby cry.
\nOne baby.
\nMy Fabian.
\nBut there was something else.
\nA memory I’d spent thirty-one years dismissing as a dream.
\nA nurse whispering, “The second one is doing fine.”
\nI’d thought she was talking about another patient.
\nAnother baby somewhere nearby.
\nNow I understood.
\nI pressed both hands against my mouth.
\n“Oh, my God.”
\nCatherine continued.
\n“You experienced complications during delivery. You were given medication and became heavily sedated. By the time you were fully alert, your daughter had already been removed from the maternity ward.”
\nTears poured down my face.
\n“My daughter?”
\nThe word felt strange.
\nBeautiful.
\nTerrifying.
\nI had a daughter.
\nA little girl I had never held.
\nA baby whose existence had been erased before I even knew she was alive.
\nI looked at my father.
\n“You took two children from me?”
\nHe looked away.
\nI began sobbing.
\n“Two?”
\nMy mother crawled toward the bed.
\n“Eleanor, please forgive me.”
\nI pulled my hand away.
\n“Don’t touch me.”
\nShe stopped.
\n“I didn’t know how to tell you.”
\nI stared at her.
\n“You had thirty-one years.”
\nShe lowered her head.
\n“Every birthday. Every Christmas. Every time I cried about Fabian, you could have told me I had another child.”
\nMy voice broke.
\n“But you watched me suffer.”
\nMy father finally spoke.
\n“We believed the children would have better lives.”
\nI looked at him with a hatred I had never felt before.
\n“Then why didn’t you tell me I had twins?”
\nHe remained silent.
\nAdrian stepped forward.
\n“Where is she?”
\nCatherine looked at him.
\n“Who?”
\n“My sister.”
\nThe words made me cry harder.
\nMy sister.
\nAdrian had a sister.
\nAnd somewhere in the world, I had a daughter.
\n“Where is she?” he repeated.
\nCatherine looked toward my father.
\nHe shook his head.
\n“Not yet.”
\nAdrian’s expression darkened.
\n“Not yet?”
\nMy father spoke firmly.
\n“There are consequences you don’t understand.”
\nAdrian took out his phone.
\n“Then perhaps the police can explain them.”
\nMy father’s face changed.
\n“Put that away.”
\n“No.”
\nCatherine raised her hand.
\n“Please. There’s more.”
\nAdrian hesitated.
\nThen he lowered the phone slightly.
\nCatherine pulled out another document.
\nIt was a birth certificate.
\nMy name appeared under MOTHER.
\nEleanor Marie Whitmore.
\nUnder CHILD was written:
\nBABY GIRL \u2014 NAME PENDING.
\nAnd under FATHER\u2014
\nI froze.
\nThe name wasn’t Daniel Mercer.
\nIt was Richard Whitmore.
\nMy father.
\nFor several seconds, I couldn’t speak.
\nThen I looked up.
\n“What is this?”
\nMy father closed his eyes.
\nCatherine spoke quickly.
\n“It’s a falsified record. Your father was listed as the legal parent to conceal the child’s true identity during the transfer.”
\nI stared at her.
\n“You put your own name on my daughter’s birth certificate?”
\nMy father nodded.
\n“It made the paperwork easier.”
\nI felt physically sick.
\n“You didn’t just steal my children.”
\nI looked directly into his eyes.
\n“You stole their identities.”
\nAdrian took the document from Catherine.
\n“This is evidence of serious crimes.”
\nMy father gave a bitter laugh.
\n“After thirty-one years, you think anyone will care?”
\nAdrian looked at him coldly.
\n“I care.”
\nI reached for his arm.
\n“So do I.”
\nCatherine removed another photograph from the envelope.
\nIt showed two newborn babies lying side by side.
\nOne was wrapped in a blue blanket covered with white stars.
\nThe other was wrapped in a pale yellow blanket.
\nI stared at the picture.
\nMy babies.
\nTogether.
\nFor the first time in thirty-one years, I was looking at both of my children.
\nI reached toward the photograph.
\nMy fingers touched the little girl’s face.
\nShe had dark hair.
\nA tiny button nose.
\nAnd one hand curled beside her cheek.
\n“She’s beautiful,” I whispered.
\nAdrian leaned closer.
\nHe stared at the photograph for a long time.
\nThen he whispered, “That’s my sister.”
\nI nodded through tears.
\n“Yes, sweetheart.”
\nHe looked at me.
\n“I never knew.”
\n“Neither did I.”
\nWe held the photograph between us.
\nTwo strangers who had become family only hours earlier.
\nAnd now we were discovering that our family was even larger than we’d imagined.
\nI looked at Catherine.
\n“Please.”
\nMy voice cracked.
\n“Tell me where my daughter is.”
\nCatherine hesitated.
\nThen she said, “Her name is Rebecca.”
\nI closed my eyes.
\nRebecca.
\nMy daughter’s name was Rebecca.
\n“Rebecca what?”
\nCatherine looked down.
\n“Rebecca Collins.”
\nI repeated it softly.
\n“Rebecca Collins.”
\nA name I had never spoken.
\nA name I would remember for the rest of my life.
\n“How old is she?”
\nCatherine looked at me sadly.
\n“Thirty-one. The same age as Adrian.”
\nI almost laughed through my tears.
\nOf course.
\nTwins.
\nBorn on the same day.
\nSeparated before either could remember the other.
\n“Does she know she’s adopted?”
\nCatherine nodded.
\n“Yes.”
\n“Does she know about me?”
\nCatherine’s expression changed.
\n“That’s complicated.”
\nMy heart sank.
\n“What do you mean?”
\n“Rebecca was told her birth mother died during childbirth.”
\nI felt another piece of my heart break.
\n“She thinks I’m dead?”
\nCatherine nodded.
\n“And she believes her twin brother died as well.”
\nAdrian stepped backward.
\n“She knows she had a twin?”
\n“Yes.”
\n“Then why wasn’t I told?”
\nCatherine looked ashamed.
\n“Margaret insisted it was better that way.”
\nAdrian stared at her.
\n“Better for whom?”
\nCatherine couldn’t answer.
\nI looked at the photograph again.
\nMy daughter had spent her entire life believing her mother and brother were dead.
\nAnd I had spent mine searching for a son without knowing I had a daughter.
\nIt was cruelty beyond anything I could comprehend.
\n“Where does Rebecca live?” I asked.
\nCatherine hesitated.
\n“She’s not far from here.”
\nMy heart leaped.
\n“How far?”
\n“About forty minutes.”
\nI began trying to get out of bed.
\nAdrian immediately stopped me.
\n“Eleanor, you cannot leave. You’ve just had surgery.”
\n“I need to find her.”
\n“I know. And we will.”
\nHe gently helped me settle back against the pillows.
\n“But first, we need to make sure you’re safe.”
\nI stared at him.
\n“Safe from what?”
\nBefore he could answer, my father spoke.
\n“Rebecca isn’t the person you think she is.”
\nI turned toward him.
\n“What does that mean?”
\nHe crossed his arms.
\n“She’s had a difficult life.”
\nMy chest tightened.
\n“What happened to her?”
\nHe looked at Catherine.
\nShe shook her head.
\n“Richard, don’t.”
\nBut he continued.
\n“Her adoptive parents divorced when she was twelve. Her father disappeared. Her mother struggled financially.”
\nI felt tears filling my eyes again.
\n“Was she loved?”
\nCatherine answered before my father could.
\n“Yes. Her adoptive mother loved her deeply.”
\nI closed my eyes in relief.
\n“Thank God.”
\n“But Rebecca has spent years trying to discover where she came from.”
\nAdrian frowned.
\n“Did she contact you?”
\nCatherine nodded.
\n“Several times.”
\nMy father suddenly interrupted.
\n“She became obsessed with the past.”
\nI looked at him.
\n“Just like I did?”
\nHe didn’t answer.
\n“She wanted to find her mother. Her brother. Her family.”
\nI felt my heart breaking for a daughter I’d never met.
\nCatherine nodded.
\n“She eventually discovered that the hospital records didn’t match the adoption documents.”
\nAdrian leaned forward.
\n“When?”
\n“About eighteen months ago.”
\nI stared at her.
\n“Eighteen months?”
\n“Yes.”
\n“What happened next?”
\nCatherine took a slow breath.
\n“She started asking questions.”
\nMy father looked toward the door.
\n“Too many questions.”
\nSomething about his tone frightened me.
\nI studied his face.
\n“What did you do to her?”
\nHe didn’t answer.
\n“Dad.”
\nHe looked away.
\nI felt panic rising.
\n“WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER?”
\nCatherine stood.
\n“Rebecca is alive, Eleanor.”
\nI exhaled shakily.
\n“But there’s something you need to know.”
\nI stared at her.
\n“What?”
\nCatherine reached into the envelope again.
\nThis time, she pulled out a newspaper clipping.
\nIt was dated eight months earlier.
\nThe headline read:
\nLOCAL WOMAN DISAPPEARS AFTER INVESTIGATING DECADES-OLD ADOPTION CASE.
\nMy stomach dropped.
\nBeneath the headline was a photograph of a smiling woman with dark hair and familiar eyes.
\nI stared at her.
\nMy daughter.
\nRebecca.
\nI recognized something in her face immediately.
\nMy mother’s cheekbones.
\nDaniel’s smile.
\nAnd my own eyes.
\nI touched the photograph.
\n“She’s missing?”
\nCatherine nodded.
\n“She disappeared eight months ago.”
\nI felt as though the air had been sucked out of the room.
\n“No.”
\nAdrian took the clipping.
\n“Why didn’t you tell the police what you knew?”
\nCatherine’s eyes filled with tears.
\n“I tried.”
\nMy father gave her a warning look.
\nShe ignored him.
\n“I contacted the detective assigned to Rebecca’s case. I told him about the adoption records.”
\n“What happened?”
\n“He said he’d investigate.”
\nAdrian frowned.
\n“And?”
\nCatherine swallowed.
\n“Three days later, he was transferred to another department. The case went cold.”
\nI looked at my father.
\n“You had something to do with that.”
\nHe shook his head.
\n“Don’t be ridiculous.”
\n“Then why are you here?”
\nHe stared at me.
\n“Because Daniel was about to destroy everything.”
\nMy blood ran cold.
\n“Daniel?”
\nMy father nodded.
\n“He found Rebecca.”
\nI gripped Adrian’s hand.
\n“What?”
\n“Daniel discovered she was his daughter. He tracked down her last known address.”
\nMy heart began pounding.
\n“Did he meet her?”
\nCatherine answered quietly.
\n“Yes.”
\nI looked at her.
\n“When?”
\n“Nine months ago.”
\nI stared at her.
\n“One month before she disappeared?”
\nCatherine nodded.
\nMy hands began trembling.
\n“What happened?”
\n“Daniel told her the truth about her birth.”
\nI pressed my hand against my mouth.
\n“And?”
\n“Rebecca was devastated. She had believed her biological mother and brother were dead.”
\nI began crying.
\n“Did she believe Daniel?”
\nCatherine nodded.
\n“He showed her photographs. Letters. Documents he’d collected over the years.”
\nI looked at Adrian.
\n“Your father found your sister before he found you.”
\nHe nodded slowly.
\nThen he turned toward Catherine.
\n“What happened after Rebecca learned the truth?”
\nCatherine hesitated.
\n“She began investigating Richard.”
\nMy father stiffened.
\nAdrian noticed.
\n“What did she find?”
\nCatherine looked at him.
\n“Financial records. Old adoption agreements. Evidence that Richard had arranged several questionable adoptions through Margaret’s contacts.”
\nI stared at my father.
\n“Several?”
\nHe looked away.
\nI felt sick.
\n“How many children?”
\nSilence.
\n“How many families did you destroy?”
\nMy father finally snapped.
\n“You have no idea what it takes to survive when everything you’ve built is collapsing!”
\nI stared at him.
\n“You traded human lives for money.”
\nHe stepped forward angrily.
\nAdrian immediately moved between us.
\n“Stay back.”
\nMy father stopped.
\nCatherine continued.
\n“Rebecca was preparing to give everything to the authorities.”
\nI looked at her.
\n“And then she disappeared.”
\nShe nodded.
\nMy heart began racing.
\nI stared at my father.
\n“Did you hurt her?”
\nHe looked offended.
\n“She’s my granddaughter.”
\nI almost screamed.
\n“SO WAS FABIAN YOUR GRANDSON!”
\nHe flinched.
\nFor the first time, he had no answer.
\nI turned toward Adrian.
\n“Call the police.”
\nHe nodded.
\nMy father suddenly raised his voice.
\n“Don’t!”
\nAdrian was already dialing.
\nMy father looked desperate.
\n“If you call them, Rebecca could die.”
\nThe words stopped us.
\nI stared at him.
\n“What did you say?”
\nHe closed his eyes.
\nCatherine began crying.
\nMy mother whispered, “Richard, please tell them.”
\nI looked from one face to another.
\n“What is going on?”
\nMy father slowly sat down.
\nThen he said something that made every hair on my body stand up.
\n“Rebecca isn’t missing.”
\nI froze.
\n“What?”
\n“She’s been hiding.”
\nI stared at him.
\n“Hiding from whom?”
\nHe looked toward the door.
\n“From the people who helped me arrange those adoptions.”
\nAdrian frowned.
\n“Who are these people?”
\nMy father shook his head.
\n“People with money. Influence. People who have spent decades making sure their names never appear in any official records.”
\nI looked at him.
\n“And Rebecca discovered them?”
\nHe nodded.
\n“She found documents that could expose the entire operation.”
\nMy heart pounded.
\n“Then where is she?”
\nHe hesitated.
\n“She contacted me six weeks ago.”
\nI stared at him.
\n“Why would she contact you?”
\n“Because she wanted to make a deal.”
\n“What deal?”
\n“She said she’d give me the documents if I helped her find her biological mother.”
\nI felt tears rolling down my cheeks.
\n“She wanted me?”
\nMy father nodded.
\n“More than anything.”
\nI covered my mouth.
\nMy daughter had been looking for me.
\nJust as I’d been looking for her brother.
\nAnd we had been living only forty minutes apart.
\n“Did you tell her where I was?”
\nMy father looked down.
\n“No.”
\nI stared at him.
\n“Why?”
\nHe didn’t answer.
\nThen Catherine spoke.
\n“Because Richard knew that once Rebecca found you, she would discover what really happened at the hospital.”
\nI looked at her.
\n“There’s more?”
\nShe nodded.
\nMy father stood suddenly.
\n“That’s enough.”
\nCatherine shook her head.
\n“No, Richard. It’s time.”
\nHe glared at her.
\n“You don’t know what you’re doing.”
\n“I know exactly what I’m doing.”
\nShe turned toward me.
\n“Eleanor, the night your twins were born, another woman delivered a baby at the same hospital.”
\nI stared at her.
\n“What does that have to do with me?”
\nCatherine’s hands trembled.
\n“That woman was Margaret Bennett’s younger sister.”
\nAdrian frowned.
\n“Margaret only had one sister. You.”
\nCatherine nodded.
\n“Yes.”
\nHe stared at her.
\n“You had a baby that night?”
\nShe closed her eyes.
\n“A little girl.”
\nMy heart began pounding.
\n“What happened to her?”
\nCatherine looked at my father.
\n“Richard took her.”
\nThe room went silent.
\nAdrian stared at her.
\n“What?”
\nCatherine began crying.
\n“I was twenty-seven. Unmarried. Terrified. Margaret promised to help me.”
\nI felt a terrible sense of dread.
\n“Help you how?”
\n“She told me my daughter would be placed with a loving family.”
\nI stared at her.
\n“And?”
\nCatherine looked directly into my eyes.
\n“She wasn’t.”
\nMy father shouted, “Catherine!”
\nBut she continued.
\n“Margaret and Richard arranged three infant transfers that week. The hospital records were altered. The babies were given new identities.”
\nAdrian looked stunned.
\n“Three babies?”
\nCatherine nodded.
\n“Your twins. And my daughter.”
\nI gripped the blanket.
\n“Where is your daughter?”
\nCatherine’s voice broke.
\n“I don’t know.”
\nAdrian stared at her.
\n“You never found her?”
\nShe shook her head.
\n“I’ve been searching for thirty-one years.”
\nFor a moment, I saw my own suffering reflected in her face.
\nThe same desperation.
\nThe same endless questions.
\nThe same birthdays spent wondering whether a child was alive.
\nThen Adrian asked, “What was your daughter’s name?”
\nCatherine swallowed.
\n“Grace.”
\nI repeated it softly.
\n“Grace.”
\nMy father looked suddenly ill.
\nAdrian noticed.
\n“Why does that name frighten you?”
\nMy father didn’t answer.
\nCatherine reached into her coat pocket.
\nShe removed a folded photograph.
\n“This was taken three months ago.”
\nShe handed it to Adrian.
\nHe unfolded it.
\nThen his face changed.
\n“What?”
\nI reached for the photograph.
\nIt showed two women standing outside a small caf\u00e9.
\nOne was Catherine.
\nThe other was a younger woman with shoulder-length brown hair.
\nI stared at her.
\nSomething about her seemed familiar.
\nThen I realized why.
\nI’d seen her before.
\nAt the hospital.
\nEarlier that morning.
\nShe had been standing beside my bed when I first woke from surgery.
\nShe’d smiled and adjusted my blanket.
\nI’d assumed she was a nurse.
\nI looked at Catherine.
\n“Who is this?”
\nCatherine’s lips trembled.
\n“Her name is Grace.”
\nMy heart stopped.
\n“Your daughter?”
\nShe nodded.
\nI stared at the photograph.
\n“But she was here.”
\nAdrian looked at me.
\n“What?”
\n“That woman was in my room this morning.”
\nHis face turned pale.
\n“Are you sure?”
\n“Yes.”
\nHe took the photograph.
\nThen he whispered, “That’s impossible.”
\nI stared at him.
\n“Why?”
\nHe looked toward the hallway.
\n“Because that woman doesn’t work at this hospital.”
\nA cold silence filled the room.
\nMy father suddenly began backing toward the door.
\nCatherine grabbed his arm.
\n“Richard, where are you going?”
\nHe pulled away.
\n“We need to leave.”
\nAdrian stepped in front of him.
\n“Nobody leaves until the police arrive.”
\nMy father looked terrified.
\n“You don’t understand. She’s already here.”
\nI felt my heart racing.
\n“Who?”
\nHe stared at the photograph.
\nThen he whispered:
\n“Grace.”
\nI looked at Catherine.
\n“Why would Grace be here?”
\nCatherine began trembling.
\n“Because she knows what happened to Rebecca.”
\nMy blood ran cold.
\n“What?”
\nMy father looked at me.
\n“And because she believes you were involved.”
\nI stared at him.
\n“Me?”
\nHe nodded.
\n“Someone told Grace that you helped arrange the adoption that separated her from Catherine.”
\nI shook my head.
\n“That’s a lie!”
\n“I know.”
\n“Then who told her?”
\nMy father didn’t answer.
\nSuddenly, Adrian’s phone rang.
\nHe glanced at the screen.
\nHis expression changed.
\n“It’s the emergency department.”
\nHe answered immediately.
\n“Dr. Bennett speaking.”
\nI watched his face.
\nAt first, he looked confused.
\nThen concerned.
\nThen frightened.
\n“What do you mean he’s gone?”
\nMy heart sank.
\n“Adrian?”
\nHe held up one hand.
\n“Was he transferred?”
\nSilence.
\n“Did anyone authorize his discharge?”
\nAnother pause.
\nThen Adrian whispered:
\n“Call hospital security. Immediately.”
\nHe ended the call.
\nI stared at him.
\n“What happened?”
\nHe looked at me.
\n“Daniel.”
\nMy heart stopped.
\n“What about him?”
\nAdrian swallowed.
\n“He’s missing from the emergency department.”
\nI shook my head.
\n“No. You said he was in critical condition.”
\n“He was.”
\n“Then how could he disappear?”
\nAdrian looked toward my father.
\n“Someone entered his treatment room wearing hospital scrubs. They claimed to be transferring him for imaging.”
\nMy father closed his eyes.
\nCatherine whispered, “Oh, God.”
\nI stared at them.
\n“Who took him?”
\nBefore anyone could answer, my hospital room telephone began ringing.
\nEveryone froze.
\nAdrian slowly picked it up.
\n“Hello?”
\nHe listened.
\nThen his face went completely white.
\n“Who is this?”
\nA woman’s voice spoke loudly enough that I could hear it from my bed.
\n“Put Eleanor on the phone.”
\nAdrian looked at me.
\n“Who are you?”
\nThe woman laughed softly.
\n“Tell her that if she wants to see Daniel alive again, she’ll listen very carefully.”
\nMy blood turned to ice.
\nAdrian handed me the receiver.
\nMy fingers trembled.
\n“Hello?”
\nThere was a long silence.
\nThen a woman’s voice whispered:
\n“Hello, Mother.”
\nI stopped breathing.
\n“Who is this?”
\nThe woman laughed bitterly.
\n“Don’t you recognize your own daughter’s voice?”
\nMy heart nearly exploded.
\n“Rebecca?”
\nSilence.
\nThen she said:
\n“No.”
\nI gripped the receiver.
\n“Then who are you?”
\nHer voice turned cold.
\n“My name is Grace. And thirty-one years ago, your father gave me away to a family that made my life a nightmare.”
\nTears filled my eyes.
\n“Grace, I didn’t know anything about you.”
\n“I know that now.”
\nI froze.
\n“What?”
\nShe took a breath.
\n“Rebecca told me everything.”
\nMy heart leaped.
\n“Rebecca? You’ve seen her?”
\n“Yes.”
\n“Is she alive?”
\nA pause.
\nThen Grace whispered:
\n“She’s alive. But she doesn’t have much time.”
\nMy entire body went numb.
\n“What do you mean?”
\n“Your daughter found something your father has been hiding for thirty-one years. Something that explains why he was willing to destroy three families.”
\nI looked toward my father.
\nHe was staring at me with absolute terror.
\n“What did she find?”
\nGrace’s voice became quieter.
\n“Ask Richard what happened to the fourth baby.”
\nI froze.
\n“The fourth baby?”
\nMy father suddenly lunged toward the telephone.
\nAdrian grabbed his arm.
\n“Stay back!”
\nI pressed the receiver tightly against my ear.
\n“Grace, what fourth baby?”
\nShe whispered:
\n“The one who was never supposed to survive.”
\nThe line went dead.
\nI sat frozen.
\nMy father struggled against Adrian’s grip.
\nCatherine was crying.
\nMy mother had gone completely silent.
\nI slowly lowered the telephone.
\nThen I looked at my father.
\n“Richard.”
\nHe wouldn’t meet my eyes.
\n“What fourth baby?”
\nHe shook his head.
\n“There was no fourth baby.”
\nCatherine suddenly stood.
\n“Stop lying!”
\nEveryone turned toward her.
\nShe pointed at Richard.
\n“You told me that child died!”
\nMy heart pounded.
\n“What child?”
\nCatherine looked at me.
\nThen at Adrian.
\nHer face crumpled.
\n“Thirty-one years ago, the hospital reported four births connected to the arrangement.”
\nI stared at her.
\n“Four?”
\nShe nodded.
\n“Fabian. Rebecca. Grace.”
\nShe paused.
\n“And another boy.”
\nAdrian frowned.
\n“Whose baby?”
\nCatherine began sobbing.
\nMy father whispered, “Don’t.”
\nBut Catherine looked directly at me.
\n“Eleanor, when you gave birth, the doctors didn’t discover twins.”
\nI felt the room spinning.
\n“What?”
\nShe swallowed.
\n“They discovered triplets.”
\nMy heart stopped.
\n“No.”
\n“Two boys and one girl.”
\nI stared at her.
\n“You’re lying.”
\nShe shook her head.
\n“I’m so sorry.”
\nAdrian stepped backward.
\nI looked at him.
\nThen at the two hospital bracelets on my blanket.
\nMy son.
\nMy daughter.
\nAnd now another son.
\nA child nobody had ever mentioned.
\nA child whose existence had been hidden even from the people who stole the others.
\nI pressed both hands against my chest.
\n“Where is he?”
\nNobody answered.
\n“WHERE IS MY BABY?”
\nMy father finally looked at me.
\nAnd for the first time in my life, I saw tears in his eyes.
\n“He was born very weak.”
\nI shook my head.
\n“No.”
\n“The doctors didn’t think he’d survive.”
\nMy voice broke.
\n“But did he?”
\nMy father stared at the floor.
\n“Did he survive?”
\nHe slowly nodded.
\nI began sobbing.
\n“Then where is he?”
\nMy father looked toward the window.
\nThen he whispered:
\n“He’s been closer to you than you ever imagined.”
\nI stared at him.
\n“What does that mean?”
\nHe closed his eyes.
\nAnd then he said the words that made my entire world stop.
\n“Eleanor, your second son has been working at this hospital for the past six years.”
\nI couldn’t breathe.
\nAdrian looked stunned.
\n“What’s his name?”
\nMy father hesitated.
\nThen he whispered:
\n“Dr. Nathan Cole.”
\nAdrian’s face went completely white.
\nI stared at him.
\n“Adrian?”
\nHe shook his head slowly.
\n“No.”
\n“What?”
\nAdrian looked at my father.
\n“That’s impossible.”
\nMy heart pounded.
\n“Why?”
\nAdrian turned toward me.
\nHis voice was barely audible.
\n“Because Dr. Nathan Cole is the surgeon who assisted me during your emergency operation.”
\nI stared at him.
\nMy mind went blank.
\nThe man who had helped save my life.
\nThe man who had stood beside Adrian in the operating room.
\nThe man who had examined my medical scans before surgery.
\nMy other son.
\nHe had been there.
\nRight beside me.
\nAnd I hadn’t known.
\nBut before I could speak, Adrian’s phone vibrated.
\nA message appeared on the screen.
\nHe looked down.
\nHis expression changed instantly.
\nI watched the color drain from his face.
\n“What is it?”
\nHe didn’t answer.
\n“Adrian, what does it say?”
\nHe slowly turned the phone toward me.
\nThe message was from Nathan Cole.
\nIt contained only one sentence.
\n“Tell Eleanor I’m sorry. By the time she reads this, I’ll be gone.”……………………………………………………………..<\/p>\n
“Your son wasn’t the only baby taken from that hospital.” My father’s words hung in the air like a death sentence. I stared at him, unable to understand what I … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5199,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aita","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8511"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8511\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8514,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8511\/revisions\/8514"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echostoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}