Chapter 14: The Truth Hidden Before Birth
The document in my hand felt impossible.
Not heavy because of the paper.
Heavy because of what it represented.
A secret that had existed before Noah took his first breath.
Before Hannah held him.
Before I heard him cry.
Before I knew anything was wrong.
Someone had already started building a story around my son.
And I was the last person to know.
I stared at the genetic report.
The date.
The signatures.
The information.
Everything looked official.
Everything looked real.
But after everything that had happened, I had learned one painful lesson.
Documents could lie.
Records could be changed.
Facts could be buried.
"What is it?""
Detective Bennett's voice pulled me back.
I looked at her.
"This was created months before Noah was born.""
Her expression changed.
"What?""
Laura leaned forward.
"That's what I tried to tell you.""
I looked at her.
"How did Mercer get access before Noah was even born?""
Laura shook her head.
"I don't know.""
But this time, I didn't feel frustrated.
Because nobody knew.
The entire situation was built on missing pieces.
"Show me.""
Detective Bennett extended her hand.
I gave her the document.
She studied it carefully.
The longer she looked, the more serious her expression became.
"Where did you get this?""
"Laura had it.""
"Why?""
Laura answered.
"Because I saved everything.""
Detective Bennett looked at her.
"Everything?""
"After Mercer destroyed my life, I stopped trusting anyone.""
That sentence stayed with me.
Because I understood it.
Trust was not something you lost all at once.
Sometimes it disappeared slowly.
One secret.
One lie.
One strange detail at a time.
"What does the report say?"" I asked.
Detective Bennett looked up.
"It references a genetic screening.""
"About Noah?""
"Yes.""
"But why before birth?""
She didn't answer.
I already knew.
Someone was preparing.
Preparing for what?
That was the question.
Laura looked at me.
"There is something else.""
I turned.
"What?""
"Mercer didn't request this.""
My heart stopped.
"Who did?""
She hesitated.
Then:
"Someone connected to your family.""
I felt the air leave my lungs.
"Who?""
Laura looked at me.
"I never found out.""
I almost laughed.
Another unknown.
Another shadow.
But then she added:
"But Mercer wasn't surprised when I mentioned your name.""
"What do you mean?""
"When I told him I had found another family connected to the same pattern...""
She paused.
"He already knew.""
I looked at Detective Bennett.
"Another family.""
She nodded slowly.
"Meaning there may be more.""
Laura lowered her eyes.
"There are.""
The word felt like a punch.
"How many?""
"I don't know.""
"But you saw others?""
"Yes.""
"Where?""
Laura hesitated.
"At a private clinic.""
"What clinic?""
"It wasn't listed under Mercer's name.""
"Whose name?""
Laura looked at me.
"That's the problem.""
"What?""
"The clinic was registered under a foundation.""
"What foundation?""
She swallowed.
"The Carter Family Foundation.""
Everything stopped.
I stared.
"What?""
Detective Bennett immediately looked at me.
"Daniel.""
"I don't know anything about that.""
My voice sounded distant.
"My family doesn't have a foundation.""
Laura looked confused.
"That's what the records said.""
I shook my head.
"No.""
Then I remembered.
Years ago.
After my father died.
My mother had mentioned creating something.
A charitable organization.
A medical fund.
I never paid attention.
I was young.
I was grieving.
I thought it was just something she wanted to do in my father's memory.
"Mom.""
The word escaped before I realized I had said it.
Detective Bennett noticed.
"Your mother?""
I stood.
"I need to call her.""
My mother answered on the second ring.
"Daniel?""
Her voice immediately sounded nervous.
"Did you create a foundation?""
Silence.
The kind of silence that answers before words do.
"Mom.""
"Who told you?""
My stomach tightened.
"So you did.""
"Daniel, listen—"
"No.""
I closed my eyes.
"Not another explanation.""
"Please.""
"Did you create a medical foundation?""
She didn't answer.
"Mom.""
"Yes.""
My chest tightened.
"Why?""
"It was for research.""
"What research?""
"Your father's condition.""
I walked away from the others.
"Why was Mercer involved?""
Silence.
Then:
"Because he was one of the researchers.""
I felt sick.
"How long?""
"What?""
"How long have you known him?""
My mother whispered:
"Almost eight years.""
Eight years.
Eight years.
The number echoed.
I had been thinking Mercer entered our lives because of Noah.
He didn't.
He entered because of my father.
Because of my mother.
Because of something that started long before my son existed.
"What was the foundation really for?""
"It was supposed to help families.""
"Supposed to?""
She hesitated.
"Daniel...""
"What?""
"The research changed.""
"How?""
"It became focused on genetic information.""
My blood ran cold.
"Genetic information?""
"Yes.""
"From who?""
"Patients.""
"Patients who trusted you?""
My mother went silent.
That was enough.
"You collected people's information.""
"No.""
"But Mercer did.""
"I didn't know.""
"How could you not know?""
"Because I wasn't involved in the medical side.""
I laughed bitterly.
"That's what everyone says.""
My mother cried.
"I made a mistake.""
I looked down.
"No.""
My voice became quiet.
"You made a choice.""
Silence.
"Why Noah?""
"I don't know.""
"Stop saying that.""
"I truly don't know.""
Then her voice changed.
"Daniel...""
"What?""
"I think Mercer used the foundation.""
I froze.
"What do you mean?""
"I think he accessed the records without permission.""
"How?""
"Through the research database.""
The room went silent.
"How many families?""
"I don't know.""
I closed my eyes.
"Mom.""
"Yes?""
"Did you ever see a list?""
A long pause.
Then:
"Yes.""
My heart raced.
"What list?""
"Families connected to the research.""
"Was Noah on it?""
She didn't answer.
"Was he?""
Her voice broke.
"Yes.""
I felt numb.
"Why?""
"I don't know.""
There it was again.
But this time it wasn't ignorance.
It was fear.
"Where is the list?""
"I don't have it.""
"Who does?""
Another pause.
Then she whispered:
"Mercer.""
When I returned to the others, Detective Bennett knew something had changed.
"What happened?""
I sat down.
"My mother created the foundation Mercer used.""
Nobody spoke.
Laura looked devastated.
"Then I was right.""
I looked at her.
"About what?""
"He doesn't choose random families.""
"What does he choose?""
She looked at Noah's document.
"Families with connections.""
"Connections to what?""
"Medical history.""
I frowned.
"My father.""
She nodded.
"Your father's condition.""
I felt a chill.
"Mercer isn't studying babies.""
"No.""
Laura looked at me.
"He is studying inheritance.""
The word landed hard.
Inheritance.
Not money.
Not property.
Something biological.
Something passed down.
"Why?""
Laura looked away.
"I don't know.""
But suddenly Detective Bennett spoke.
"I might.""
We all turned.
She opened her laptop.
"I've been reviewing the foundation records.""
"What did you find?""
"Patterns.""
Of course.
Always patterns.
"Every family involved had a similar situation.""
"What situation?""
"Medical uncertainty.""
I frowned.
"Meaning?""
"Someone in the family had a condition doctors couldn't explain.""
My father's illness.
"Then what?""
"They were offered additional genetic research.""
"By Mercer.""
"Yes.""
"And the children?""
She looked at Noah.
"They became part of the data.""
My stomach turned.
"He was experimenting?""
Detective Bennett was careful.
"We don't know the full extent.""
"But?""
"But the records suggest he was collecting information on children born into those families.""
I looked at Noah.
My son.
My baby.
Not a subject.
Not a record.
Not a result.
A person.
I stood.
"I want Mercer arrested.""
Detective Bennett looked at me.
"We're building the case.""
"He's still free.""
"For now.""
I hated those words.
For now.
Before I could say anything else, my phone rang.
Unknown number.
Everyone froze.
I answered.
"Hello?""
Mercer's voice.
Calm.
Almost gentle.
"Daniel.""
My hands tightened.
"What do you want?""
"I want you to stop letting other people lie to you.""
"You mean like you?""
A pause.
"I understand why you're angry.""
"Do you?""
"Yes.""
"Then tell me the truth.""
"I have been trying.""
I laughed.
"No.""
"You've been manipulating me.""
"No.""
His voice remained calm.
"I've been forcing you to look.""
"At what?""
"At the people around you.""
I looked at my mother.
Then Hannah.
"You destroyed families.""
"No.""
"Laura.""
"Laura was a misunderstanding.""
"An entire family was destroyed.""
"Because people couldn't accept the truth.""
My blood ran cold.
"What truth?""
Silence.
Then:
"The truth about genetics.""
I gripped the phone.
"What are you talking about?""
"Your father.""
I froze.
"What about him?""
"Your mother told you he died from an unexplained condition.""
"Yes.""
"She was wrong.""
My heart stopped.
"What?""
"He didn't die from a disease.""
Silence.
"He died because someone covered up what happened to him.""
I couldn't move.
"Who?""
Mercer didn't answer.
Instead, he said:
"Ask your mother why she never told you about the night your father was admitted.""
Then the call ended.
I stood there.
Everyone watching me.
Hannah approached slowly.
"Daniel.""
I looked at her.
"I think...""
My voice broke.
"I think Noah wasn't the beginning.""
I looked at the phone.
"I think my father was.""
And for the first time, I understood the real nightmare.
Mercer hadn't entered our lives because of Noah.
He had been waiting for the next generation.
Waiting for me.
Waiting for my son.
Because whatever happened years ago...
Whatever secret my father carried...
May you like
It was the reason Noah had become a target.
And tomorrow, I was going to find out why.
