Chapter 5 - THE BOY WHO CALLED ETHAN FATHER
Daniel turned toward his brother.
Ethan’s face crumpled.
“I wanted to tell you.”
Daniel crossed the room in three steps.
“You have my son?”
“He believes I am his father.”
The words struck harder than any confession Daniel could have imagined.
“For three years?”
Ethan nodded.
“Mom brought him to us when he was six weeks old.”
“She said his mother had abandoned him.”
Lauren stepped forward defensively.
“We did not know the truth at first.”
Daniel looked at her.
“At first?”
Lauren looked away.
“We found the records last year.”
Daniel’s voice dropped.
“And you still said nothing.”
Ethan’s eyes filled with tears.
“Noah loves us.”
“I love him too.”
“He is not an object I can simply hand over.”
Daniel stared at him in disbelief.
“You stood downstairs and called these girls a blackmail scheme.”
“You looked at Noah’s sisters and pretended they were strangers.”
Ethan’s shoulders collapsed.
“I was afraid.”
“No.”
“You were selfish.”
Margaret stepped between her sons.
“Noah has a stable home.”
“Taking him away would destroy him.”
Daniel looked at his mother with open disgust.
“You stole my son.”
“Then you convinced yourself that keeping him stolen was an act of kindness.”
Margaret’s voice rose.
“Claire was dying.”
“You were losing your mind.”
“The company needed you.”
Daniel laughed bitterly.
“So you erased my children to protect quarterly profits?”
“I protected everything your father built.”
Daniel held up Claire’s recorder.
“My father built a business.”
“You destroyed a family.”
Ivy touched Daniel’s hand.
“Can we see Noah?”
Ethan looked at the girls.
For the first time, guilt overcame fear.
“He is at our house with the nanny.”
Daniel headed toward the stairs.
“We are going there now.”
Lauren blocked the doorway.
“No.”
Daniel stopped.
“Move.”
“You will confuse him.”
“You cannot walk into his bedroom and announce that his whole life is a lie.”
Daniel’s voice became dangerously calm.
“His whole life is already a lie.”
Lauren pulled out her phone.
“I will call the police.”
Daniel looked directly at her.
“Please do.”
“Tell them you knowingly kept a kidnapped child.”
Lauren slowly lowered the phone.
Then a new voice came from the nursery doorway.
“You are too late.”
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The family nanny stood there, pale and breathless.
“Noah is gone.”
