Chapter 6 - THE TRAP CLOSES
The horror of their plot was so monstrous it transcended normal human comprehension. I wasn't just a wife. I was a biological surrogate, a placeholder recruited to produce an heir, destined to be discarded and labeled 'insane' the moment my purpose was served. And Noah—sweet, innocent Noah—was an inconvenient secret locked underground like a dirty secret.
"We have to get both of them out of here," I declared, my voice hardening into iron. The terrified, gaslit woman who had cried in her bedroom hours ago was gone. In her place stood a mother fighting for her children.
"There's an exit hatch at the end of this tunnel," Nora said, pointing toward the dark stretch of damp brickwork. "It leads out into the ravine behind the estate, past the security gate. If we make it to the main road, my brother is waiting in a truck..."
Before she could finish her sentence, a blinding spotlight flooded the corridor, blinding us completely. Heavy footsteps echoed down the iron catwalk above us. A cold, echoing laugh bounced off the damp concrete walls.
"How touching," came Andrew's voice, amplified and harsh. "The devoted mother, rescuing the forgotten ghost."
When my eyes adjusted to the glaring light, I saw Andrew standing on the iron catwalk, flanked by two burly men in black security uniforms. Beside him stood Dr. Thorne—a greasy-looking man holding a leather medical bag—and Evelyn, wearing leather gloves and looking down at us as if we were rodents trapped in a drain.
"You really are quite resilient, Claire," Evelyn said, her voice dropping into a razor-sharp tone. "I'll give you credit for that. Most girls from your background would have broken during the third week of isolation. But you... you installed hidden cameras. You seduced the help into betraying us. Truly commendable."
"You monsters!" I screamed, holding Noah and Liam tightly against my chest. Nora stepped in front of us, raising her heavy brass candlestick like a weapon. "Touch them and I'll kill you!"
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Andrew chuckled, stepping down the metal stairs, his eyes cold and hollow. "Nora, Nora, Nora. Did you really think you were sneaking around under my roof without my knowledge? I knew about the trash bags. I knew about the blankets. I let you feed Noah because, frankly, it saved us the trouble of hiring a full-time medical nurse down here."
He turned his gaze to me, stepping off the last stair onto the concrete floor. "Claire, give me Liam. Walk away. We'll sign a quiet settlement. You'll live comfortably in a private estate in France, provided you never return to North America. But if you resist... Dr. Thorne has already signed the court order. You will spend the rest of your life in a padded cell, completely sedated, while the world believes you suffered a psychotic break and drowned both children in the Sound."
