Chapter 25 - The Woman Who Raised My Daughter

# Chapter 25 - The Woman Who Raised My Daughter

"Margaret."

I said her name aloud, hoping Claire would correct me.

She didn't.

Instead, my wife began crying.

"Dan, I didn't understand what she was signing. I thought she was helping us."

I stared at her.

Margaret had worked for my family for eleven years.

She had prepared Lily's breakfast, taken her to school, and sat beside her during thunderstorms. When Claire disappeared, Margaret had been one of the few people who never suggested that my wife had abandoned us.

She had cried when Lily asked why Mommy wasn't coming home.

She had helped us search.

And now she was staying with my daughter at a supposedly secure location.

My hands turned cold.

"Claire, are you certain?"

She nodded.

"Margaret was there when Evelyn brought the guardianship documents."

"Before you disappeared?"

"Yes."

"Did she sign in front of you?"

"She did."

I took out my phone.

"What did the document authorize?"

Claire hesitated.

"Temporary custody of Sophie if the escape succeeded."

I stopped.

"Temporary custody?"

"Margaret was supposed to take Sophie somewhere safe while I took Lily."

I stared at her.

"So Margaret was part of the rescue plan?"

Claire nodded.

"Yes."

My chest tightened.

"Then why didn't she tell me?"

Claire looked away.

"Because I made her promise not to."

I closed my eyes.

For eighteen months, Margaret had watched me search for Claire.

Had she known why my wife disappeared?

Had she known about Sophie?

Had she known the hidden chamber existed?

And most importantly—

Was Lily safe with her now?

I called Detective Harris.

"Margaret was involved in Claire's escape plan."

His response was immediate.

"Where is she?"

"With Lily."

"Don't contact her yet. I'll have the protection team verify their status."

I stared at the wall.

"Detective, someone has scheduled a transfer involving my daughter tomorrow."

"I know."

"And Margaret signed documents involving Sophie."

"That doesn't establish she's working against you."

"Then what does it establish?"

"That she may know more than she's told us."

I looked toward Claire.

She was watching me with frightened eyes.

"Find out what she knows," I whispered.

"Before someone takes Lily."

Twenty minutes later, Harris called back.

"Lily is safe."

I closed my eyes.

"Thank God."

"Margaret is with her. Officers have confirmed both are accounted for."

"Did you question Margaret?"

"We've arranged a private interview."

"Does she know why?"

"Not yet."

I rubbed my forehead.

"Detective, I want to be there."

"Daniel, I understand—"

"She's practically family."

There was a pause.

Then Harris said, "That's exactly why you shouldn't conduct the questioning yourself."

I hated that he was right.

For eleven years, Margaret had been part of our household.

I knew how she took her tea.

I knew she called her sister every Sunday.

I knew she kept a photograph of her late husband beside her bed.

But I didn't know whether she had helped conceal a child.

I didn't know whether she had lied to me about Claire.

And I didn't know whether the woman who had helped raise Lily was protecting her or preparing to betray us.

At nine the following morning, Detective Grant interviewed Margaret.

Harris called me afterward.

"Daniel, Margaret admits signing the document."

My pulse accelerated.

"Why?"

"She says Claire asked her to help protect Sophie."

"Did she know about Meridian?"

"Only parts of it."

"Did she know Claire was planning to leave?"

"Yes."

I closed my eyes.

"Then she lied to me."

"She withheld information."

"That's the same thing."

Harris remained silent.

I stared through the hospital window.

"Did she know Claire was imprisoned?"

"No evidence suggests that."

"Did she suspect?"

"She says she became worried when Claire disappeared, but Vanessa convinced her the escape plan had been abandoned."

I felt sick.

"Margaret knew Claire was trying to save two children. Then Claire vanished. And she believed Vanessa?"

Harris hesitated.

"Margaret says Vanessa showed her a message supposedly written by Claire."

My stomach tightened.

"The forged email?"

"Something similar."

I closed my eyes.

Vanessa had manipulated everyone.

She had convinced me Claire left voluntarily.

She had convinced Margaret the escape plan was canceled.

And she had used our grief to maintain control of the house.

"What about the second signature?" I asked.

Harris took a breath.

"Margaret says she signed as a proposed temporary caregiver, not as a legal guardian with authority over trust assets."

"Can she prove that?"

"She kept a copy."

I froze.

"What?"

"She says Claire gave her one before the disappearance."

My heart accelerated.

"Where is it?"

"Margaret placed it in a sealed envelope with her personal papers."

I stared at the wall.

"Eleven years in my house, and she never told me?"

Harris paused.

"She says she was afraid."

"Of whom?"

"Marcus."

I closed my eyes.

Another person silenced by the same man.

But this time, there was something different.

Margaret had preserved evidence.

For eighteen months.

Without telling anyone.

"Detective," I whispered, "what's on the document?"

Harris hesitated.

"Something we didn't expect."

My pulse quickened.

"What?"

"The proposed transfer destination."

I stared at the wall.

"Where was Sophie supposed to go?"

Harris took a breath.

"To a property outside the city."

"Whose property?"

"Margaret's sister."

I sat down.

Margaret's sister.

The woman Margaret had been visiting on the afternoon Lily discovered Claire.

The same sister she called every Sunday.

The woman I had never met.

"What's her name?" I asked.

Harris hesitated.

"Anna Price."

My stomach tightened.

"Price?"

"Yes."

I remembered the former Ashcroft House caregiver.

Helen Price.

The woman who had described Sophie as frightened of locked doors.

"Is Anna related to Helen?"

Harris paused.

"We're checking."

I stared at the wall.

The same surname.

Another connection.

Another thread leading back to Ashcroft House.

"Detective, where does Anna live?"

"Outside the city."

"Have you contacted her?"

"Officers are on their way."

I closed my eyes.

If Sophie had been taken to Anna's property, perhaps she was still there.

Perhaps the child we had spent weeks searching for was hiding with someone connected to Margaret.

"Please tell me if they find her."

"I will."

At eleven, I visited Claire.

She was sitting beside the window, looking exhausted.

"Margaret admitted signing the papers," I said.

Claire closed her eyes.

"Good."

I stared at her.

"Good?"

"At least she's telling the truth."

I sat opposite her.

"Claire, Margaret never told me about Sophie."

"I know."

"She never told me about the escape plan."

"I know."

"She watched me search for you."

Tears filled Claire's eyes.

"Dan, I asked her to keep the children safe."

I leaned forward.

"By lying to me?"

"By staying close to Lily."

I stopped.

Claire looked at me.

"Margaret was supposed to protect Lily if something happened to me."

My chest tightened.

"Then why didn't she tell me?"

"Because I was afraid you would confront Marcus."

I stared at her.

"You didn't trust me."

Claire lowered her eyes.

"I trusted you to love Lily."

"That's not the same thing."

"No."

She began crying.

"I didn't trust you to believe me about Marcus."

The words hurt.

Because they were true.

I had dismissed her concerns.

I had trusted Marcus.

I had allowed Vanessa into our lives.

And I had never imagined that the people closest to us could be involved in something so cruel.

I took Claire's hand.

"I'm sorry."

She looked up.

"For what?"

"For making you feel you had to protect our daughter without me."

Claire began crying harder.

For a moment, we held each other.

Then she whispered, "Dan, there's something you need to understand."

I pulled back.

"What?"

"Margaret wasn't supposed to take Sophie alone."

My pulse quickened.

"Who was going with her?"

Claire hesitated.

"Another woman."

I felt a chill.

"Who?"

She looked at me.

"Natalie."

At one thirty, Detective Harris called.

"Daniel, we located Anna Price."

I stood.

"And?"

"She's alive."

"Is Sophie there?"

Harris hesitated.

"No."

My heart sank.

"Then what did you find?"

"Anna says Sophie stayed with her briefly."

My pulse accelerated.

"When?"

"Several months before Claire disappeared."

I stared at the wall.

"Then Sophie was moved again."

"Yes."

"By whom?"

Harris paused.

"Anna says Natalie Cross collected her."

My stomach tightened.

Natalie.

Emily Vale.

The woman who had impersonated Claire.

The woman whose genetic profile matched Lily's biological mother.

The woman who had been involved in the neonatal transfer.

And now she had taken Sophie from Margaret's sister.

"Where did Natalie take her?"

"Anna doesn't know."

I closed my eyes.

Another dead end.

Then Harris continued.

"But Anna kept something."

My pulse quickened.

"What?"

"A letter."

"From whom?"

"Claire."

I froze.

"Claire?"

"Yes."

"What did it say?"

Harris hesitated.

"It instructed Anna to contact you if the escape plan failed."

I stared at the wall.

"Then why didn't she?"

"She says someone threatened her."

My stomach tightened.

"Marcus?"

"She believes so."

I rubbed my forehead.

"What's in the letter?"

Harris took a breath.

"Claire wrote that the children were being used to control the trust."

"I know."

"She also wrote that Natalie had agreed to help."

I stared at the wall.

"Then Natalie was part of the rescue."

"Apparently."

I felt a chill.

"But later she impersonated Claire."

"Yes."

"Why?"

Harris hesitated.

"That's what we need to establish."

At three, I received a call from an unknown number.

I hesitated.

Then answered.

"Hello?"

A woman's voice spoke.

Soft.

Controlled.

"Daniel Mercer?"

My heart accelerated.

"Who is this?"

"You've been looking for me."

I stopped breathing.

"Natalie?"

A pause.

"Yes."

I gripped the phone.

"Where is Sophie?"

"Safe."

"Where?"

"I can't tell you yet."

My anger rose.

"She's six years old."

"I know."

"She's been hidden for years."

"I know."

"Then tell me where she is."

Natalie sighed.

"Daniel, you don't understand what Marcus will do if he finds her."

I closed my eyes.

"Marcus is being investigated."

"That won't stop him."

"What do you want?"

"To explain."

I stared at the wall.

"Then start."

Natalie hesitated.

"I never wanted Lily involved."

My chest tightened.

"She's biologically your daughter."

Silence.

Then Natalie whispered, "I know."

I felt sick.

"Did you give birth to her?"

"No."

"Then Claire carried her?"

"Yes."

I closed my eyes.

The pieces aligned.

Claire had carried Lily.

Natalie's egg had been used.

My genetic material had been used.

And neither Claire nor I had knowingly agreed to the arrangement as it actually occurred.

"What about Sophie?" I asked.

Natalie's voice trembled.

"I carried her."

I stared at the wall.

"Then she's biologically yours too?"

"Yes."

"And mine?"

A pause.

"Yes."

My heart stopped.

Two daughters.

Lily and Sophie.

Both biologically mine.

Both genetically related to Natalie.

One raised by Claire and me.

The other hidden inside a network of false identities and medical facilities.

I felt tears fill my eyes.

"Why did you let them take Sophie?"

Natalie began crying.

"Because they told me Lily would die if I refused."

I closed my eyes.

Another threat.

Another mother manipulated through fear.

"Who told you that?"

"Marcus."

I gripped the phone.

"Where is Sophie now?"

Natalie hesitated.

"Somewhere he can't reach her."

"Then let me see her."

"I want to."

"Today."

"Daniel—"

"She's my daughter."

Natalie began crying harder.

"I know."

Then she whispered, "There's something you need to understand before you meet her."

My pulse quickened.

"What?"

"Sophie knows about Lily."

I stared at the wall.

"I know. They played together."

"Yes."

"Then what?"

Natalie's voice broke.

"She thinks Lily took her place."

I stopped breathing.

"What?"

"Marcus told her that Lily was the child who got to go home."

I closed my eyes.

"That's cruel."

"I know."

"He made her believe she was unwanted."

Natalie began crying.

"Yes."

I felt sick.

A six-year-old girl had spent her life believing another child had stolen the family she deserved.

And the people responsible had deliberately encouraged that belief.

"Where is she?" I whispered.

Natalie hesitated.

Then she said, "I'll send you an address."

The call ended.

At five fifteen, Detective Harris called.

"Daniel, we found something in Margaret's documents."

I stood.

"What?"

"A copy of the original emergency guardianship agreement."

My pulse quickened.

"And?"

"It names Claire as the proposed guardian for Sophie."

"I know."

"Margaret as the temporary caregiver."

"Yes."

"But there's another signature."

I froze.

"Whose?"

Harris hesitated.

"Natalie Cross."

I closed my eyes.

"She was helping."

"Apparently."

I stared at the wall.

"Then why did she later impersonate Claire?"

Harris paused.

"Daniel, we believe Marcus may have forced her to cooperate after the escape plan failed."

My stomach tightened.

"How?"

"By threatening Sophie."

I closed my eyes.

Of course.

Every betrayal had been built around fear.

Vanessa feared for the children.

Margaret feared Marcus.

Natalie feared losing Sophie.

Claire feared losing Lily.

And Marcus had used those fears to control them.

"Detective, Natalie called me."

Harris went silent.

"What?"

"She says Sophie is safe."

"Did she provide a location?"

"She said she'd send one."

Harris's voice became urgent.

"Daniel, do not go alone."

"I won't."

"Forward the address immediately."

"I will."

Then he added, "There's something else."

My pulse quickened.

"What?"

"We recovered a message from Marcus's financial archive."

I frowned.

"What message?"

"One sent to Robert Kane."

My stomach tightened.

"What did it say?"

Harris hesitated.

"That the children had to be moved before the final phase."

I stared at the wall.

"When?"

"Tomorrow."

My blood ran cold.

Tomorrow.

The same date listed in the planned transfer schedule.

"Detective, Lily is safe?"

"Yes."

"And Sophie?"

"We're working to locate her."

I closed my eyes.

Then Harris said something that made my stomach drop.

"Daniel, the transfer order doesn't name Lily."

I froze.

"What?"

"It names Sophie."

My heart hammered.

"Then why were Lily's details attached?"

Harris hesitated.

"Because the order appears to use Lily's identity as cover."

I stared at the wall.

Someone intended to move Sophie under Lily's name.

The court petition.

The false records.

The identity confusion.

Everything was connected.

Marcus didn't need to physically take Lily to use her identity.

He needed a child who could pass as her.

And Sophie looked exactly like Lily.

At seven, Natalie sent the address.

A small house near the coast.

Two hours from the city.

I forwarded it to Harris.

He arranged for officers to approach discreetly.

I waited at the hospital.

Claire sat beside me.

Neither of us spoke much.

At eight forty-five, Harris called.

"Daniel."

I stood.

"Did you find her?"

A pause.

"Yes."

My heart stopped.

"Sophie?"

"Yes."

I closed my eyes.

For the first time in weeks, relief overwhelmed me.

"Is she safe?"

"She's with officers and a child-protection specialist."

I pressed my hand against my face.

"Thank God."

Claire began crying.

I held her.

Then Harris continued.

"Daniel, there's something you need to know."

My pulse quickened.

"What?"

"Natalie wasn't at the house."

I frowned.

"Where is she?"

"We don't know."

I stared at the wall.

"Then who was with Sophie?"

Harris hesitated.

"A teenage girl."

My heart accelerated.

"Olivia?"

"Yes."

I closed my eyes.

Both missing girls.

Found together.

"Are they all right?"

"They're being assessed."

I felt tears fill my eyes.

For the first time, it seemed possible that the nightmare might end.

Then Harris said something that made my blood run cold.

"Daniel, Olivia says Natalie didn't send the address."

I froze.

"What?"

"She says Natalie disappeared yesterday."

My stomach tightened.

"Then who called me?"

Harris paused.

"We don't know."

I stared at the wall.

The woman on the phone had claimed to be Natalie.

She knew about the embryos.

She knew about Sophie.

She knew about Marcus.

But if Natalie was missing, someone might have been impersonating her again.

I felt sick.

"Detective, who sent the address?"

Harris hesitated.

"Olivia says someone told her to wait for the police."

My pulse quickened.

"Who?"

"A man."

I stared at the wall.

"What man?"

Harris took a breath.

"She says he introduced himself as Thomas Vale."

My biological father.

The man who had disappeared decades earlier.

The man who had helped establish Project Meridian.

The man who had called me and accused Eleanor of arranging his disappearance.

And now he had apparently led police to Sophie and Olivia.

I felt my chest tighten.

"Where is Thomas?"

Harris hesitated.

"He's gone."

I closed my eyes.

Another disappearance.

Then Harris said something unexpected.

"Daniel, Olivia gave us a letter."

My pulse quickened.

"From Thomas?"

"Yes."

"What does it say?"

Harris paused.

"Daniel, I think you need to hear this in person."

My stomach tightened.

"Why?"

He took a breath.

"Because Thomas claims the final phase of Meridian isn't about the trust."

I froze.

"What?"

"He says Marcus has been preparing something else."

My heart hammered.

"What?"

Harris's voice became grave.

"A transfer of identity."

I stared at the wall.

"Whose identity?"

A long silence followed.

Then Harris said the words that made my entire body go cold.

"Yours."