I kicked open the access panel.
The mansion was quiet.
I heard footsteps from the main hall.
Then a child's voice.
I reached the staircase and saw Daniel standing near the front door.
His shirt was torn.
Blood ran down his forehead.
But he was alive.
"Where are they?""
Daniel pointed toward the library.
"Sir, I tried to stop her.""
I rushed into the room.
Rebecca stood beside the fireplace.
Graham was near the desk.
And between them stood a little girl.
She was holding a photograph of me.
When she saw me, she screamed.
I ran toward her.
Rebecca grabbed her shoulder.
She pulled a small object from her pocket.
A silver lighter.
Then she held it over a stack of papers.
"One more step, Marcus, and your entire family history disappears.""
I stared at the papers.
They were the original hospital records.
The DNA reports.
The birth certificates.
Rebecca smiled.
"You have two choices. You can have the little girl, or you can have the truth.""
I looked at Ava.
She was crying.
I looked at Elena.
She was standing behind me, barely able to remain upright.
Then I looked at Rebecca.
"You're wrong.""
Her smile faded.
I took one step forward.
"Those aren't the only copies.""
For the first time, Rebecca looked uncertain.
I pulled a small USB drive from my pocket.
It was the one I'd found beneath the pool.
Elena had hidden it for a reason.
And when I held it up, Rebecca's face changed completely.
Because she knew what was on it.
Graham slowly lowered his hand toward his briefcase.
Then Daniel spoke from the doorway.
"Mr. Hale, you might want to see who's outside.""
Through the library windows, blue and red lights flashed across the driveway.
And another vehicle.
The rear door opened.
A woman stepped out.
She looked exactly like Elena.
Except she was wearing a hospital gown.
Rebecca dropped the lighter.
"That's impossible," she whispered.
Elena grabbed my arm.
My Daughter Was Eating Alone in Her Own Home—Then I Found the Rules They...
The first thing I noticed when I came home was that my twelve-year-old daughter was standing beside the dining table instead of si...
She Was Thrown Out of a Five-Star Hotel Like Trash—But Nobody Knew Who H...
“GET OUT! YOU’RE NOTHING BUT TRASH!””
Vanessa’s voice exploded through the luxurious beachfront hotel lobby, silencing conversati...
SHE THREW HER TWIN SONS OUT INTO THE COLD—10 YEARS LATER, SHE RETURNED T...
“Those boys are no longer my responsibility. If you want them so badly, take them. But don't ever expect me to come looking for th...
Then she said the words I would never forget.
"Marcus... that's our other daughter.""
The woman standing outside the mansion looked exactly like my wife.
The same mouth.
The same small scar near her chin.
But Elena was standing beside me.
I looked from one woman to the other.
Then the woman outside stepped into the light.
She was crying.
Elena's knees nearly buckled.
She grabbed the back of a chair.
The woman approached the library window.
"Mom, it's me.""
Elena covered her mouth.
I turned toward Rebecca.
Her face had lost all its color.
Rebecca took a step backward.
"She shouldn't be here.""
Graham suddenly moved toward the desk.
Daniel tackled him before he could reach the briefcase.
The two men crashed into the furniture.
Ava ran toward me.
I caught her and held her tightly.
I buried my face in her hair.
"I've got you, sweetheart.""
Rebecca tried to move toward the door.
But Elena stepped in front of her.
"You're not leaving.""
Rebecca stared at her.
"You don't understand.""
"I understand everything.""
"No, you don't!""
Rebecca's voice broke.
"I gave up my daughter! I gave up my life! And you got everything!""
Elena shook her head.
"You were given a chance to be part of her life. You chose revenge instead.""
Rebecca began laughing.
It was a horrible, desperate sound.
"You always had to be the good one, didn't you?""
Elena stepped closer.
"Rebecca, where is the other baby?""
Rebecca looked toward the woman outside.
Then back at Elena.
And finally, she whispered:
"She was never supposed to survive.""
I felt Ava tighten her arms around my neck.
"What does that mean?"" I demanded.
Rebecca sat down.
For the first time, she looked defeated.
"Six years ago, when the twins were born, Richard paid Graham to arrange the switch. He wanted one child raised as a Hale and the other placed under Rebecca's guardianship.""
"Because he wanted to control both sides of the family.""
She wiped her cheeks.
"He believed that if one child inherited the company and the other remained under my care, he could keep the entire family dependent on him.""
I shook my head.
"Yes. But he left instructions.""
She looked at Graham.