I had not entered my father’s house since the funeral.<\/p>\n
The front steps were covered with fallen leaves, and the brass knocker had darkened with age. The windows were shuttered, the garden overgrown, and the porch light flickered as we approached.<\/p>\n
Police vehicles lined the street.<\/p>\n
Detective Harris had insisted on bringing a full team, but I barely noticed them. All I could think about was the woman inside.<\/p>\n
My sister-in-law.<\/p>\n
Olivia’s stolen daughter.<\/p>\n
A twenty-three-year-old stranger who had lived her entire life without knowing that her biological mother had spent years searching for her.<\/p>\n
Olivia stood beside me, gripping my hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m afraid,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo am I.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if she doesn’t want to see me?\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we’ll respect that.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia nodded, though tears were already gathering in her eyes.<\/p>\n
Harris motioned for the officers to surround the house.<\/p>\n
A loudspeaker crackled.<\/p>\n
\u201cPolice! If anyone is inside, come out with your hands visible!\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
Nothing happened.<\/p>\n
The front door stood slightly ajar.<\/p>\n
I pushed it open.<\/p>\n
Dust floated through the foyer. The old grandfather clock was still ticking, though its face had cracked. My father’s study door stood open at the end of the hallway.<\/p>\n
A woman’s voice came from inside.<\/p>\n
\u201cDamien?\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
I froze.<\/p>\n
The voice sounded like Olivia’s, but younger.<\/p>\n
Olivia stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cElise?\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
A woman emerged from the study.<\/p>\n
She had chestnut hair, gray eyes, and the same tiny dimple on her left cheek that Sophie and Ruby shared.<\/p>\n
She wore dark jeans, a plain white sweater, and a silver necklace with a blackbird pendant.<\/p>\n
Olivia made a sound somewhere between a sob and a gasp.<\/p>\n
The woman stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you Olivia Cole?\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman took one step backward.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. That’s impossible.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia lifted both hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy name is Olivia. I gave birth to a daughter twenty-three years ago. They told me she died.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman’s eyes filled with tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was told my mother died giving birth to me.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey lied.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho are you?\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDamien Cole. Olivia’s husband.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
She laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course you are. The man in all the photographs.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
I swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou’ve seen photographs of me?\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard kept a box of them. He told me you were my half-brother.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia staggered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman turned toward her.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me my father was a man who died before I was born. He said Richard took me in because my mother was unstable.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia covered her mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was your grandfather.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman’s face went white.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was my father.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo!\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice echoed through the house.<\/p>\n
She backed into the study, knocking a stack of papers from a desk.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou’re lying.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish I were.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman grabbed a framed photograph and held it up.<\/p>\n
It showed Richard standing beside a teenage girl.<\/p>\n
The girl was Olivia.<\/p>\n
The date on the frame was twenty-four years earlier.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was told this was my mother,\u201d the woman whispered, pointing to Olivia in the photograph.<\/p>\n
Olivia began to cry.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was your mother.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman dropped the frame.<\/p>\n
Glass shattered across the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cGet away from me!\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia stopped moving.<\/p>\n
I stepped between them, but Olivia touched my arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, Damien. Let her speak.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman pressed her hands against her temples.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy whole life was a lie. Richard told me I was special. He said he was the only person who could protect me. He paid for my education, chose my friends, and decided where I would live.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at Olivia.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said you abandoned me because you wanted a different life.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was nineteen. I was frightened, and my parents told me you had died. I didn’t know they had taken you.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why didn’t you find me?\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia’s voice broke.<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried. I found your records years later, but they had been altered. Every lead ended with another false name.<\/p>\n
When I became pregnant with the twins, Richard discovered I was still searching. He used Victor to keep me quiet.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman sank into a chair.<\/p>\n
For several seconds, she simply stared at her hands.<\/p>\n
Then she whispered, \u201cMy name is Elise.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia knelt in front of her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour name was given to you by people who wanted to hide you. You can keep it if you want. You can choose another name. You can do whatever feels right.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you have other children?\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are they?\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSafe.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo they know about me?\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey know we found you.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise’s lips trembled.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo they look like me?\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia smiled through her tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly like me.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time, Elise looked curious rather than frightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan I meet them?\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhenever you’re ready.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
Detective Harris entered the room, followed by two officers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to secure this property and take statements,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut before we do, Elise, we need to ask you about the files found in the basement.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise’s expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat files?\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris held up a document.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe records concerning the private embryo program.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise stared at the paper.<\/p>\n
Then she looked at Olivia.<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard told me never to mention those records.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
She took a shaky breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he said the program wasn’t finished.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise opened a desk drawer and removed a small black notebook.<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard gave me this before he died. He said it contained instructions for protecting the family. He told me to burn it if anyone ever asked about the clinic.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
She handed it to Harris.<\/p>\n
He opened the notebook and turned several pages.<\/p>\n
Then he stopped.<\/p>\n
His face drained of color.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d\u201d I demanded.<\/p>\n
Harris turned the notebook toward me.<\/p>\n
A list of names filled the page. Some were crossed out. Others had dates beside them.<\/p>\n
At the bottom was a recent entry.<\/p>\n
*SUBJECT 14 \u2014 TRANSFER COMPLETE.<\/em>*<\/p>\n Beside it was a photograph of a young woman.<\/p>\n She had dark hair, gray eyes, and a tiny dimple on her left cheek.<\/p>\n She looked like Olivia.<\/p>\n She looked like Elise.<\/p>\n She looked like Sophie and Ruby.<\/p>\n And beneath the photograph was a name.<\/p>\n *DR. SAMUEL PRICE.<\/em>*<\/p>\n I stared at the page.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy is a doctor listed as a subject?\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n Elise shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause Richard believed Dr. Price had stolen one of the original embryos.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n Olivia gripped my arm.<\/p>\n \u201cWhich embryo?\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n Elise looked at her.<\/p>\n \u201cThe one they never implanted.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n Harris turned another page.<\/p>\n A final note had been written in Richard’s handwriting.<\/p>\n If Subject 14 is still alive, the Cole family is not safe.<\/em><\/p>\n My phone rang.<\/p>\n An unknown number.<\/p>\n I answered.<\/p>\n A man’s voice spoke calmly.<\/p>\n \u201cDamien Cole?\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho is this?\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDr. Samuel Price.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at the notebook.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you want?\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI believe your family has found the wrong daughter.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n My blood ran cold.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt means Richard Cole didn’t have one secret child. He had two.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n I gripped the phone.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere are you?\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSomewhere your father made sure no one would ever look.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTell me where!\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n The doctor paused.<\/p>\n Then he said, \u201cAsk Olivia what happened to the baby she delivered before the twins.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n Olivia’s face turned white.<\/p>\n Price continued.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause the child you just found isn’t the only daughter who was stolen from her.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n The call ended.<\/p>\n I stared at Olivia.<\/p>\n She shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks.<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t understand.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n Then Elise opened the notebook to its final page.<\/p>\n A photograph had been tucked inside.<\/p>\n It showed a newborn baby wearing a hospital bracelet.<\/p>\n The name on the bracelet was unmistakable.<\/p>\n *OLIVIA COLE.<\/em>*<\/p>\n But the date was from six months after the hospital had officially recorded Olivia’s death.<\/p>\n And beneath it, Richard had written one final sentence.<\/p>\n The original daughter is still alive.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I had not entered my father’s house since the funeral. The front steps were covered with fallen leaves, and the brass knocker had darkened with age. The windows were shuttered,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":365,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/metropolitantimeshock.pics\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/metropolitantimeshock.pics\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/metropolitantimeshock.pics\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metropolitantimeshock.pics\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metropolitantimeshock.pics\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=387"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/metropolitantimeshock.pics\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":388,"href":"https:\/\/metropolitantimeshock.pics\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387\/revisions\/388"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metropolitantimeshock.pics\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/metropolitantimeshock.pics\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metropolitantimeshock.pics\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metropolitantimeshock.pics\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}May you like<\/h3>\n<\/section>\n