Chapter 8: The Hospital With No Patients
The abandoned hospital stood at the end of a narrow road surrounded by bare trees.
Its windows were dark.
The sign above the entrance had been removed, leaving only rusted bolts and a faded outline.
A police helicopter circled overhead.
The tactical team moved toward the building.
Nathaniel and I stayed behind the command vehicle, watching through the windshield.
“That's the place,” Eleanor had told us.
But something about it felt wrong.
It didn't look abandoned.
There were fresh tire tracks in the gravel.
A security camera had been installed above the rear entrance.
And a thin line of smoke rose from a chimney at the far end of the property.
“Someone's living here,” I whispered.
Nathaniel nodded.
“Or working.””
A police commander approached.
“Mr. Callaway, we're entering through the east and west entrances. Stay here.””
“Have you confirmed Grace is inside?””
“We have a possible heat signature on the second floor.””
“What about the child?””
“Nothing confirmed.””
I turned toward the building.
“Her name is Lily.””
The commander nodded.
“We'll look for her.””
The team entered.
We watched the officers disappear into the darkness.
For almost five minutes, nothing happened.
Then a voice came through the radio.
“Second floor secured.””
Another voice followed.
“Possible patient located.””
I grabbed Nathaniel's arm.
“That's her.””
He leaned forward.
“Ask them.””
The commander spoke into his radio.
“Confirm identity.””
A pause.
Then:
“Female, approximately fifty years old. Conscious. Says her name is Grace.””
I burst into tears.
Nathaniel closed his eyes.
“She made it.””
The commander turned toward us.
“She's alive. But we need to finish clearing the building.””
I tried to open the vehicle door.
He blocked me.
“Not yet.””
“Please.””
“Miss Carter, I need you to wait.””
I forced myself to sit back.
A few minutes later, the radio crackled again.
“Commander, we have a problem.””
“What kind?””
“There's a second room. It appears to have been used as a nursery.””
My heart began pounding.
“Lily?””
The officer continued.
“Several beds. Medical equipment. No children.””
Nathaniel stared at the radio.
“Where are they?””
“We found a service elevator leading underground.””
The commander swore under his breath.
“Secure the lower level.””
Then another voice came through.
“Commander, there's a live feed in the control room.””
“From where?””
“Multiple locations. Looks like the cameras are connected to a private network.””
I looked at Nathaniel.
“Richard was watching everything.””
He nodded.
“Even the wedding.””
The commander approached us.
“We found something you should see.””
He escorted us inside after the main floors were secured.
The hospital smelled of disinfectant and damp concrete.
The walls were covered with peeling paint.
Old wheelchairs sat in a corridor.
But the room at the end of the hallway was different.
Fresh flowers stood on a table.
A television played quietly.
And beside the bed sat my mother.
Grace Carter.
She looked up when I entered.
For a moment, she simply stared.
Then she whispered, “Rose?””
I ran to her.
“Mom!””
She wrapped her arms around me.
Her body trembled.
I buried my face against her shoulder, breathing in the familiar scent of lavender soap.
“I thought you were dead,” I sobbed.
She kissed my hair.
“I know, sweetheart.””
“Why didn't you come back?””
“I tried.””
“Why didn't you find me?””
Her arms tightened.
“Because they threatened to take you again.””
I pulled back.
“Who?””
“Richard.””
I looked at the bruises around her wrists.
“Did he hurt you?””
She shook her head.
“Not today.””
Nathaniel stood near the doorway.
My mother noticed him.
Her expression changed.
“Nate.””
He approached slowly.
“Mom.””
She reached for his face.
He dropped to his knees beside her bed.
For a long time, neither spoke.
Then she touched his hair.
“You've grown so much.””
Nathaniel began crying.
“I don't remember your voice.””
Grace kissed his forehead.
“That's all right. I remember yours.””
I watched them hold each other.
A family reunion.
Twenty-nine years too late.
But there was still one empty space.
“Mom,” I whispered.
She looked at me.
“Where is Lily?””
Her face changed immediately.
“Did you find her?””
“Not yet.””
Grace gripped my hand.
“You have to get her out.””
“Where is she?””
“Richard moved her last night. He said he was taking her somewhere safe.””
Nathaniel stood.
“Where?””
“I don't know. But he has been preparing something for months.””
“What?””
Grace looked toward the door.
“He wants to make sure none of you can challenge the inheritance.””
Nathaniel frowned.
“By taking Lily?””
“By making all three of you disappear.””
I felt cold.
“Why Lily?””
Grace swallowed.
“Because she is the only child Richard cannot control.””
The commander approached.
“Mrs. Carter, we need to ask you some questions.””
Grace nodded.
But before he could continue, she grabbed my wrist.
“Rose, I need you to listen.””
“I'm here.””
“Richard didn't just separate the children. He changed their identities.””
Nathaniel frowned.
“What does that mean?””
Grace looked at him.
“You were registered as Eleanor's son. Rose was registered as Daniel's daughter. Lily was registered under a third name.””
“What name?””
Grace closed her eyes.
“Victoria.””
I stared at her.
“What?””
“Victoria Sterling.””
Nathaniel stepped backward.
“No.””
Grace nodded.
“Victoria was the name Richard gave Lily after he arranged the adoption.””
I felt dizzy.
“But Victoria is Daniel Sterling's daughter.””
Grace shook her head.
“Daniel raised Victoria as his own. He believed she was his biological daughter.””
Nathaniel's face hardened.
“Are you saying Victoria is Lily?””
“Yes.””
I looked at him.
The woman who had tried to kill Eleanor.
The woman who had married Nathaniel.
The woman who had threatened me.
She was our missing sister.
But something still didn't make sense.
“Why would she push Eleanor if she was also a victim?””
Grace began crying.
“Because Richard raised her to believe that Eleanor had stolen her family.””
Nathaniel shook his head.
“She knew about us.””
“She knew pieces of the truth. But Richard told her that you and Rose were the children who had replaced her. He told her Eleanor had abandoned her.””
I sat down.
“She tried to murder her own grandmother.””
Grace looked away.
“I know.””
Nathaniel's voice was bitter.
“Does she know we're her siblings?””
Grace nodded.
“She found out before the engagement.””
“Then why didn't she stop?””
“Because Richard promised her that if she married you, she would finally become the legal heir.””
I stared at my mother.
“Why would he arrange a marriage between his own grandchildren?””
Grace looked at me with unbearable sadness.
“Because he wanted to destroy every connection between you.””
Nathaniel shook his head.
“He wanted us to marry?””
“He wanted the estate transferred into a trust controlled by Victoria. He believed that if she married Nathaniel and became his legal spouse, she could take control of the company when he was declared medically unfit.””
“Declared medically unfit?””
Grace nodded.
“He planned to have Nathaniel drugged and placed under psychiatric supervision.””
Nathaniel looked sick.
The commander suddenly received a message.
He read it.
Then his expression changed.
“Mrs. Carter, we need you to identify someone.””
He turned a tablet toward her.
A photograph showed a young woman entering a private clinic.
My mother stared at it.
Then she began shaking.
“That's Lily.””
The commander nodded.
“We found her current address. She's registered as a patient at a private medical facility in Connecticut.””
“Why?””
Grace looked at the photograph again.
“Because Richard has been telling her she's mentally unstable.””
Nathaniel's fists clenched.
“He's holding her against her will?””
“Not exactly,” the commander replied.
He swiped to another image.
It showed Lily signing a document.
A doctor stood beside her.
The document was titled:
*VOLUNTARY WAIVER OF FAMILY RIGHTS AND INHERITANCE CLAIMS.*
I stared at the signature.
Victoria Sterling.
“She's signing away her rights?””
Grace shook her head.
“No. She's being forced.””
The commander checked the timestamp.
“According to this, the signing ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow morning.””
Nathaniel looked at him.
“Where?””
“Sterling Medical Center.””
My mother suddenly grabbed my arm.
“Don't let her sign.””
“We won't,” I promised.
But then the commander received another message.
He read it twice.
His face went pale.
“What?”” Nathaniel demanded.
The commander looked at us.
“There's been a change.””
“What change?””
“Victoria Sterling isn't at the medical center anymore.””
I frowned.
“Where is she?””
He turned the tablet toward us.
A photograph showed Victoria stepping out of a black car in front of a courthouse.
Beside her stood Harold Whitmore.
The man who was supposed to be in police custody.
And behind them was a familiar figure in a dark suit.
Richard Callaway.
The commander spoke quietly.
“They've filed an emergency petition declaring all three Callaway grandchildren legally incapable of inheriting the estate.””
Nathaniel stared at the screen.
“Can they do that?””
“Not without a judge's approval.””
“Then why are you worried?””
The commander hesitated.
“Because the judge who signed the petition is Harold Whitmore's brother.””
My mother closed her eyes.
“It's happening again.””
“What?””
She looked at us.
“Richard is using the same trick he used the night you were born.””
Then she whispered something that made Nathaniel grab the edge of the bed.
“He isn't trying to steal the inheritance anymore.””
May you like
Grace looked directly at me.
“He's trying to make sure none of you are legally alive.””
