CHAPTER 2: THE SECRET
Ethan carefully lifted Oliver from the crib.
The baby immediately stopped crying and rested against his father's chest.
With shaking hands, Ethan pulled back the tiny sleeve.
His breath caught.
No birthmark.
Not even the faint outline Margaret described.
He looked at Emily.
She collapsed to her knees.
"I'm sorry."
The words shattered him.
"What did you do?"
Emily sobbed uncontrollably.
"I never cheated on you."
"Then explain this!"
"The hospital made a mistake."
Margaret laughed.
"A mistake? Do you expect anyone to believe that?"
Emily reached for Ethan's hand.
"They switched the babies."
Ethan stared.
"I found out two weeks after giving birth."
"You knew?"
She nodded.
"The hospital admitted another family had accidentally taken our son."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because they begged me to stay quiet while they investigated."
"They promised they would find him."
"I believed them."
Margaret stepped closer.
"You expected us to forgive that?"
Emily shook her head.
"No."
"I couldn't lose two people at once."
"I had already lost my baby."
"I couldn't lose my husband too."
Tears streamed down Ethan's face.
He looked at the child in his arms.
Oliver smiled.
He reached up and touched Ethan's cheek.
At that moment...
Ethan realized something terrifying.
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He loved this little boy exactly as if he were his own.
Blood suddenly seemed far less important than love.
