Chapter 45 - THE THIRD CHILD HAD LIVED INSIDE HAWTHORNE VILLA FOR SIXTEEN YEARS—THEN LILY OPENED A LETTER THAT WAS NEVER MEANT FOR HER
Sofia did not tell Lily what Dr. Helen Ward had claimed until investigators could establish whether the statement had any factual basis.
That decision was not about hiding the truth.
It was about refusing to turn another unverified accusation into a child's identity.
For three days, independent laboratories examined the archived records.
Investigators interviewed former Meridian employees.
The hospital confirmed that the two newborn girls were receiving appropriate care under independent guardianship arrangements.
Isabella remained under investigation for removing one child without authorization.
Naomi continued cooperating.
And Lily went to school.
Sofia insisted on that.
Lily deserved ordinary mornings.
Homework.
Friends.
Breakfast without another secret family tree appearing on the table.
But on the fourth evening, the laboratory called.
Sofia answered in the villa's library.
Daniel sat beside her.
The investigator explained that Ward's statement contained both accurate information and serious inconsistencies.
The third embryo had indeed been documented.
Its records had been transferred sixteen years earlier.
But there was no reliable evidence that it had resulted in a live birth.
Sofia exhaled.
"Then Lily may not be connected."
"Correct," the investigator answered. "We cannot establish that connection."
Daniel nodded.
"Thank you."
But before the call ended, the investigator added something else.
"The archive contains a handwritten note addressed to Lily."
Sofia frowned.
"From whom?"
"The author is unknown."
"Has it been authenticated?"
"Not yet."
"Then we'll wait."
The investigator paused.
"There's something unusual about the date."
Sofia closed her eyes.
"What?"
"The note was written before Lily was born."
Daniel looked up sharply.
"How long before?"
"Almost twenty years."
Sofia stared at the phone.
"Then it wasn't written for Lily."
"Possibly not. But her name appears in the document."
That evening, Sofia sat with Lily in the garden.
Margaret rested nearby in her wheelchair.
Victoria and Claire were preparing dinner.
Mateo was arguing with Daniel about the correct way to cook pasta.
For a few minutes, the villa felt like a home again.
Lily looked toward Sofia.
"Something happened."
Sofia smiled faintly.
"Something always happens."
"You're worried."
"Yes."
"About me?"
Sofia hesitated.
"About records someone created before you were born."
Lily's expression changed.
"Another experiment?"
"We don't know."
Lily looked down.
"Do I have to take another test?"
"No."
"Do I have to meet another stranger?"
"No."
"Do I have to change my name?"
Sofia felt her heart tighten.
"Absolutely not."
Lily looked at her.
"Then what happens?"
"We decide what information you want to hear, and we make sure someone qualified helps us understand it."
Lily thought for a long time.
Then nodded.
"I want to know."
The following morning, the investigator brought the authenticated historical documents.
The note had been written by Rebecca Cross.
Naomi recognized her sister's handwriting.
But the name Lily appeared in a different ink.
Added later.
Someone had altered the letter.
Sofia stared at the page.
"Who?"
The investigator shook his head.
"We're still investigating."
Lily leaned forward.
"What did Rebecca originally write?"
Naomi read the message.
Rebecca had described a child she hoped would someday live free from Meridian's control.
She had not named that child.
She had not claimed to be the child's mother.
She had simply written about the future.
About a world where children could grow up without being assigned identities, roles, or obligations before birth.
Lily listened quietly.
Then she whispered, "She wanted what we want."
Sofia nodded.
"Yes."
The room became silent.
But the investigator had one more document.
A photograph recovered from Dr. Ward's private archive.
It showed a young woman standing outside a medical facility.
Beside her was a child approximately six years old.
The child's face was partially hidden.
On the back was a handwritten date.
Sixteen years earlier.
And one sentence.
THE FIRST GENESIS CHILD WAS NEVER REGISTERED.
Sofia stared.
Daniel leaned closer.
"Who is the woman?"
Naomi took the photograph.
Her hands began shaking.
"That's Helen Ward."
Sofia looked toward the child.
"Can we identify the child?"
"Not from this photograph alone," the investigator answered.
Then Naomi turned the photograph over again.
Beneath the first sentence was a second line.
Written in fresh ink.
THE CHILD IS NOW AN ADULT.
Sofia frowned.
"Someone added that recently."
The investigator nodded.
"Yes."
Daniel's phone rang.
Marcus.
Daniel answered.
His expression changed.
"What do you mean she's gone?"
Sofia stood.
"Who?"
Daniel listened.
Then slowly lowered the phone.
"Dr. Helen Ward escaped during a medical transfer."
Sofia stared.
"How?"
"We don't know yet."
Lily looked toward the photograph.
Then toward the front windows.
A black sedan had stopped outside Hawthorne Villa.
The same kind of car Naomi had arrived in.
But this time, no one stepped out.
Instead, a small envelope slid beneath the security gate.
Marcus retrieved it after officers secured the area.
Inside was a photograph.
A recent photograph.
The same woman.
Older now.
Standing beside a young adult whose face was hidden beneath a hood.
On the back were four words.
YOU KNOW THIS PERSON.
Sofia looked at Daniel.
Daniel looked at David, who had just entered the room.
David's face turned white.
Sofia noticed immediately.
"David?"
He stared at the photograph.
"No."
She stepped closer.
"You recognize something."
David shook his head.
"No."
"Then tell me why you're afraid."
David's eyes filled with tears.
"Because I remember that coat."
Sofia looked at the hooded figure.
"What coat?"
David whispered, "The one Evelyn gave Noah before he disappeared."
The room became silent.
Then Lily pointed toward the photograph.
"There's something in his hand."
Sofia leaned closer.
A silver baseball bat.
The same kind Sofia had knocked from Victoria's hand years earlier.
Daniel stared.
"That's impossible."
Sofia felt the familiar coldness return.
The photograph had been taken outside Hawthorne Villa.
Yesterday.
The figure had been standing beside the swimming pool.
Inside the property.
Past the security gates.
Past the cameras.
Past everyone.
Sofia slowly looked toward the house.
Someone had already entered.
Someone who knew the family's history.
Someone who knew about Charles, Genesis, and the children.
May you like
And somewhere upstairs, a door quietly closed.
TO BE CONTINUED…
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