Chapter 7 - The Woman Behind Thomas's Birth

# Chapter 7 - The Woman Behind Thomas's Birth

Victoria Vance had just promised her son that nothing would ever make her stop loving him when a nurse appeared in the doorway with an envelope that had no sender's name.

"Mrs. Vance? Someone left this at the reception desk."

Victoria looked up from where she was kneeling beside Thomas.

"Who?"

"The receptionist said a woman delivered it. She left before anyone could ask for identification."

Victoria took the envelope.

It was plain white, slightly damp along one edge.

Her name had been written across the front in hurried black handwriting.

Victoria Vance — Personal.

Thomas watched her.

"Is it from Dad?"

"I don't know, sweetheart."

She kissed his forehead.

"Stay here with Noah. I'll be right outside."

Thomas caught her sleeve.

"Mom?"

"Yes?"

"You didn't answer my question."

Victoria stopped.

A few moments earlier, he had asked why she was crying.

She had begun to smile, but the interruption had prevented her from answering.

Now he looked at her with the same frightened expression she had seen when Charles entered a room.

Victoria crouched again.

"I'm crying because I wish I'd understood sooner how frightened you've been."

Thomas looked down.

"Are you going to send me away?"

The question struck her like a physical blow.

"Never."

"Even if I'm not really your baby?"

Victoria held his face gently between her hands.

"Thomas, listen to me. I don't know why some of the hospital records are wrong. But I know that I raised you, and I love you. Nothing anyone tells us about those records will change that."

His lower lip trembled.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Thomas threw his arms around her.

Victoria held him until his breathing steadied.

Then she stepped into the corridor and opened the envelope.

Inside was a photograph.

It showed a younger Charles standing beside a heavily pregnant woman outside a private clinic.

The woman had long auburn hair and wore a pale blue maternity dress.

Charles's hand rested possessively against her lower back.

Victoria turned the photograph over.

A date had been written there.

Eight months after Victoria's first child supposedly died.

And beneath it, a sentence:

Ask your husband what happened to Catherine Bell.

Victoria stared at the name.

She had never heard it before.

But someone had clearly expected her to recognize the woman.

A second sheet slipped from the envelope.

It contained only six words.

Thomas was never supposed to survive.

At the Vance estate, Charles stood motionless before his computer.

On the screen was the sealed maternal record for Subject C.

The name Catherine Bell glowed beneath the heading.

Biological Mother.

Charles closed the file.

He had not spoken Catherine's name aloud in almost eight years.

He had convinced himself that silence could erase her.

But Catherine had never been easy to erase.

She had been twenty-six when he met her, a brilliant research coordinator working for one of the Vance Foundation's medical subsidiaries.

Unlike the wealthy women who surrounded Charles at charity events, Catherine had been unimpressed by his money.

She questioned his decisions.

Challenged his assumptions.

And refused to flatter him.

At first, Charles found her irritating.

Then fascinating.

Then indispensable.

Their affair began during a conference in Geneva.

Charles told himself it was temporary.

Catherine believed him when he said his marriage was already over.

By the time she discovered the truth, she was pregnant.

Charles offered her money.

She refused.

He offered her a house.

She refused that too.

Then he offered something far more dangerous.

A place inside Project Gemini.

Catherine had initially believed the program was designed to develop treatments for critically ill infants.

When she discovered that children were being kept under observation without proper independent oversight, she threatened to expose everything.

Charles remembered their final argument.

Catherine standing in his office, one hand resting on her pregnant stomach.

"You don't get to decide what happens to this baby."

Charles had remained seated.

"You're being emotional."

"No. I'm being a mother."

"You signed the agreements."

"I signed research agreements, Charles. Not permission for you to steal children."

He had watched her leave.

Three weeks later, she disappeared.

And when Thomas was born, Catherine was nowhere to be found.

Charles opened his desk drawer.

Inside lay a second photograph.

Catherine holding a newborn baby.

Her eyes were red from crying.

On the back, she had written:

His name is Thomas. Please don't let them take him.

Charles stared at the photograph.

For years, he had told himself he had saved the boy.

But the truth was considerably uglier.

He had saved Thomas because the child was useful.

And now that usefulness was becoming a liability.

His phone rang.

Dr. Adrian Mercer.

Charles answered.

"What?"

Adrian sounded frightened.

"Evelyn isn't answering."

"She's busy."

"No. The transfer team says Daniel is missing."

Charles went still.

"What?"

"The boy disappeared from the lower facility."

Charles gripped the phone.

"How does a nine-year-old child disappear from a locked medical unit?"

"I don't know."

"Find out."

"Charles, there's something else."

Charles closed his eyes.

"What now?"

"Someone accessed Catherine Bell's original file."

A long silence followed.

Then Charles asked:

"Who?"

Adrian hesitated.

"The access credentials belonged to Evelyn."

Charles stared at the photograph in his hand.

For the first time that night, he wondered whether the people closest to him had already begun choosing sides.

At St. Catherine's, Detective Elena Brooks examined the photograph Victoria had received.

"Catherine Bell," she repeated.

Victoria nodded.

"Do you know her?"

Elena studied the image.

"Not personally."

"But you've heard the name?"

The detective hesitated.

"Catherine Bell was reported missing approximately eight years ago."

Victoria felt her stomach tighten.

"Missing?"

"Her disappearance was investigated briefly. The case was eventually classified as unresolved."

"Who reported her missing?"

"Her sister."

Victoria looked at the photograph again.

Charles stood beside Catherine with an intimacy that could not be mistaken.

His hand rested on her back.

His expression was almost tender.

Victoria had not seen him look at her that way in years.

"She was his mistress," Victoria whispered.

Elena said nothing.

Victoria laughed once, bitterly.

"Of course she was."

She sat down.

"For years, I thought Charles was distant because of work. I told myself he was under pressure. I defended him when people said he was cold."

Her eyes filled.

"And all that time, he was living another life."

Elena placed the photograph on the table.

"Mrs. Vance, we don't yet know the full nature of their relationship."

Victoria looked up sharply.

"She's pregnant in the photograph."

"Yes."

"And the note says Thomas wasn't supposed to survive."

Elena nodded.

Victoria's voice broke.

"Do you understand what that means?"

The detective waited.

Victoria whispered:

"Thomas might be her child."

Elena did not deny it.

Instead, she said:

"We need to establish the facts carefully."

Victoria looked toward Noah's room.

She thought of Thomas sleeping beside the boy who had saved him.

Her son.

Whatever his biological history, he was her son.

But someone had gone to extraordinary lengths to conceal where he came from.

And that frightened her more than the affair itself.

Across the city, Rebecca Reed stood beneath a railway overpass, soaked by the rain.

She had escaped Richard Hale only because he had deliberately stepped aside.

He had told her to run.

And for reasons she did not understand, he had allowed her to disappear into the darkness.

Now she stood beside a public telephone outside an all-night convenience store.

Her hands shook as she dialed Daniel Mercer's number.

He answered immediately.

"Rebecca?"

"I'm safe."

"Where are you?"

"Don't ask."

"Richard found you?"

"Yes."

Daniel swore.

"Did he hurt you?"

"No."

"Then how did you escape?"

Rebecca hesitated.

"He let me go."

Silence.

"Richard Hale?"

"Yes."

Daniel sounded incredulous.

"Why?"

"I don't know."

Rebecca looked toward the road.

A police car passed beneath the overpass.

She turned away instinctively.

"Listen to me. Emily's transmitter stopped moving."

Daniel straightened.

"Where?"

"Near Facility Seven."

"Then we need to tell Brooks."

"Not yet."

"Rebecca—"

"Daniel, someone inside the foundation is feeding Charles information. Every time we move, he knows."

Daniel fell silent.

Rebecca continued.

"There's something else."

"What?"

"Catherine Bell."

Daniel stopped breathing.

"How do you know that name?"

Rebecca closed her eyes.

"Because I helped deliver her baby."

A long silence followed.

Then Daniel asked:

"Thomas?"

"Yes."

"Is he Charles's son?"

Rebecca looked down.

"Biologically, yes."

Daniel exhaled sharply.

"And Victoria?"

"She wasn't pregnant when Thomas was born."

Daniel said nothing.

Rebecca continued.

"Charles arranged a false maternity admission. Victoria was sedated and told she had delivered another baby."

"Why?"

Rebecca's voice trembled.

"Because Catherine refused to surrender Thomas."

Daniel felt a chill.

"What happened to Catherine?"

Rebecca looked toward the dark road.

"I don't know exactly."

"Rebecca."

"I know she tried to leave the country. I know she contacted a lawyer. And I know Charles ordered Richard to bring her back."

Daniel closed his eyes.

"And after that?"

"She vanished."

A truck thundered past.

Rebecca waited until the noise faded.

Then she whispered:

"But I think she's still alive."

Beneath the Vance mansion, Dr. Evelyn Price stood before an open maintenance hatch.

The boy named Daniel had disappeared twenty minutes earlier.

Richard's men were searching the property.

Charles had ordered every exit sealed.

But Evelyn knew something they did not.

She had helped him escape.

The boy had been terrified when she opened the service passage.

He clutched Victoria's photograph in one hand and a small canvas bag in the other.

"Where do I go?" he had asked.

Evelyn pointed toward the narrow tunnel.

"Follow the yellow markings. Don't stop until you reach the drainage gate."

"Will there be people?"

"Eventually."

"Good people?"

Evelyn had hesitated.

Then she gave him a small flashlight.

"Look for the woman in this photograph."

Daniel stared at Victoria's face.

"My mother?"

Evelyn nodded.

"She'll help you."

The boy studied her.

"Why are you helping me?"

Evelyn could not answer honestly.

Not without admitting that she had spent years participating in his captivity.

So she said:

"Because you deserve to leave."

Daniel had looked at her for a long moment.

Then he whispered:

"Emily said you weren't always bad."

Evelyn felt tears sting her eyes.

"Go."

He disappeared into the tunnel.

Now, twenty minutes later, Evelyn stood alone, staring at the open hatch.

A voice spoke behind her.

"That was a mistake."

She turned.

Richard Hale stood in the doorway.

His expression was unreadable.

Evelyn's heart pounded.

"Richard."

He looked toward the tunnel.

"How far ahead is he?"

She said nothing.

Richard stepped closer.

"Charles will kill you if he finds out."

Evelyn swallowed.

"I know."

"Then why?"

She looked directly at him.

"Because I finally read the original records."

Richard's expression changed.

"What records?"

"Project Gemini."

He went still.

Evelyn continued.

"Charles lied to all of us."

Richard said nothing.

"The children weren't being treated. They were being studied."

"I know."

Evelyn stared at him.

"You knew?"

Richard looked away.

"Not everything."

She stepped closer.

"Then help me."

He laughed bitterly.

"You have no idea what you're asking."

"Rebecca said you let her escape."

Richard's eyes snapped toward her.

Evelyn knew she had guessed correctly.

"You did, didn't you?"

He said nothing.

"Richard, we can still save them."

For several seconds, he remained motionless.

Then he reached into his jacket.

Evelyn flinched.

But instead of a weapon, he removed a folded document.

He handed it to her.

"What is this?" she asked.

"A transfer order."

She unfolded it.

Her face drained of color.

It listed three names.

Emily.

Daniel.

Thomas.

Evelyn looked up.

"Thomas is at the hospital."

Richard nodded.

"Charles knows."

"What does he want?"

Richard's voice was barely audible.

"All three children moved before sunrise."

Evelyn stared at him.

"Why?"

Richard looked toward the empty tunnel.

"Because someone has activated the final phase of Gemini."

At the hospital, Victoria received another anonymous message.

This time, it contained a video.

She opened it.

The footage was grainy, recorded from a security camera inside a hospital room.

A younger Victoria lay unconscious in bed.

Charles stood beside her.

Dr. Evelyn Price held a newborn baby.

Victoria watched in horror as Charles took the infant from Evelyn and placed him into her arms.

Then Charles spoke.

"She'll believe he's hers?"

Evelyn's voice answered.

"The medication will affect her memory. When she wakes, she'll remember what we tell her."

Victoria's hand flew to her mouth.

On the screen, Charles looked down at the sleeping woman.

"Then tell her she gave birth to a healthy son."

Evelyn hesitated.

"And Catherine?"

Charles's expression hardened.

"That's no longer your concern."

The video ended.

Victoria sat motionless.

Her entire body felt numb.

She had not given birth to Thomas.

The memories she trusted had been manipulated.

The maternity records were false.

And Charles had placed another woman's baby into her arms while she was unconscious.

She began to shake.

Elena rushed toward her.

"Victoria?"

Victoria handed her the phone.

"Watch."

The detective played the video.

Her expression grew increasingly grim.

When it ended, she looked at Victoria.

"I'm going to preserve this as evidence."

Victoria nodded mechanically.

Then she stood.

"I need to see Thomas."

"Victoria—"

"I need to see my son."

She walked toward Noah's room.

Thomas was awake, sitting beside the bed.

When he saw her, he smiled.

"Mom!"

Victoria stopped in the doorway.

For one terrible moment, she saw the baby in the video.

A child placed into her arms as part of a lie.

Then Thomas ran toward her.

She dropped to her knees.

He threw his arms around her neck.

And all the doubt vanished.

She held him tightly.

"My beautiful boy," she whispered.

Thomas looked confused.

"Mom, are you okay?"

Victoria kissed his forehead.

"I love you."

He smiled.

"I love you too."

She closed her eyes.

Charles had lied about Thomas's birth.

But he had not created the love between them.

That belonged to her.

And no one would take it away.

At 4:37 a.m., Charles received a message from an unknown number.

It contained a photograph.

A boy standing outside the drainage gate at the edge of the Vance estate.

Daniel.

Alive.

Free.

Charles stared at the image.

Then another message appeared.

You lost one child.

A second photograph followed.

Emily standing beside a dark vehicle.

Her face was pale, but her eyes were open.

You lost two.

Charles's jaw tightened.

He typed:

Who is this?

The reply came immediately.

Someone who remembers Catherine Bell.

Charles went still.

A final message appeared.

And someone who knows what happened the night Thomas was born.

Charles stared at the screen.

Then a video began playing.

It showed a woman sitting in a dimly lit room.

Long auburn hair.

Pale skin.

A familiar face.

Catherine Bell.

She looked directly into the camera.

"Hello, Charles."

His breath caught.

"I know you told everyone I disappeared."

She leaned forward.

"But I'm still alive."

Charles gripped the phone.

Catherine's expression hardened.

"And I'm coming for my son."

The video ended.

Charles stood motionless.

Then his private office door opened.

A woman stepped inside.

She wore a dark coat and carried a small leather handbag.

Charles slowly lifted his eyes.

Catherine Bell stood before him.

Alive.

And in her right hand, she held a pistol.

"Hello, Charles," she said quietly.

"Let's talk about Thomas."