Chapter 3 - The Holloway Connection
Derek had always told me his family came from nothing.
His father, Victor, had built Holloway Development from a rented office above a laundromat.
That story had been repeated at every Christmas dinner.
Every anniversary.
Every business award.
Victor Holloway loved telling people he was self-made.
My father told me that was another lie.
By evening, Luka had arranged a secure video call.
My father appeared on the screen looking twenty years older than he had the last time I saw him.
“What happened?”
I demanded.
“Why is Derek’s family connected to M-17?”
My father looked at Luka.
“You shouldn’t have gone to her.”
Luka’s face showed no emotion.
“She had already been found.”
“By whom?”
“Victor’s son.”
My father closed his eyes.
I felt sick.
“Someone needs to start telling me the truth.”
My father nodded slowly.
“In 2001, I worked for Moretti Biomedical.”
“The company ran a private fertility-preservation division for high-risk patients.”
“Luka was nineteen.”
Luka stared through the window.
“A motorcycle accident.”
My father continued.
“Before reconstructive surgery, the doctors recommended preserving reproductive material.”
“His father agreed.”
“His sample became M-17.”
I looked at Luka.
“Why was it important?”
Luka answered.
“Because my father was obsessed with bloodlines.”
That sounded almost absurd.
Until he continued.
“The Moretti Family Trust contained a succession clause.”
“Control of several private holdings would eventually pass through direct descendants.”
“So someone wanted your future child?”
“No.”
Luka’s mouth hardened.
“They wanted control of one.”
My father took over.
“Victor Holloway was legal counsel to one of the laboratories.”
“He discovered the trust clause.”
“He tried to gain access to the M-series archive.”
“I caught him.”
“What happened?”
“I reported him.”
“Moretti Biomedical buried it.”
“Why?”
Luka laughed without humor.
“Because rich families are very good at hiding ugly things behind expensive lawyers.”
My father nodded.
“Victor was dismissed quietly.”
“I was ordered to seal M-17.”
“Instead, I destroyed the identifying index and moved the physical sample under anonymous cryogenic storage.”
I looked at Grace.
“Then how could anyone find it?”
My father stared at Derek’s name displayed in an old document.
“Someone reconstructed the archive.”
A knock hit the door.
Hard.
Rosa opened it slightly.
A hospital administrator stood outside.
Beside her was Derek.
And a police officer.
My stomach dropped.
Derek walked inside holding a folder.
“I’m taking my daughter home.”
“No.”
“You’re medicated.”
“I know exactly what I’m saying.”
He handed the officer a paper.
“My wife is allowing an unrelated man to interfere with our child’s medical care.”
Luka stood.
Derek looked directly at him.
“And this man falsified a parentage document.”
The officer turned to Luka.
“Sir, I need you to step outside.”
Luka nodded.
No resistance.
No argument.
That seemed to make Derek nervous.
Then my father’s voice came from the laptop.
“Derek.”
Everything stopped.
Derek looked at the screen.
My father stared back at him.
“You look like Victor.”
Derek’s face changed.
“You.”
I whispered,
“You know my father too?”
Derek said nothing.
My father leaned closer to the camera.
“Ask him when he learned he was infertile.”
I froze.
Derek went white.
“What?”
I whispered.
Nobody moved.
I looked at my husband.
“What did he say?”
Derek stared at me.
“That man is lying.”
My father’s voice became harder.
“Ask him.”
I felt the room spin.
“Derek.”
He looked away.
“Are you infertile?”
His silence answered.
My hands started shaking.
“We spent two years trying to have Grace.”
“Emma—”
“You told me every test was normal.”
“They were.”
“Then answer me.”
He exploded.
“I DIDN’T WANT YOU TO LEAVE ME!”
Grace startled.
She began crying.
Every person in the room went still.
My anger disappeared beneath something colder.
I picked up my daughter.
“You knew?”
Derek ran both hands over his face.
“I found out three years ago.”
“And you lied.”
“I was going to fix it.”
“How?”
His eyes flicked toward Luka.
That tiny movement told me everything and nothing.
Luka saw it.
My father saw it.
Then Derek whispered,
“I paid for a donor.”
The room became silent.
My voice shook.
“What donor?”
“I don’t know.”
My father said,
“Yes, you do.”
Derek turned toward the laptop.
“Shut up.”
“You used your father’s old files.”
“No.”
“You found M-17.”
“No.”
“You gave the code to Dr. Mercer.”
“STOP.”
Grace cried against my chest.
I stared at the man I had married.
“You used someone else’s DNA?”
Derek looked at me.
Tears filled his eyes.
For one second, I saw the man I used to love.
Then he destroyed whatever remained.
“I just wanted a child that could pass for mine.”
Luka stepped forward.
His voice was terrifyingly calm.
“And you chose mine.”
Derek shook his head.
“I didn’t know it was yours.”
“Then why did you run when you saw me?”
Derek had no answer.
Luka looked at Grace.
Then at me.
And for the first time since he entered that hospital, I saw fear break through his composure.
May you like
Not because he believed anything yet.
Because for the first time, he realized it might actually be possible.
