Chapter 7: The Second Baby
"There were twins.""
Daniel's words echoed through the phone.
I stared at him, waiting for him to take them back.
"Say that again.""
"Your mother gave birth to twins in November 2008. One child was registered under the name Emily. The other was registered under a different name.""
My daughter stood beside me, watching my face.
I forced myself to remain calm.
"Where is the other baby?""
"I don't know.""
"Daniel, don't you dare lie to me again.""
"I'm not lying. I only found out about the second birth three days ago.""
"Three days?""
"Sarah, I was going to tell you.""
"When? At our daughter's eighteenth birthday?""
He said nothing.
Eric took the phone from my hand.
"Listen to me, Daniel. If you're hiding anything else, I swear you'll regret it.""
"Eric, you need to understand something. Thomas isn't looking for Emily because he wants to hurt her. He's looking for the other child.""
"Why?""
"Because the second baby has something Thomas believes belongs to him.""
Eric's expression hardened.
"What?""
"A birth certificate.""
I almost laughed.
"A birth certificate? That's what everyone is risking their lives over?""
"No," Daniel replied.
"The birth certificate contains the original identity of both children. It proves that the adoption records were altered.""
I took the phone back.
"Who altered them?""
"Your father.""
I closed my eyes.
Of course.
Another secret.
Another document.
Another decision made without me.
"Where are you?"" I asked.
"At the house.""
"Stay there.""
"Sarah, don't go to Pennsylvania.""
I ended the call.
Eric looked at me.
"We need to leave.""
Emily grabbed my hand.
"Mom, am I adopted?""
I knelt in front of her.
"Sweetheart, I don't know the whole story yet.""
"But the photograph—"
"Whatever the truth is, you're my daughter. Nothing changes that.""
Her eyes filled.
"Does Dad know?""
I swallowed.
"Yes.""
She stepped away.
"Then why didn't he tell me?""
I had no answer.
We drove back to Dad's house.
Daniel was waiting on the porch.
His face looked exhausted. His shirt was wrinkled, and his hands were shaking.
Emily refused to look at him.
"Sweetheart," he said.
She walked straight past him.
Daniel watched her disappear inside.
Then he turned toward me.
"Sarah, please.""
I opened the front door.
"Start talking.""
Inside, Mr. Lawson was waiting in the study. He had spread several documents across Dad's desk.
One was an old hospital record.
Another was a copy of a birth certificate.
The third was a photograph of two newborn babies lying side by side.
I picked it up.
My mother was visible in the background, exhausted but smiling.
I recognized her immediately.
She looked younger than I remembered.
And she was holding two tiny blankets.
"Where did you get this?""
Mr. Lawson pointed toward the black notebook.
"It was tucked into the back cover.""
I examined the photograph.
One baby wore a yellow blanket.
The other wore blue.
"Which one is Emily?""
Daniel pointed.
"The one in yellow.""
"And the other?""
He looked away.
"We don't know.""
Eric placed the brass key on the desk.
"Then we're going to find out.""
Mr. Lawson shook his head.
"Not without understanding what we're dealing with.""
He opened a folder.
"Your father created two separate adoption files. The first was legitimate. The second was fabricated.""
"Why?""
"Because someone was searching for both children.""
I stared at him.
"Who?""
He hesitated.
"An organization connected to the military contractor your father worked with after leaving active service.""
Daniel added, "They believed one of the babies had inherited something from Thomas Reed.""
I looked at him.
"You're talking about money?""
"No. A genetic marker.""
Eric frowned.
"That sounds ridiculous.""
"It was connected to a classified medical study," Daniel explained.
"Thomas had been part of an experimental program during his military service. The government wanted to determine whether certain biological traits could be inherited.""
Mr. Lawson interrupted.
"Your father believed the study was illegal. He helped Thomas remove the original records.""
I stared at the photograph again.
"So Mom had twins, and one of them was taken because of some military experiment?""
"Not exactly," Mr. Lawson said.
"Margaret voluntarily arranged for both children to be separated because she believed someone would eventually come looking for them.""
"Where was the second child sent?""
He opened another document.
The name had been blacked out.
But the adoptive address remained visible.
A town in Kentucky.
I recognized it.
It was where my father's brother, Michael, had lived before moving to Ohio.
I looked at Daniel.
"Did Uncle Michael know?""
He nodded.
"He was involved.""
"And Helen?""
"She raised Emily knowing she wasn't her biological mother.""
I shook my head.
"Then who raised the other child?""
Daniel looked at the final page.
"According to the records, the child was adopted by a family named Collins.""
Eric leaned closer.
"Where are they now?""
Mr. Lawson examined the address.
"According to the last update, they live in Nashville.""
I felt a strange wave of relief.
At least the other child had a name and a home.
Then I noticed something written in the margin.
A handwritten note.
Second child must never be reunited with first until the original recording is recovered.
I looked at Mr. Lawson.
"What recording?""
Eric slowly reached into his pocket.
"The one Thomas gave me.""
He unlocked his phone.
A sound file appeared on the screen.
*OCTOBER 14 — ORIGINAL RECORDING.*
"Why didn't you play this before?"" I asked.
Eric looked at me.
"Because Dad's voice is on it.""
He pressed play.
At first, there was static.
Then a younger version of my father's voice came through.
"If anyone finds this, understand that the children were never supposed to be part of it.""
Another man's voice interrupted.
"Then why did you put their names on the file?""
Dad answered.
"Because Margaret insisted. She wanted proof that the babies existed.""
A door slammed.
Then another voice spoke.
It was Thomas Reed.
"Robert, you have no idea what you've done.""
The recording crackled.
And then Dad said something that made Mr. Lawson drop his pen.
"One of the twins isn't ours.""
The audio ended.
Nobody spoke.
I looked at Eric.
"What did he mean?""
He replayed the last few seconds.
One of the twins isn't ours.
Then a new message appeared on my phone.
Unknown number.
You are asking the wrong question, Sarah. The second child isn't missing. The second child is already in your family.
I looked up slowly.
Emily was standing in the doorway.
May you like
And behind her stood a woman I hadn't seen in twenty-five years.
My mother.
