Accueil / What the Cradle Hid / Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 10

Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 10

Chapter 1

The day my son was born, I held that tiny, wrinkled little bundle in my arms, my hands trembling.Whitney Shaw lay on the delivery bed. Her lips were pale as she smiled at me."That 12-story commercial building in Cascade City? Put it all in the kid's name."I lowered my head and kissed her forehead."And the profits from that piece of land we bought last year? Those shares belong to you too. Everything I earn is for you and our son."Whitney gave me a look. "Will you stop already?""Nope. I'm happy."The next day, our son was gone.Whitney lost her mind. She spent six months searching for him before finally jumping off our balcony.I drank myself to death on the streets. Even as I lay dying, I could still hear my son's first cry.In this life, all I wanted was for my wife and son to be safe and happy.All day, I did not let anyone touch my son. Whenever a nurse came to check his temperature, I stood right beside her, watching every move.When the head nurse, Sienna Lawson,

Chapter 2

I spent the entire day holding my son, never letting him out of my sight. Feeding him, changing his diapers, burping him—I did it all.When Whitney woke up and saw me sitting on the couch with our baby in my arms, her eyes turned red."Theodore, you haven't slept in three days.""I'm not tired," I said.She reached out and touched my face. Her fingers were cold. "You look awful. I'm worried you are going to wear yourself out.""I can handle it." I wrapped my hand around hers, my voice a little hoarse. "As long as you and the baby are here, I can handle anything."Whitney did not try to argue with me again. She knew me too well. Once I made up my mind, there was no changing it.That night, I pushed the crib right beside my bed and locked the hospital room door.The camera was running, and my phone was connected to my fitness band. Any movement or sound would make the band vibrate and wake me up.At 2:00 am, I finally started losing the battle with sleep. My eyelids grew heavy,

Chapter 3

A police officer named Ron Carter pushed his way into the hallway with several other officers and strung up police tape."Mr. Collins, we're here."I nodded."The security footage."The security guard pulled it up. At 4:13 am, the screen filled with static for several seconds. The interference lasted more than ten seconds."The baby never left the building," Ron said."Search it."His officers immediately got to work. They searched the patient rooms, storage rooms, food preparation area, operating rooms, bathrooms, and every other room they could think of, one after another.The people gathered in the hallway still had not left. Some of them whispered among themselves."The cameras are broken. They probably won't find the baby.""A baby that young? Whoever took him must have gotten far by now.""Those parents sure were careless."Whitney could hear every word, even through the closed door. She had stopped crying out loud. Now she was frighteningly quiet.I stood in the hal

Chapter 4

Whitney came out of the hospital room. She stood holding on to the doorframe, her face as pale as paper and her eyes swollen from crying. "Theodore."I turned toward her. She slowly walked over, swaying with every step. "Don't do this.""Whitney...""Theodore, you need to calm down."Behind the nurses' station, Sienna clutched her chest as tears rolled down her face."Mr. Collins, I know you're worried, but you can't treat me like this… I've only been working at this hospital for six months. I'm just an employee. How could I possibly dare to steal a baby?"Her shoulders shook as she cried.The hallway fell silent for a few seconds. Then, someone began recording on their phone."A rich man is bullying a young nurse in public.""He lost his baby and started cursing at innocent people.""It's disgusting."Whitney suddenly tightened her grip on my arm. Her whole body swayed, and her knees began to buckle.I reached out and caught her. She collapsed against my chest, burying her

Chapter 5

I shoved my entire body into the ventilation duct. My shoulders got stuck in the grille frame, but I forced myself through anyway. Two sharp edges tore open my arm, leaving bloody cuts. I did not even stop to look.After crawling about 15 feet, I reached a sharp right-angle turn. Someone had stuffed a thick layer of soundproofing insulation into the corner, completely blocking the vent that should have led back to the hallway.Behind the insulation was a narrow crawl space.My son lay on the floor, wrapped in a nurse's uniform. His little face had turned purplish, and his mouth was covered in drool and tears. His cries had grown so hoarse that they barely sounded like a baby's voice anymore.I reached in and pulled him into my arms, pressing him against my chest. His body was frighteningly hot. His clothes were damp but not completely wet, and his lips were dry and peeling."Daddy's here. Don't be scared. Daddy's here, son."He cried even harder, his tiny hands gripping my collar

Chapter 6

Adrian Borman was found in the underground storage area in the basement. He had been hiding behind a row of old hospital beds, clutching a toolbox.When the police asked him why he had run away, he was so terrified that he wet himself."It wasn't me! I was just helping her move some things... She paid me... My grandson needs money for school...""Who paid you?" the police officer asked.Adrian trembled for a long time before finally forcing out the name, "Ms. Lawson."The information reached the hospital room while Whitney was giving our son some water. His throat was so raw from crying that he could only manage tiny sips from a spoon. After each sip, he let out a faint whimper.Whitney's eyes were red, and her hands were still shaking, but she insisted on feeding him herself.I sat beside her and watched in silence.The police called to ask whether I wanted them to arrest Sienna immediately.I told them there was no need to rush. She was still putting on her innocent act out

Chapter 7

Sienna suddenly let out a laugh. It was sharp and shrill, like nails scraping against glass."I calculated everything. The cameras, the locks, the soundproofing insulation. I even calculated when you'd fall asleep. I spent half a month planning this! And now, you're telling me it was all because of the air-conditioning?"Her voice rose higher and higher, and her handcuffs rattled wildly. When one of the officers beside her reached out to restrain her, she violently shook him off."I almost succeeded! I was this close! Your son was in my hands for three hours! I almost got him out of the building!"She glared at me, her chest heaving."I was so close..."I looked at her. Suddenly, her shoulders slumped, and tears began rolling down her face."Mr. Collins..." Her voice changed. It softened. "I didn't mean to do it. I just acted without thinking."She took a step forward, but the police grabbed hold of her. "My son is sick. He needs a lot of money for treatment. I had no other cho

Chapter 8

Adrian confessed everything.Sienna had approached him with a proposal. She called it an 'operation' and promised him 150,000 dollars if everything went according to plan.Adrian's job was to adjust the air-conditioning and lower the cooling output on the fifth floor. According to him, the head nurse had told him, "The hotter it is, the more deeply the baby will sleep. He won't cry as much."He had found that strange, but he had not thought much of it.For someone who had spent half his life working as a maintenance technician, 150,000 dollars was the equivalent of two years' wages.He was also the one who opened up the ventilation duct.Sienna had instructed him to loosen the screws on the storage room's vent ahead of time. Then he moved the soundproofing insulation inside the duct at the corner, creating a crawl space large enough to hide someone."She said the baby would only be there for a little while. Someone would come to pick him up. I didn't know she was stealing a baby

Chapter 9

I still had not figured out the name of the song, but its melody was gentle.Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, falling across the piano keys and my son's chubby little hands. I stood in the kitchen doorway with a glass of milk, thinking that this one scene alone would be enough to carry me through the rest of my life.Then one night, our son woke up crying.I dragged myself out of bed, mixed him a bottle of formula, and carried him around the living room, gently rocking him as I tried to soothe him. He lay against my shoulder, falling asleep between little sniffles, his tiny hand still clutching the collar of my pajamas.Whitney came out wearing a jacket and leaned against the bedroom doorframe, watching me. "You're walking around with him again.""He was crying.""Your arms are going to be too sore to lift tomorrow.""Even if I can't lift them, I'll still carry him."Whitney walked over and wrapped her arms around me from behind, resting her cheek against

Chapter 10

Our son called out from up ahead, "Daddy! Look at me!"He stood on his scooter with both arms spread wide, as if he were about to fly."Don't let go!""I'm not letting go!"He glided several yards forward, then spun around and came back, stopping right in front of me. "Daddy, am I good?""You are.""Am I better than Teddy from kindergarten?""Much better."He grinned, showing the gap where his two front teeth were missing. His words came out with a slight whistle. "Then I'm going around one more time!""Don't go too far."He turned and sped off. The scooter wheels rolled over the paving stones, making a steady clack, clack, clack.I stood in the evening sunlight and watched him.He was almost six now, a little chubbier than he had been as a toddler. His legs still stumbled slightly whenever he ran, but he faced the sunlight with his whole body, every strand of his hair glowing.Whitney came over and stood beside me, gently bumping my arm. "What are you thinking about?""N

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