Se connecterElena could barely breathe as she stared at the photograph on her phone.Lydia Cross.The name had appeared in every corner of the investigation, attached to hospital records, old photographs, and messages from people who seemed determined to keep the truth hidden. Yet until that moment, Elena had never considered that Lydia might have been more than a woman who arranged the transfer of newborns.What if Lydia had been one of the children?What if the woman they were searching for had been living under a different identity all these years?“Show me the photograph again,” Alexander Sterling said.Elena handed him the phone. He enlarged the image, studying Catherine's handwriting and the document beside her.“The final transfer involved two girls,” he said. “But the name Lydia Cross appears beneath the heading. That could be the name of a child, the person responsible for the transfer, or someone who witnessed it.”“Then we need to find out which,” Elena replied.Amara moved closer, her
Elena read the note three times, hoping the words would somehow change.YOU SAVED THE WRONG CHILD, JUST AS YOUR FATHER DID.Beneath the message, Lydia Cross's name stared back at her.“Someone wants us to believe Edward was responsible for the transfers,” Alexander Sterling said. “That doesn't mean he acted alone.”Elena lifted her eyes. “Are you defending your father?”“No. I'm telling you that the person who wrote this wants us angry enough to make mistakes.”Alexander Vance took the note from her and examined the handwriting. “Whoever sent this knew exactly where the baby would be found. They may have been watching the hospital the entire time.”“Then they could have taken the baby again,” Amara said.“Unless they wanted us to find the child,” Elena replied.Everyone turned toward her.She looked through the glass doors toward the emergency department, where doctors were examining the rescued infant. The baby had been returned safely, but the note had transformed what should have b
Elena did not sleep that night.Catherine's final words kept returning to her, each repetition making the past feel less familiar.You weren't alone.What did that mean? Had Catherine brought two babies home? Had another child lived with them for a time before disappearing? Or had someone deliberately planted a memory that Elena was too young to remember?She sat beside the hotel window, staring at the lights scattered across the city. Alexander had insisted that they leave the hospital only after the police confirmed that the rescued infant was safe. He had arranged additional security and promised to return as soon as the investigators finished reviewing Lydia Cross's file.Yet even with all those precautions, Elena felt exposed. Somewhere, someone knew the truth about her birth, her missing sister, and the children who had vanished from Northwick's records. That person had been watching her closely enough to anticipate every move.Her phone vibrated on the table.For a moment, she
Elena could barely breathe as she stared at the photograph on her phone.Lydia Cross.The name had appeared in every corner of the investigation, attached to hospital records, old photographs, and messages from people who seemed determined to keep the truth hidden. Yet until that moment, Elena had never considered that Lydia might have been more than a woman who arranged the transfer of newborns.What if Lydia had been one of the children?What if the woman they were searching for had been living under a different identity all these years?“Show me the photograph again,” Alexander Sterling said.Elena handed him the phone. He enlarged the image, studying Catherine's handwriting and the document beside her.“The final transfer involved two girls,” he said. “But the name Lydia Cross appears beneath the heading. That could be the name of a child, the person responsible for the transfer, or someone who witnessed it.”“Then we need to find out which,” Elena replied.Amara moved closer, her
Elena read the note three times, hoping the words would somehow change.**YOU SAVED THE WRONG CHILD, JUST AS YOUR FATHER DID.**Beneath the message, Lydia Cross's name stared back at her.“Someone wants us to believe Edward was responsible for the transfers,” Alexander Sterling said. “That doesn't mean he acted alone.”Elena lifted her eyes. “Are you defending your father?”“No. I'm telling you that the person who wrote this wants us angry enough to make mistakes.”Alexander Vance took the note from her and examined the handwriting. “Whoever sent this knew exactly where the baby would be found. They may have been watching the hospital the entire time.”“Then they could have taken the baby again,” Amara said.“Unless they wanted us to find the child,” Elena replied.Everyone turned toward her.She looked through the glass doors toward the emergency department, where doctors were examining the rescued infant. The baby had been returned safely, but the note had transformed what should ha
Elena stood motionless in the hospital corridor, the phone still pressed against her ear long after the call had ended.Your sister.The words kept repeating in her mind. For years, she had believed the questions surrounding her birth were nothing more than fragments of a painful family history. Now, every answer seemed to uncover another secret, and every secret led to someone who had spent years making sure the truth remained buried.Alexander approached her, his expression tightening when he noticed her pale face.“Elena, what happened?”She lowered the phone. “Someone called me. They said they knew the sister I had been searching for all my life.”Amara, who had been standing beside Alexander Vance, turned sharply.“Your sister?” she asked.“That was exactly what I asked. The caller wouldn't give me a name. They just said she was the one I had been searching for.”Alexander Sterling took the phone from Elena, checked the number, and handed it back to her. “It's hidden. We can't tr







