Chapter 10: The Sister Daniel Tried to Hide
The photograph shook in my hands.
A little girl stood beside Daniel, holding a stuffed rabbit. She had dark hair, round cheeks, and a tiny scar above her left eyebrow.
The woman holding her looked exhausted.
On the back, Daniel had written:
Elena's sister. Keep her away from Thomas.
I turned the photograph over again.
There was something else beneath the handwriting.
A date.
October 14.
My birthday.
The same day I had been born.
“Agent Hayes?””
Rebecca was kneeling beside Adrian, checking his pulse while the paramedics worked.
She looked up.
“What is it?””
I showed her the photograph.
Her expression changed immediately.
“Where did you find this?””
“Beside Adrian.””
She examined it carefully.
“Do you recognize the woman?””
“No.””
“The child?””
I shook my head.
“I've never seen either of them.””
Catherine approached slowly.
When she saw the photograph, her hand flew to her mouth.
“Oh, my God.””
I turned toward her.
“Mom?””
She took the photograph from me.
Her eyes filled with tears.
“That's your sister.””
I stared at her.
“My what?””
“Your younger sister.””
I looked at the date again.
“But this says the same day I was born.””
Catherine nodded.
“Because she was born that day too.””
My mind struggled to understand.
“Twins?””
She nodded.
I felt the floor shift beneath my feet.
“I had a twin sister?””
Catherine began crying.
“Yes.””
“Where is she?””
“I don't know.””
“Why didn't you tell me?””
Catherine looked toward the ambulance.
“Because I was told she died.””
The room went silent.
I stared at her.
“Who told you?””
“Thomas.””
She sat heavily on the sofa.
“When you and your sister were born, the doctor told me both babies were healthy. But I was unconscious for several hours after the delivery. When I woke up, only you were beside me.””
“What happened to her?””
“Thomas said there had been complications. He told me the second baby hadn't survived.””
I felt my throat tighten.
“But Daniel knew.””
Catherine nodded.
“He discovered the truth years later. He found documents showing that your sister had been registered under another name.””
“Why didn't he tell me?””
“Because he believed Thomas would use you to find her.””
Agent Hayes approached.
“Mrs. Reed, do you know the name your daughter was registered under?””
Catherine shook her head.
“No. Thomas handled everything.””
I looked at the photograph.
The little girl was holding a rabbit.
I remembered something.
A small stuffed rabbit Daniel kept in his study.
I had always assumed it was a childhood toy of mine.
But now I wondered whether it belonged to the daughter he had lost.
“Agent Hayes, can you identify her?””
“We'll start with the photograph and the birth records.””
She turned toward another investigator.
“Get a copy of the original delivery records from St. Mary's. We need every document connected to Catherine Reed's hospitalization.””
A paramedic approached.
“Agent Hayes, Mr. Whitmore is being transported. His condition is critical, but he's alive.””
I looked toward Adrian.
For eight years, I had slept beside that man.
Now he might be the only person who knew where my sister was.
“Can I speak to him?””
Agent Hayes hesitated.
“Not until he's stable.””
I nodded.
Then Catherine touched my arm.
“Elena, there's something else.””
I turned.
“When Thomas came to see me after you were born, he wasn't alone.””
“Who was with him?””
“A woman.””
“Who?””
Catherine closed her eyes.
“Your grandmother.””
I froze.
“My grandmother died before I was born.””
“Your father's mother, yes. But Thomas brought another woman. She claimed to be a nurse from the hospital.””
Catherine swallowed.
“She carried your sister out of the room.””
I felt sick.
“Did you see her face?””
“Yes.””
“Who was she?””
Catherine looked at me.
“Margaret.””
I stared at the doorway.
Margaret Ellis.
The woman who had worked for Daniel.
The woman who had hidden my father's letter.
The woman who had told me she wanted to protect me.
I turned toward Agent Hayes.
“Where is Margaret?””
She looked around.
A second investigator checked the hallway.
Another called her phone.
No answer.
Agent Hayes's expression hardened.
“She was here when the shooting happened.””
“Then where is she?””
Nobody answered.
I pulled out my phone and called Margaret.
It rang once.
Then went to voicemail.
I tried again.
Nothing.
A message arrived.
*Don't trust Catherine. She knows what happened to the second baby.*
I looked up.
Catherine was standing near the window.
Her face had gone white.
“Mom?””
She turned.
I showed her the message.
For a long moment, she said nothing.
Then she whispered:
“Margaret wasn't the only person who took your sister.””
“What do you mean?””
Catherine looked directly at me.
“I gave her away.””
I couldn't speak.
“What?””
She began sobbing.
“I was frightened. Thomas told me that if I kept both children, he would destroy Daniel and take you away. He said he could only protect one baby.””
I stepped backward.
“You chose her?””
“No, sweetheart. I thought I was saving her.””
“Where did you send her?””
Catherine shook her head.
“I don't know.””
“You don't know?””
“I signed papers. They told me she was going to a safe family. Thomas promised I could see her again.””
My voice broke.
“And you never looked?””
“I did.””
She wiped her tears.
“Every year. Every birthday. But Thomas made sure I found nothing.””
I stared at the woman I had waited twenty-three years to meet.
I wanted to hug her.
I wanted to scream.
I wanted to ask why she had allowed everyone to decide what happened to her children.
Instead, I asked one question.
“Did Daniel know you gave her away?””
Catherine nodded.
“He found out six months later.””
“And what did he do?””
Her lips trembled.
“He promised me he would find her.””
I looked at the photograph again.
My sister had spent her entire life somewhere in the world, unaware that she had a twin.
Then Agent Hayes's phone rang.
She listened for several seconds.
Her expression changed.
“What?””
She turned toward me.
“We found Margaret.””
“Where?””
“Her car was discovered abandoned near St. Mary's Medical Center.””
My stomach tightened.
“Is she alive?””
Agent Hayes hesitated.
“There's blood inside the vehicle.””
Then she looked at the photograph.
“And there's something else.””
“What?””
“Someone has accessed the hospital's archived birth records.””
She lowered her voice.
“Your sister's original name has been found.””
She showed me a message on her phone.
*Baby girl: Catherine Reed. Transferred to private custody. Adoptive guardian: Margaret Ellis.*
I stared at the screen.
Margaret had raised my sister.
May you like
The woman who had claimed to protect me had taken my twin.
And she had been lying about it for twenty-three years.
