Chapter 3 - Secrets in the Study
The heavy oak doors of Nathaniel’s private study shut out the murmurs of the ballroom, sealing them in a world of leather, old books, and suffocating tension.
Nathaniel stood by the fireplace, his back to Elena. He had dismissed the guests, cancelled the gala, and ordered his security team to escort a hysterical Vivian Carr off the property. Only Elena, Lily—who was now fast asleep on the plush velvet sofa, exhausted from crying—and Mrs. Alvarez stood in the room.
"Explain," Nathaniel said. The word was quiet, but it carried the weight of an ultimatum.
Elena took a deep, shuddering breath. "Mr. Whitfield, I swear to you on my daughter’s life, I did not steal that locket. I have never seen it before tonight. I didn't even know it was in the blanket."
Nathaniel turned around slowly. He looked exhausted, the lines on his face deeply etched by the firelight. He held the sapphire locket in his hand, his thumb tracing the metal rose. "Mrs. Alvarez. You sewed the blanket. Where did you get this?"
The elderly laundry manager stepped forward, her hands clasped tightly in front of her apron. She looked terrified, but there was a fierce, protective resolve in her eyes. "I found it, Mr. Nathaniel. Two years ago, when Elena first moved into the service wing."
Elena gasped. "Mrs. Alvarez? What are you talking about?"
"You brought a box of old baby clothes and medical papers with you, Elena," Mrs. Alvarez said gently, turning to her. "You were so tired, so desperate back then. You left the box in the laundry room by mistake. When I went to organize it, this locket fell out of an envelope from the St. Jude Reproductive Endocrinology Clinic. The envelope had been sealed, but the glue had failed over the years. I saw the locket. I recognized it immediately because I used to wash Mrs. Rose’s delicate silks, and she wore this locket every single day."
Nathaniel’s eyes narrowed, his gaze shifting between the two women. "The St. Jude Clinic? Rose and I... we had our IVF treatments there. After Claire was born, we froze three embryos. They were supposed to have been destroyed after... after the accident. I signed the papers myself."
"They weren't destroyed," Mrs. Alvarez whispered, her eyes shining with tears. "The clinic went bankrupt and shut down under investigation for medical malpractice and record-keeping fraud six months after Mrs. Rose died. Don't you see, Mr. Nathaniel? Look at Lily. Look at her eyes. Look at her hands."
Elena felt the room spin. The air left her lungs in a sharp, painful gasp. "No... no, that’s impossible. Lily is my daughter. I carried her. I gave birth to her!"
"Elena," Nathaniel said, his voice remarkably gentle as he stepped closer to her. "Who was the biological father of your child? You told the hiring manager you were a widow."
Elena swallowed hard, her eyes darting to her sleeping daughter. "I... I was married. My husband, Mateo, and I... we couldn't conceive. We saved every penny we had for one round of IVF at the St. Jude Clinic. But Mateo died in a construction accident three weeks before the embryo transfer. I was devastated, but I wanted his baby. I went through with the transfer anyway. The clinic told me they used our last viable embryo. I gave birth to Lily nine months later."
She looked at Nathaniel, her voice rising in panic. "But Mateo had brown eyes! Lily’s eyes are... they are blue. Just like yours. I thought... I thought it was just a genetic fluke. My grandfather had blue eyes."
"The St. Jude Clinic was shut down because they mixed up patient records and implanted viable embryos into the wrong patients to cover up their own laboratory failures," Nathaniel said, the realization settling over him like a physical blow. He looked down at the locket, then at Lily. "Rose and I had one remaining female embryo. It was labeled 'Embryo 3B.' When the clinic began to fail, they must have swapped the vials to ensure a successful pregnancy rate for their remaining clients. Elena... you didn't receive Mateo's embryo."
"No," Elena sobbed, covering her mouth as tears finally spilled over her cheeks. "No, please. She’s my baby. I felt her kick. I stayed up with her through every fever. You can't take her from me!"
Nathaniel reached out, his large hands catching her shoulders. His grip was firm, grounded, and surprisingly warm. "Elena, look at me."
May you like
She looked up, her vision blurred by tears.
"I am not going to take her from you," Nathaniel said, his voice fierce with a vow. "But we need to know the truth. For Rose. For Claire. For Lily. We are going to do a DNA test. Tonight."
