Chapter 6 - Eli’s Memory
The next morning changed everything.
Because Eli finally told the truth.
Not everything.
Not yet.
But enough.
He sat beside my hospital bed.
His tiny hand held mine.
I could see how scared he was.
“Mom…”
I looked at him.
“You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”
He shook his head.
“I’m scared because Dad said nobody would believe me.”
My heart broke.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
His eyes filled with tears.
“Because he said you would hate me.”
I froze.
“Hate you?”
Eli nodded.
“He said if I talked, you would think I was a bad kid.”
I pulled him closer.
“Eli, you protected my baby.”
The boy cried quietly.
Then he finally told me what happened.
The night before my delivery.
Eli had woken up because he heard Luke talking on the phone.
“He was angry.”
“What did he say?”
Eli looked toward the door.
As if he was afraid Luke could still hear him.
“He said…”
The boy repeated the words carefully.
“‘This time, nobody will take my family away.’”
A chill went through me.
“This time?”
Eli nodded.
“He talked about another baby.”
Detective Harris wrote everything down.
“Did you see where he went?”
“Yes.”
Eli looked at the detective.
“He went to the hospital.”
Everyone became silent.
“How did you know?”
“Because I followed him.”
I stared at him.
“Eli…”
“I wanted to know why Dad was lying.”
The detective leaned forward.
“What did you see?”
Eli took a deep breath.
“I saw him with a woman.”
“What woman?”
“I don’t know.”
“Can you describe her?”
Eli nodded.
“She had a scar on her hand.”
My heart stopped.
Rachel looked confused.
Camille looked at Detective Harris.
Because everyone realized the same thing.
The woman from the old photograph.
The woman who had been crying.
The woman whose baby was never found.
She might still be alive.
And she might be the missing piece.
Then Detective Harris received a phone call.
His face changed.
“What happened?”
He ended the call slowly.
“Mia…”
I knew from his voice.
Something was wrong.
“What?”
He looked at me.
“We found your daughter.”
My entire body froze.
“Where?”
His eyes moved toward the floor.
“She was never outside the hospital.”
I stared.
“What?”
“She was hidden.”
Nobody breathed.
“Where?”
The detective looked toward the security officer standing behind him.
“In a locked room inside the maternity wing.”
My heart shattered.
“Is she okay?”
The detective hesitated.
That hesitation terrified me.
“Mia…”
He lowered his voice.
“She’s alive.”
I covered my mouth.
A sob escaped.
“But there’s something you need to know.”
I looked at him.
“What?”
The detective placed another file on my bed.
Inside was a DNA report.
My hands shook as I opened it.
The first line made my blood run cold.
PATERNITY TEST RESULT: EXCLUDED.
I looked up.
“What does this mean?”
Detective Harris stared at me.
May you like
“Mia…”
“Luke is not your daughter’s biological father.”
