Chapter 8 - The Secret Hidden in Ethan's Blood
# Chapter 8 - The Secret Hidden in Ethan's Blood
The woman wearing my dead wife's face had just told me that Ethan wasn't my biological son.
And for one terrible second, I forgot how to breathe.
"What did you say?"
She lay on the stretcher beneath a gray hospital blanket, her eyes filled with tears.
"Daniel, please understand—"
"Don't."
My voice came out sharper than I intended.
"Don't tell me to understand something you haven't explained."
Detective Laura Bennett stood a few feet away, speaking urgently into her radio. Somewhere beyond the trees, police vehicles were pursuing the SUV carrying Ethan and Lily.
My son was missing.
My sister had betrayed me.
My business partner had apparently arranged the accident that destroyed my family.
And now a woman who might or might not be Emily was telling me that the boy I'd raised for eleven years wasn't mine.
"Who is Ethan's father?" I demanded.
She looked away.
"Answer me."
"I can't."
"Because you don't know?"
"Because the answer is more complicated than you think."
I laughed bitterly.
"Everyone keeps saying that."
She reached toward me.
I stepped back.
"Emily would never have kept something like this from me."
Her expression crumpled.
"She didn't know at first."
I froze.
"What?"
The woman closed her eyes.
"Daniel, Ethan's birth records were altered."
I stared at her.
"Altered how?"
"His original identification was replaced. The hospital records, the genetic screening, even parts of his mother's medical history."
"Why?"
"Because someone needed him to belong to your family."
The words made no sense.
Ethan had been born in a hospital in our hometown.
I had been there.
I had held Emily's hand through seventeen hours of labor.
I remembered the doctor placing our son against her chest.
I remembered cutting the umbilical cord.
I remembered crying so hard that Emily laughed at me.
Those memories were real.
They couldn't all be lies.
"Emily gave birth to him," I whispered.
The woman nodded.
"Yes."
I stared at her.
"Then what are you saying?"
She opened her mouth.
But before she could answer, a paramedic approached.
"We need to transport her now."
I stepped between them.
"One more minute."
"Sir, she's medically unstable."
The woman grabbed my sleeve.
"Daniel, listen carefully. Don't let anyone collect Ethan's blood without an independent witness."
"Why?"
"Because the first test was falsified."
"What first test?"
She looked toward Detective Bennett.
"The one Richard ordered when Ethan was a baby."
My heart stopped.
Richard had arranged a blood test for my son?
Without telling me?
"Why would he do that?"
Her voice dropped.
"Because Richard needed to know whether Ethan carried the marker."
"What marker?"
She began trembling.
"Ask Margaret about Project Haven."
Before I could respond, her eyes rolled backward.
The cardiac monitor attached to her stretcher began sounding.
The paramedic pushed me aside.
"Ma'am? Can you hear me?"
Another medic rushed forward.
They lowered the stretcher and began checking her breathing.
I stood frozen.
The woman who might be Emily had given me another mystery.
And once again, the answer had been taken away.
Detective Bennett found me standing beside the ambulance five minutes later.
"Daniel."
I turned.
"Have they found Ethan?"
"Not yet."
My stomach tightened.
"The SUV was last seen heading north on Route 16. Our units are searching the surrounding roads."
"How did they lose it?"
"The driver turned onto a private access road. There are several abandoned industrial properties in that area."
I looked toward the darkness.
Somewhere out there, Ethan was frightened.
Possibly hurt.
Possibly being taken somewhere I would never find him.
"I need to go after him."
Bennett shook her head.
"Not without a plan."
"He's my son."
"I know."
"No, you don't."
She held my gaze.
"Biology doesn't determine whether he's your son, Daniel."
I went silent.
She had heard the conversation.
Of course she had.
I looked away.
"Eleven years," I whispered. "I've been his father for eleven years."
"And you still are."
I closed my eyes.
I remembered Ethan's first steps.
His first day of school.
The time he broke his arm falling from a bicycle.
The nights after Emily died when he crawled into my bed because he was afraid I'd disappear too.
None of those memories depended on a blood test.
Whatever the truth was, Ethan was my son.
And I was going to bring him home.
Bennett's radio crackled.
"Detective, we recovered a possible route from traffic cameras."
She raised the radio.
"Go ahead."
"The SUV passed the Millbrook interchange at 11:41 p.m. Heading toward the old Northbridge Medical Complex."
Bennett's expression changed.
"Repeat the destination."
"Northbridge. The former private research facility."
I looked at her.
"What's Northbridge?"
She hesitated.
"A medical research center that closed after a federal investigation twelve years ago."
"What kind of research?"
"Genetic screening. Pediatric diagnostics. Experimental identity verification systems."
My blood ran cold.
Project Haven.
The altered records.
The children.
The blood tests.
Everything was beginning to connect.
"That's where they're taking Ethan," I said.
Bennett looked at me.
"We don't know that yet."
But I could see she was thinking the same thing.
Inside the speeding SUV, Ethan sat beside Lily with his hands clenched in his lap.
Anna Mercer was driving.
She had stopped calling herself Emily.
And that frightened Ethan more than anything.
"Where are we going?" he asked.
Anna didn't answer.
Rain struck the windshield.
The road ahead was dark and empty.
Lily leaned against Ethan's shoulder.
"Are the police following us?"
Anna checked the rearview mirror.
"Not anymore."
Ethan stared at her.
"You said you were my mom."
Anna's hands tightened around the steering wheel.
"I said I knew your mother."
"No. You let me think you were her."
She said nothing.
Ethan swallowed.
"Why do you look like her?"
Anna glanced at him.
"Because Emily and I are sisters."
"Twins?"
"Yes."
Ethan looked at Lily.
She was staring at the floor.
"Did you know?" he asked her.
Lily nodded.
"She told me."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"She said it was safer if you didn't know."
Ethan felt anger rise in his chest.
Everyone kept saying things were safer when he didn't know.
Vanessa had said it.
Richard had said it.
Now Anna was saying it.
But every time someone kept a secret, something terrible happened.
"Where's my dad?" he asked.
"With the police."
"Then take me to him."
"I can't."
"Why?"
Anna's voice softened.
"Because someone inside the police department is helping Richard."
Ethan stared at her.
"Detective Bennett?"
Anna hesitated.
"I don't know."
"Then how do you know someone is helping him?"
"Because Richard knew the police were coming before they reached Briarwood."
Ethan looked toward the window.
He wanted to believe her.
But he had believed Vanessa too.
And that had nearly destroyed his family.
"How do I know you're not working for Richard?"
Anna looked at him through the rearview mirror.
"You don't."
The honesty surprised him.
Then she said, "But I can show you something your mother left behind."
Ethan sat straighter.
"What?"
"A recording."
His heart quickened.
"Of Mom?"
Anna nodded.
"She made it before the accident."
"Why didn't Dad have it?"
"Because it wasn't meant for him."
Ethan frowned.
"Who was it for?"
Anna looked at him.
"For you."
At the police command vehicle, Detective Bennett opened a secure file on her tablet.
"Daniel, I found something."
I moved beside her.
The screen displayed an old corporate registration.
NORTHBRIDGE BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH
Below it were several names.
Most were unfamiliar.
Then I saw one that made my stomach tighten.
Richard Cole — Financial Consultant
I stared at the screen.
"Richard worked there?"
"According to these records, he provided financial services before your company was founded."
I shook my head.
"He told me he worked in commercial real estate."
Bennett scrolled.
"There's more."
Another name appeared.
Victor Hale — Legal Counsel
I clenched my jaw.
Of course.
Then a third name appeared.
Margaret Vale — Clinical Research Director
I stared at the screen.
"The woman in the photograph."
Bennett nodded.
"Possibly."
She opened another document.
"This facility was investigated after allegations involving falsified pediatric medical records."
"What happened?"
"The case collapsed. Several witnesses disappeared. Key evidence was ruled inadmissible."
"And the children?"
Bennett looked grim.
"Some were returned to their families. Others were never identified."
I remembered Lily's frightened voice.
They moved us.
"Project Haven," I said.
Bennett looked up sharply.
"Where did you hear that?"
"The woman claiming to be Emily told me to ask Margaret about it."
Bennett's expression changed.
She began typing.
A moment later, a restricted case summary appeared.
PROJECT HAVEN — CONFIDENTIAL
I leaned closer.
The description was brief.
A privately funded program designed to develop genetic identity verification methods for children whose legal identities had been altered or disputed.
At least, that was the official explanation.
Bennett opened another page.
"Daniel, look at this."
A list of participating families appeared.
Most names were redacted.
But one entry remained visible.
MERCER FAMILY — SUBJECT E-17
My blood turned cold.
"Ethan."
Bennett shook her head.
"We don't know that."
I pointed at the screen.
"E. Mercer. Seventeen. That's him."
She scrolled farther.
A second entry appeared.
L. COLE — SUBJECT L-09
Lily.
Richard's daughter.
Two children.
Two families.
One research program.
I stared at Bennett.
"What were they doing to them?"
She read the summary carefully.
"According to this, the project was supposed to verify biological relationships when conventional records were unreliable."
"Then why hide the children?"
"Because the records suggest the program continued after its authorization expired."
I felt sick.
"Are you saying they experimented on children?"
Bennett didn't answer immediately.
"The documents establish irregular testing and identity manipulation. We need more evidence to determine exactly what happened."
I looked at the names again.
Ethan.
Lily.
Emily had discovered the connection.
And Richard had tried to silence her.
But there was still one question.
"Why would Richard want Ethan's blood now?"
Bennett opened the next document.
A red warning appeared.
ACCESS RESTRICTED — AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED
She frowned.
"Someone has locked this file."
"Can you get into it?"
"Not from here."
I stared at the screen.
Then my phone vibrated.
A message from an unfamiliar number.
Daniel, if you want the truth about Ethan, stop trusting the woman beside you.
I looked at Bennett.
She was still studying the tablet.
Another message appeared.
Ask her what happened to Subject E-16.
My stomach tightened.
E-16.
Ethan was E-17.
Who was E-16?
I showed Bennett.
Her expression changed immediately.
"Where did that come from?"
"I don't know."
She read the message again.
Then looked away.
"Daniel, there's something I need to tell you."
My chest tightened.
"What?"
"Six months ago, when Claire contacted me about Emily's death, she also gave me a list of missing children."
I stared at her.
"Why didn't you mention that?"
"Because I couldn't verify the names."
"And E-16?"
Bennett hesitated.
"That was one of the identifiers."
I felt my pulse quicken.
"Who was the child?"
She looked at me.
"A boy."
"Name?"
"Unknown."
"Age?"
"Approximately eleven."
My stomach tightened.
The same age as Ethan.
"What happened to him?"
Bennett's voice dropped.
"He disappeared from Northbridge eleven years ago."
I stared at her.
Eleven years.
The year Ethan was born.
"Daniel," she continued, "the records suggest that Subject E-16 and Subject E-17 were registered within days of each other."
I couldn't breathe.
"What does that mean?"
"We don't know."
But I could see the possibility forming in her mind.
Two boys.
Same age.
Connected to the same family.
One missing.
One raised as my son.
I stepped backward.
"No."
Bennett reached toward me.
"Daniel—"
"No. Ethan is my son."
"I know."
"You don't understand. I was there when he was born."
"I believe you."
"Then why are you looking at me like that?"
She swallowed.
"Because the records may not mean what we think they mean."
I stared at her.
Then my phone rang.
Ethan.
I answered immediately.
"Buddy?"
"Dad!"
Relief flooded through me.
"Ethan, are you okay?"
"Yes."
"Where are you?"
"I don't know. We're at a big building."
"Is Anna with you?"
"Yes."
"Put her on."
"Dad, wait."
His voice sounded strange.
Excited.
Frightened.
"She showed me something."
"What?"
"A video from Mom."
My throat tightened.
"What did she say?"
Ethan hesitated.
"She said she loved me."
Tears filled my eyes.
"Of course she did."
"And she said something happened when I was born."
I gripped the phone.
"What happened?"
"She said the hospital made a mistake."
My heart hammered.
"What mistake?"
Ethan began crying.
"Dad, she said there were two babies."
I froze.
"Two babies?"
"Yes."
I stared at Bennett.
She was watching me closely.
"Ethan, what do you mean?"
He sniffled.
"Mom said she gave birth to twins."
The world stopped.
Twins.
Two boys.
One missing.
One raised as my son.
I remembered the hospital room.
Emily exhausted.
A nurse carrying Ethan away.
A doctor telling me there had been complications.
Had there been another baby?
I shook my head.
"No."
Ethan continued.
"Mom said one baby was taken away before she could hold him."
I couldn't speak.
"She said Dad didn't know."
My knees weakened.
"Why didn't she tell me?"
Ethan began crying harder.
"Because they threatened her."
I closed my eyes.
Eleven years.
Emily had carried that secret for eleven years.
Or perhaps she had discovered it later.
Either way, someone had stolen a child from us.
"Buddy," I whispered, "listen to me. None of this changes how much I love you."
"I know, Dad."
"You're my son. Always."
"I know."
Then Ethan said something that made my heart stop.
"Dad, Anna says my brother might still be alive."
I stared at the dark road.
"Where?"
Ethan hesitated.
"Here."
My breath caught.
"At Northbridge?"
"Yes."
I looked at Bennett.
She was already signaling to the officers.
"Ethan, stay where you are. We're coming."
"Dad?"
"Yes?"
His voice dropped.
"There's something else."
"What?"
"The boy in the video looks exactly like me."
I froze.
"What video?"
"Anna showed me security footage."
My heart hammered.
"Of your brother?"
"I think so."
"Where is he?"
Ethan began breathing rapidly.
"He's in a room downstairs."
I gripped the phone.
"Don't go near him. Wait for the police."
"But Dad—"
"Ethan, promise me."
He hesitated.
Then whispered, "Okay."
The call ended.
I turned toward Bennett.
"Northbridge. Now."
She nodded.
"We're moving."
At 12:24 a.m., our convoy reached the abandoned research complex.
The building stood behind a high concrete wall topped with rusted security fencing.
Most windows were dark.
But a single floor glowed with fluorescent light.
Bennett's team moved toward the entrance.
I remained behind the police line, my phone clutched in my hand.
Then a message appeared.
From Ethan.
Dad, I found him.
My heart stopped.
Another message followed.
He looks just like me.
I typed:
Stay away. Wait for help.
No response.
Then a photograph arrived.
I opened it.
Two boys stood side by side in a dim room.
One was Ethan.
The other had the same brown hair.
The same eyes.
The same face.
They looked like mirror images.
My hands began shaking.
My son had a twin.
A brother I had never known existed.
A child who had been stolen from us.
I stared at the photograph until tears blurred the screen.
Then another message arrived.
Dad, his name is Noah.
I swallowed.
Noah.
The name Emily had once suggested if we ever had another boy.
My heart broke.
I typed:
Tell Noah I'm coming.
The reply came immediately.
Dad, he says he knows you.
I froze.
How could Noah know me?
Another message appeared.
He says he's been watching us for years.
My stomach tightened.
Then the final message arrived.
Dad, Noah says Richard isn't the one who took him.
I stared at the screen.
A second later, another message appeared.
He says Mom gave him away.