Chapter 7: The Child They Stole From Us
Marcus stared at the photograph.
Two newborn babies lay side by side in a hospital bassinet. Both had dark hair. Both wore identical white hospital bracelets.
On the back, Elina had written four words.
One of them is yours.
Marcus read the sentence again.
Then a third time.
“Detective,” he whispered, “what does this mean?””
Harris examined the photograph under his flashlight.
“I don't know yet.””
Marcus turned it over.
The hospital bracelets were visible in the picture. One read ELINA HALE. The other had a name written in faded blue ink.
NOAH.
Marcus felt his chest tighten.
“Was Elina pregnant?””
Harris looked at him.
“Did you know she was?””
Marcus shook his head.
“No. She never told me.””
A terrible possibility began forming in his mind.
“Could one of these children be mine?””
“It's possible.””
Marcus looked toward the empty corridor where Elina had disappeared.
“She was pregnant when they attacked her.””
Harris nodded slowly.
“We need to find out where they took her.””
Marcus grabbed the detective's arm.
“And the baby?””
“We'll investigate.””
“No. I want answers now.””
Harris raised his voice.
“Mr. Hale, listen to me. Whoever controls this building has access to the security systems, the doors, and possibly the emergency exits. We need to get you out safely.””
Marcus barely heard him.
His wife had been held captive.
His daughter had been threatened.
And somewhere in the middle of those fourteen months, a child might have been born without his knowledge.
He looked again at the photograph.
Then he noticed something written beneath the hospital bracelets.
Two dates.
One was the date of Elina's reported death.
The other was fourteen months earlier.
Marcus frowned.
“Detective, these dates don't match.””
Harris took the photograph.
His expression changed.
“That's because this photograph was taken sixteen months ago.””
Marcus looked at him.
“Sixteen?””
“According to the date stamp on the back.””
That meant the babies had been born two months before Elina supposedly died.
Marcus struggled to breathe.
He remembered Elina wearing oversized sweaters. Her sudden exhaustion. The way she had stopped drinking coffee.
He remembered asking whether she was feeling unwell.
She had smiled and told him she was simply tired.
He had been too busy with the company to notice anything else.
“Why didn't she tell me?””
Harris didn't answer.
A sound came from the far end of the basement.
A door creaked open.
Both men turned.
A woman stepped into the corridor.
She wore a nurse's uniform and held a small medical bag.
“Mrs. Hale?”” Harris called.
The woman froze.
Marcus approached.
“Do you know where my wife is?””
She looked at the photograph in his hand.
Then she began crying.
“I knew this day would come.””
Harris raised his weapon slightly.
“Identify yourself.””
“My name is Rebecca Collins. I worked here when Mrs. Hale was admitted.””
Marcus moved closer.
“Did you deliver her babies?””
Rebecca nodded.
“Twins. A boy and a girl.””
Marcus's legs nearly gave way.
“Twins?””
“Yes.””
“Where are they?””
Rebecca looked down.
“The girl was taken away immediately. The boy stayed here for three weeks.””
Marcus gripped the wall.
“Who took my daughter?””
Rebecca swallowed.
“Victoria.””
Marcus stared at her.
“Victoria took one of my children?””
“She said the baby had died. She showed Mrs. Hale a document and told her that neither child would survive.””
Marcus shook his head.
“No. That's impossible.””
“Mrs. Hale was unconscious after the delivery. When she woke up, only one baby was there. Victoria told her the other had been transferred to another hospital.””
“And the boy?””
“Daniel arranged for him to be adopted.””
Marcus felt sick.
“Where?””
Rebecca hesitated.
“Your family.””
The words struck him like a physical blow.
“What?””
Rebecca opened her medical bag and removed a folded document.
“Daniel paid for everything. He arranged the adoption through a private agency. The paperwork was falsified.””
Marcus stared at the document.
The adoptive parents' names were listed beneath the child's original birth information.
Daniel Hale.
And Victoria Bennett.
Marcus stumbled backward.
His brother and his fiancée had been raising his son.
For fourteen months.
A son who had been stolen from his mother.
“Where is he now?””
Rebecca gave him an address.
“He lives at Daniel's estate.””
Marcus immediately called the police team outside.
But Rebecca grabbed his sleeve.
“There's something else.””
“What?””
“The little girl.””
Marcus stopped.
“What about her?””
Rebecca's eyes filled.
“Victoria didn't give her away. She brought her to the mansion.””
Marcus felt the blood drain from his face.
“Lily?””
Rebecca nodded.
“She told everyone Lily was her niece. She used your daughter's identity to hide the adoption records.””
Marcus remembered Victoria's possessiveness.
The way she insisted on choosing Lily's clothes.
The way she had wanted to be called Aunt Victoria.
The way she had sometimes taken Lily away without explaining where they were going.
Suddenly, everything looked different.
“She wanted to control both children,” Marcus whispered.
Rebecca nodded.
“Daniel believed that if he controlled the children, he could control you.””
Harris stepped forward.
“Where is Mrs. Hale now?””
Rebecca pointed toward a service elevator.
“There's an underground passage leading to the old maternity wing.””
They hurried toward it.
At the elevator entrance, Marcus noticed a small object lying on the floor.
A pink hair clip.
Lily's favorite.
He picked it up.
His phone vibrated.
A new video message appeared.
The footage showed a small boy sitting on a sofa, playing with a toy car.
Daniel stood behind him.
Then the camera moved closer to the child's face.
Marcus stopped breathing.
The boy had his eyes.
The same green eyes that looked back at him every morning in the mirror.
Daniel leaned toward the camera.
“Congratulations, Marcus. You've finally found your son.””
Then he smiled.
“But there's a little problem.””
The boy looked up.
“Daddy?””
Marcus's eyes filled.
Daniel's smile widened.
“The child doesn't know you.””
The video ended.
And a second message appeared.
Bring the original Hale Industries ownership documents to my house. Come alone. Or you'll never meet your son.
Marcus looked at Detective Harris.
“I know where we're going.””
Harris shook his head.
“Not without backup.””
Marcus looked down at the photograph of the twins.
“No more running.””
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For the first time in fourteen months, he wasn't just looking for his wife.
He was going to bring his entire family home.
