Chapter 5: The Room Olivia Left Behind
Damian arrived at Harbor Street at 11:56 p.m.
The old warehouse stood behind a row of abandoned shipping buildings. Its windows were dark, its metal doors covered in rust, and weeds pushed through cracks in the concrete.
He parked two blocks away.
He had called the police before leaving Denise's house and shared the messages, the photograph, and the location. A detective named Harris had instructed him not to enter the building alone.
Damian had agreed.
But he hadn't told Detective Harris about the brass key.
Or the file.
Or the possibility that Olivia had left something inside.
He stepped out of the car.
Cold air swept across the harbor.
A security light flickered above the warehouse entrance.
Then a voice came from the darkness.
“You're late.””
Daniel emerged from behind a concrete pillar.
He wore the same charcoal-gray jacket.
Same black shirt.
Same face.
Damian stopped several feet away.
“Where's Ruby?””
Daniel tilted his head.
“Good evening to you, too.””
“Where is she?””
“Safe.””
“Show me.””
Daniel held up his phone.
A live video appeared.
Ruby was sitting in a small room with a blanket around her shoulders. She looked frightened, but she wasn't crying.
Damian took a step forward.
“Let me talk to her.””
Daniel lowered the phone.
“First, give me the key.””
“No.””
Daniel sighed.
“You really are stubborn.””
“Where's Olivia?””
For the first time, Daniel's expression changed.
He looked away toward the harbor.
“She's the reason we're here.””
“Is she alive?””
Daniel didn't answer immediately.
Then he said, “I don't know.””
Damian grabbed the front of his jacket.
“Don't play with me.””
Daniel didn't fight back.
He simply looked at Damian's hand.
“Interesting.””
“What?””
“You have our father's temper.””
Damian released him.
“I'm not your father.””
“No. You're his favorite mistake.””
Daniel reached into his jacket and pulled out a photograph.
He handed it to Damian.
The image showed Olivia standing outside a medical building.
She looked thinner than Damian remembered, but her smile was unmistakable.
Beside her stood a young girl in a lavender dress.
Ruby.
Damian stared at the photograph.
“Where was this taken?””
“Three months ago.””
“Where is she now?””
“That's what I've been trying to find out.””
Damian looked up.
“You kidnapped her.””
Daniel's face hardened.
“I didn't take Ruby.””
“Then who did?””
“Someone who wants both of us to stop asking questions.””
Daniel stepped closer.
“Damian, listen carefully. The man you call your father has been using our identities for decades. He has money, influence, and people who will do anything for him.””
“Why would he need us?””
“Because one of us was supposed to inherit his business, and the other was supposed to disappear.””
Damian stared at him.
“Which one was I?””
Daniel gave a humorless smile.
“That depends on which version of the story you believe.””
He turned toward the warehouse.
“Come inside.””
Damian hesitated.
“Where's Ruby?””
“Inside.””
Daniel entered through a side door.
Damian followed.
The warehouse smelled of dust, oil, and damp concrete. A single fluorescent light buzzed overhead.
At the end of the corridor was a metal door.
Daniel stopped beside it.
“Your wife came here.””
Damian's heart jumped.
“When?””
“Two years ago.””
“Was she alone?””
“No.””
Daniel pulled a small photograph from his pocket.
It showed Olivia standing beside Denise.
Both women looked frightened.
On the back, a date had been written.
The day before Olivia disappeared.
Damian's hands tightened around the photograph.
“What happened?””
“Your mother gave Olivia a key. Olivia came here and opened the private office.””
“Then?””
“Then someone found out.””
Daniel opened the metal door.
Inside was a small office filled with old filing cabinets, computer equipment, and shelves of medical records.
Dust covered the desks.
But one thing looked untouched.
A wooden box sat in the middle of the room.
Damian recognized the initials engraved on its lid.
O.B.
Olivia Brooks.
He opened it.
Inside were three things.
A small silver bird pendant.
A flash drive.
And a folded letter.
Damian unfolded the paper.
My love,
If you're reading this, then I wasn't able to come home.
He stopped.
His eyes blurred.
Daniel remained near the doorway, watching silently.
Damian continued.
I need you to understand that I never abandoned you or Ava. I discovered something about your father, and once I knew, I couldn't pretend anymore.
The girls are connected to the truth. Ruby is not a coincidence. Neither is Ava.
Damian looked up.
“What does that mean?””
Daniel shook his head.
“Keep reading.””
Marcus arranged for two children to be born into separate families. He believed he could control their futures by controlling the people around them.
I found records showing that Ruby's birth was never supposed to be registered under the name Bennett.
Damian looked toward Daniel.
“Who is Ruby's biological father?””
Daniel's jaw tightened.
“Read the letter.””
Damian continued.
There is something else. The man who raised you is not the only man who knows about the twins.
Someone at the hospital changed the original records. Someone helped Marcus separate you and Daniel.
And that person is still alive.
A small metallic click sounded behind them.
The office door began to close.
Daniel spun around.
“Damian!””
He lunged toward the doorway, but the door slammed shut.
A red light blinked above the frame.
A loud mechanical lock engaged.
Damian rushed forward.
“Open it!””
Daniel struck the metal door with his fist.
“Somebody's outside!””
The fluorescent lights went out.
A second later, the emergency lights came on.
Red.
A speaker crackled overhead.
Then a familiar voice filled the room.
“Hello, boys.””
Damian went still.
Daniel looked up.
The voice was older, calm, and unmistakably male.
Marcus Brooks.
“It's been a long time,” the voice continued.
“I see you finally brought my two sons together.””
Damian moved toward the speaker.
“Where's Ruby?””
A quiet laugh followed.
“Always asking about the children. That's your weakness, Damian.””
“Where is she?””
“Safe. For now.””
Daniel slammed his fist against the wall.
“Marcus, let us out!””
“Daniel, you should be grateful. I gave you a life when your mother couldn't.””
“You stole mine!””
“I corrected a mistake.””
Damian's fingers tightened around Olivia's letter.
“What did you do to my wife?””
The speaker went silent.
Then Marcus answered.
“Olivia was an intelligent woman. Too intelligent for her own good.””
“Where is she?””
“Somewhere she cannot interfere.””
Damian stepped closer to the speaker.
“If you've hurt her, I'll destroy everything you've built.””
Marcus chuckled.
“You sound exactly like me.””
A monitor on the desk flickered to life.
A video appeared.
Olivia was sitting in a white room.
Her hair was shorter. Her face was pale.
But she was alive.
Damian stumbled toward the screen.
“Olivia!””
She lifted her head.
Her lips moved.
No sound came through.
Then she looked directly into the camera.
She raised her right hand.
Three fingers.
Then two.
Then one.
Damian frowned.
“What is she doing?””
Daniel stared at the screen.
His face drained of color.
“She's giving us a countdown.””
The screen went black.
A metallic alarm began sounding.
And from somewhere behind the office wall came a child's scream.
“Mommy!””
May you like
Ruby.
Damian ran toward the sound.
