Chapter 3: The Woman Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
I stared at the phone.
For eleven years, I'd believed Claire was buried in a cemetery outside Chicago.
I'd visited her grave every anniversary.
I'd left flowers.
I'd told her everything that had happened since she died.
I'd even brought Emma there once, placing her tiny hand against the cold marble while explaining that her first mommy was watching over her.
Now her name was glowing on Daniel's phone.
“Answer it,” I whispered.
Daniel hesitated.
“Ryan—”
“ANSWER THE PHONE!””
He pressed the green button.
For a moment, there was only static.
Then a woman's voice came through.
“Daniel?””
I stopped breathing.
It was Claire.
Older, perhaps. Weaker. But unmistakably Claire.
“Daniel, did you find him?””
Daniel looked at me.
“Yes.””
A long silence followed.
Then Claire spoke again.
“Is Ryan there?””
I took the phone.
“Claire?””
The other end went completely silent.
“Claire, it's me.””
A trembling breath came through the speaker.
“Oh, Ryan.””
I closed my eyes.
“Where are you?””
“I can't tell you that yet.””
“Yet? You've been dead for eleven years!””
“I know what they told you.””
“Who told me? Melissa? My father?
Daniel? Who?””
Claire began crying.
“I'm sorry.””
I pressed my free hand against the wall.
“Don't apologize. Tell me where you are.””
“I need you to listen carefully. You found Lily and Grace?””
“Yes.””
“Are they safe?””
“They're starving, Claire. They've been locked behind my bedroom wall.””
A sharp, broken sound escaped her.
“Melissa promised me she would keep them safe.””
I turned toward my wife.
“Why did you leave your children with Melissa?””
Claire didn't answer immediately.
Then she said, “Because I thought I was going to die.””
I felt my knees weaken.
“What happened at the hospital?””
“Your father arranged it.””
Daniel looked down.
I continued.
“Why would my father arrange something like this?””
“Because he wanted an heir who could inherit the company without interference.””
I frowned.
“What does that have to do with the girls?””
“Everything.””
Claire's voice grew weaker.
“Ryan, your father believed girls couldn't inherit the Mitchell family business. He wanted a son. When I gave birth to twin girls, he was furious.””
I looked toward Lily and Grace.
Twins?
They were sisters, but not twins. One was five, the other seven.
“Claire, that doesn't make sense.””
“I know. That's why I need you to hear the whole story.””
She took a shaky breath.
“Before I met you, I had a daughter.””
I froze.
“What?””
“Her name was Grace. She was born from my first relationship. Her father abandoned us. Your father knew about her before we married.””
I looked at the little girl.
Grace was staring at me.
“Your father never accepted her,” Claire continued.
“When I became pregnant with your child, he told me he would make sure our baby inherited everything.””
I swallowed.
“And Lily?””
“Lily is your biological daughter. Grace is mine. But both girls are part of this family.””
I rubbed my forehead.
“Why were they separated?””
“Because your father believed Grace was a threat to Lily's inheritance.””
Daniel finally spoke.
“Thomas wanted the girls to disappear from the family's legal records. He paid people at the hospital to alter the birth documents.””
Melissa stepped forward.
“I didn't know how bad it would become.””
I turned toward her.
“You switched babies.””
Melissa nodded through tears.
Claire continued through the phone.
“Melissa helped me escape the hospital. She took Emma, the baby she believed was yours, and brought her to you.””
I stared at Melissa.
“Wait. Emma is mine?””
“Yes,” Claire said.
“She is your biological daughter. But the baby you held that night wasn't Emma. The hospital records were altered. Melissa arranged for you to receive Emma several days later.””
My head was spinning.
“So Lily was hidden?””
“Yes. Lily was moved between several locations. Grace was sent to a different facility. Your father wanted the girls separated permanently.””
I looked at Daniel.
“And you helped?””
“I tried to stop him,” Daniel replied.
“I failed.””
I turned back toward the phone.
“Claire, where have you been all these years?””
“I was held in a private rehabilitation center under another name. Your father had connections there. He made everyone believe I was mentally unstable.””
My throat tightened.
“You were alive this whole time?””
“Yes.””
“Why didn't you contact me?””
“I tried.””
She paused.
“Ryan, the night I escaped, I called you. Your father answered your phone.””
I remembered that night.
I'd been driving home when my phone had rung.
I'd missed the call.
When I checked later, there was a voicemail from an unknown number.
I'd deleted it because it contained only crying and static.
“Your father told me you had remarried,” Claire whispered.
“He said you wanted nothing to do with me or the girls.””
I looked at Melissa.
She was shaking.
“Is that true?”” I asked her.
Melissa wiped her cheeks.
“No.””
“Then why did you let me believe Claire was dead?””
She stared at the floor.
“Because your father threatened me.””
“With what?””
She hesitated.
“Emma.””
My blood ran cold.
“What about Emma?””
“Your father told me he would take her away if I ever told you the truth.””
I stepped closer.
“Why?””
Melissa finally looked at me.
“Because Emma wasn't supposed to survive.””
The words landed like a physical blow.
I stared at her.
“What did you say?””
“Your father had arranged for Lily to be declared the only legitimate heir. Emma's birth complicated everything. He wanted the records changed before anyone discovered there were multiple children.””
Daniel interrupted.
“Thomas didn't just change records. He changed the inheritance documents.””
I looked at him.
“What inheritance documents?””
Daniel reached into his coat and pulled out a thick folder.
“Your father left a trust. It was supposed to become active when his grandchildren turned eighteen.””
I took the folder.
The first page listed three names.
Emma Mitchell.
Lily Mitchell.
Grace Brooks.
I stared at the third name.
Grace's surname was different.
“Why is Grace listed as a beneficiary?””
Daniel answered.
“Because your father eventually realized something.””
“What?””
“That he couldn't erase Claire's first child without creating questions about the rest of the family.””
I turned another page.
There were bank transfers.
Medical expenses.
Payments to private security companies.
And a recurring monthly payment to a company called Northstar Holdings.
“Who owns Northstar?””
Daniel's face hardened.
“Melissa.””
I slowly looked at my wife.
She shook her head.
“Ryan, I can explain.””
“Then explain.””
She took a step toward me.
“Your father gave me the company.””
“What company?””
“Northstar Holdings.””
I stared at the documents again.
The transfers totaled more than four million dollars.
My father had been paying Melissa for years.
And now I understood why she had been able to afford everything without ever discussing her finances.
“You were paid to hide the children?””
Melissa began crying harder.
“I was paid to protect them.””
“By locking them inside my wall?””
“No! That wasn't supposed to happen!””
“Then why did it happen?””
She looked at Daniel.
He looked away.
I felt anger rising through my chest.
“Both of you tell me what happened.””
Melissa finally spoke.
“Three months ago, someone discovered that Lily and Grace were still alive. They threatened to expose the inheritance fraud. I panicked. I brought the girls here because I thought the house was the safest place.””
I stared at her.
“You thought a wall was the safest place?””
“I was trying to protect Emma, too.””
“From whom?””
She didn't answer.
Then Claire's voice came through the phone.
“Ryan, there's something else.””
I lifted the phone.
“What?””
“Your father didn't act alone.””
I looked at Daniel.
“Who else was involved?””
Claire's voice dropped to a whisper.
“The person who ordered the hospital records changed is still alive.””
I swallowed.
“Who?””
She took a breath.
“Your mother.””
I felt the room tilt.
My mother, Eleanor Mitchell, had been dead for eight years.
I'd watched her die in a hospital bed.
I'd held her hand until the monitor stopped.
I looked at Daniel.
He was pale.
“Daniel?””
He slowly nodded.
“Claire is telling the truth.””
I stepped backward.
“No.””
“Ryan—”
“My mother is dead.””
Daniel reached into the folder and pulled out another photograph.
It showed my mother standing outside a hospital entrance.
Beside her was Melissa.
The date printed on the photograph was three days ago.
My hands went numb.
“Where did you get this?””
Daniel didn't answer.
Instead, he pointed toward the bedroom window.
A black SUV was parked across the street.
Its engine was running.
A woman sat in the passenger seat.
Even from that distance, I recognized her posture.
The way she held her head.
The way she rested one hand on the door.
Then the woman slowly turned toward the house.
And smiled.
My phone rang again.
This time, the caller ID showed a name I had spent eight years grieving.
*ELEANOR MITCHELL.*
May you like
Before I could answer, a message appeared beneath the incoming call.
Ryan, send the children outside. We need to finish what we started.
