Chapter 9 - THE TWIN SECRET
Ethan thought he had misheard.
“Repeat that.”
“Rebecca Cole said Amelia delivered twins.”
Everything around Ethan seemed to disappear.
The hospital records listed one child.
Lily.
Amelia’s ultrasounds had shown one fetus.
At least the reports Ethan had seen.
Samuel immediately requested access to archived prenatal scans.
Most had been destroyed in the hospital fire.
One survived.
The image looked ordinary until Samuel enlarged it.
“There.”
A second fetal shape appeared faintly behind the first.
Ethan stared.
“Why wasn’t I told?”
Samuel shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
Hours later, Rebecca regained consciousness in surgery.
She was weak but stable.
She demanded to speak to Ethan.
He joined through a secure video connection.
Rebecca’s face was pale.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For believing your family was responsible for my daughter’s death.”
Ethan sat forward.
“Tell me about the twins.”
Rebecca struggled to breathe.
“My husband worked with Dr. Reed.”
“Daniel?”
She nodded.
“Before he died, he told me everything.”
“Amelia delivered two girls.”
“One was healthy.”
“The other had breathing problems.”
“Lily?”
“No.”
Rebecca shook her head.
“Lily was the healthy one.”
Ethan felt his pulse pounding.
“Where is the second child?”
“I don’t know.”
“Daniel said Victor ordered Reed to remove her from the hospital before the fire.”
“Why?”
“Because nobody outside the delivery room knew there were twins.”
Ethan understood.
A hidden Blackwood heir.
A child Victor could control.
A child no one knew to search for.
“Did Amelia know?”
“Yes.”
Rebecca’s eyes filled with tears.
“She woke after the delivery and asked for both daughters.”
“Reed drugged her.”
Ethan’s voice cracked despite his effort to control it.
“What was the other baby’s name?”
Rebecca whispered.
“Rose.”
Ethan closed his eyes.
Amelia had once told him that if they had two daughters, she wanted to name the second Rose after her grandmother.
It was not coincidence.
Rebecca continued.
“Daniel said Victor placed Rose with someone loyal to him.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know.”
A nurse entered Rebecca’s room.
They needed to end the call.
Before the screen disconnected, Rebecca spoke quickly.
“Ethan.”
“Yes?”
“Victor didn’t poison you only because of tomorrow’s vote.”
“What do you mean?”
“He needs your death certificate before Rose turns eight.”
Ethan frowned.
“Why?”
“Because your grandfather’s trust has another clause.”
“If two direct heirs survive and the parent dies before the younger child’s eighth birthday, an appointed family guardian controls their shares until adulthood.”
Ethan felt the answer before she said it.
“Victor.”
Rebecca nodded.
Ethan looked at the date.
Rose and Lily’s eighth birthday was in three months.
Victor was running out of time.
His phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number appeared.
A photograph loaded.
It showed Amelia seated in a chair.
Beside her stood another little girl.
Same age as Lily.
Same dark eyes.
Same crescent-shaped birthmark.
May you like
Under the picture were six words.
BRING LILY IF YOU WANT AMELIA.
