Lily released my hand.<\/p>\n
Not because she wanted distance.<\/p>\n
Because both of hers began trembling.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo babies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carla nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth girls?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou believe?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe second infant was covered almost the entire time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you never tell Keane this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know Keane existed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPolice?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told Mercer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keane rubbed his forehead.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Mercer never told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe he didn\u2019t have time.\u201d<\/p>\n
The dead detective sat invisibly among us.<\/p>\n
Another person who had carried one piece and died before the pieces could meet.<\/p>\n
I looked at Carla.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy were there two infants?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho brought the second?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDr. Ward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel said, \u201cElaine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas my father there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Lily.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lily swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re sure I was one of them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI recognize you from later photographs.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was not proof.<\/p>\n
We all knew it.<\/p>\n
Carla continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe second baby arrived about twenty minutes after Lily.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHarris ordered blood drawn from both.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGenetic comparison.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAgainst whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth infants were compared to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Michael?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would he test two?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause there were two embryos.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lily looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cCreated from different samples?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keane said, \u201cWalk us through the embryo process.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel hesitated.<\/p>\n
Then nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father obtained several stored reproductive samples from St. Anne\u2019s. Susan\u2019s mother\u2019s samples were among them. Michael\u2019s were there from fertility testing. There were also samples labeled Susan Miller.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cMine?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean maybe?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe records were unreliable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCould Harris have collected mine without telling me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBlood, cervical sampling, routine gynecological care, even tissue from the surgery later. But Lily existed before the surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo any sample used to create her had to be taken earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought of years of medical appointments.<\/p>\n
Pap tests.<\/p>\n
Blood draws.<\/p>\n
Procedures I barely remembered.<\/p>\n
The idea that ordinary care could be repurposed made me nauseated.<\/p>\n
Daniel continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cWard created at least two viable embryos.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt least?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what the surviving notes suggest.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne became Lily.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe think so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the other?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnknown.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carla shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
We looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe second infant had a bracelet too.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI only saw part.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPart of what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe mother field.\u201d<\/p>\n
She closed her eyes, trying to remember.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt said Miller.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael swore softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t see.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Jake.<\/p>\n
His face had gone pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere aren\u2019t many Millers connected to this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keane said, \u201cCould have been fabricated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lily asked, \u201cWhat happened after the blood draw?\u201d<\/p>\n
Carla took a breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cHarris argued with Ward.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe test results.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you hear them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPieces.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat pieces?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWard said one child matched the intended paternal line but not the intended maternal line.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael.<\/p>\n
Lily.<\/p>\n
That fit.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the other?\u201d<\/p>\n
Carla\u2019s expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said the second infant was the cleaner match.\u201d<\/p>\n
No one spoke.<\/p>\n
I felt a cold pressure behind my ribs.<\/p>\n
\u201cCleaner to whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said, \u2018This is the one the trust will accept.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Keane looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat means Lily may not have been the intended beneficiary.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lily stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo why was I raised by the Harrises?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the question.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carla continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cHarris wanted the second baby moved.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWard refused?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey argued.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said he had already crossed too many lines.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHarris told Margaret to take Lily.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lily\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo he knowingly kept the child who did not fit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked toward the dark parking lot.<\/p>\n
\u201cI might.\u201d<\/p>\n
We turned.<\/p>\n
He sat slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father hated losing control.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael said, \u201cThat describes half the people in this story.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel ignored him.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Ward decided the second infant was the proper match and threatened to expose the scheme, my father may have kept Lily because she was easier to control.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lily\u2019s eyes sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cControl how?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret raised you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was his wife.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the other child?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCould have been hidden by Ward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carla said, \u201cThat would explain the 2011 letter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wrong child survived.<\/p>\n
Looking in the wrong family.<\/p>\n
Do not trust the samples labeled Miller.<\/p>\n
Keane paced several steps.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Ward staged her death in 2009 and contacted Carla in 2011, she may have taken the second infant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cOr arranged for someone else to.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt something else forming.<\/p>\n
A question I did not want to ask.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow old would the second girl be?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lily answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cSame as me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eighteen.<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly born the same day?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf both came from surrogate pregnancies started around the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwins?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d he said. \u201cNot biologically in the conventional sense. Separate embryos, potentially separate gestational carriers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two girls.<\/p>\n
Same scheme.<\/p>\n
Same age.<\/p>\n
One raised by Harris.<\/p>\n
One hidden.<\/p>\n
Michael looked at Carla.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Susan\u2019s father know about the second infant?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keane said, \u201cLeonard died before either child was born.\u201d<\/p>\n
That mattered.<\/p>\n
My father had predicted manipulation.<\/p>\n
He had not seen the outcome.<\/p>\n
His letters were warnings, not complete answers.<\/p>\n
For the first time since all this began, I understood that even the dead had not known everything.<\/p>\n
I asked Carla, \u201cCan we get the archive box tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n
She shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cLatham\u2019s access system locks overnight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen does it open?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeven.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwenty-five minutes east.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael checked the time.<\/p>\n
Almost eleven.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we\u2019re there at seven.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keane said, \u201cThey may already know we\u2019re coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father\u2019s old network had access alerts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe network isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
The phrase again.<\/p>\n
Not Harris.<\/p>\n
The network.<\/p>\n
I looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is the network?\u201d<\/p>\n
He rubbed his hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrustees. Lawyers. Doctors. Financial managers. People who made money keeping control of the assets.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNames.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know some.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen say them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas Vale.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe attorney.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret?\u201d<\/p>\n
He hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lily recoiled.<\/p>\n
Daniel continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was involved at least early on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKeane?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never found proof.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keane\u2019s expression hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t an endorsement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnderstood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho else?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked toward Carla.<\/p>\n
\u201cElaine Ward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carla frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe opposed Harris.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the end, maybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe helped create the embryos.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
That truth landed differently.<\/p>\n
Ward may have become a whistleblower.<\/p>\n
She had still participated.<\/p>\n
I looked at Lily.<\/p>\n
No clean heroes.<\/p>\n
No single villain.<\/p>\n
Only choices layered until nobody could separate fear from complicity.<\/p>\n
Jake broke the silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere am I in all this?\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery DNA report keeps pulling me in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael said, \u201cBecause you\u2019re biologically related.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jake looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut why did they contact me today?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo get a sample.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy mine?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cControl comparison.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not Dad?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel did not answer.<\/p>\n
Jake saw it.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a possibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know what I\u2019m going to say.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jake looked between them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat possibility?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel sighed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trust\u2019s succession rules may distinguish between Susan\u2019s descendants and collateral relatives.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jake said, \u201cEnglish.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Lily is Susan\u2019s half sister, she occupies one place in the family tree. If she is Susan\u2019s daughter, another. If she is Michael\u2019s daughter but not Susan\u2019s, another.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou anchor both Susan and Michael genetically.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo my sample tells them which branch Lily belongs to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jake nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat makes sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel did not relax.<\/p>\n
I noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe second infant.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf that child is genetically closer to Susan than Lily is, Jake becomes the fastest way to distinguish them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he\u2019s my son.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Michael\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lily said, \u201cSo Jake\u2019s DNA could identify which one of us was created from what samples.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if the second girl is Susan\u2019s biological daughter?\u201d<\/p>\n
The question silenced everyone.<\/p>\n
I stared at Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cCould she be?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My chest tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf an embryo was created using your genetic material and Michael\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen she would be Jake\u2019s full sister.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd my daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The possibility felt enormous.<\/p>\n
Too enormous.<\/p>\n
A daughter alive somewhere for eighteen years.<\/p>\n
Not Lily.<\/p>\n
Another girl.<\/p>\n
I stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need air.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jake followed me outside.<\/p>\n
The rain had stopped.<\/p>\n
The church parking lot smelled of wet pavement and pine.<\/p>\n
I walked to the edge of the lot.<\/p>\n
Jake stood beside me.<\/p>\n
Neither spoke for a while.<\/p>\n
Finally he said, \u201cYou were hoping Lily was your daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what I was hoping.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, you do.\u201d<\/p>\n
I wiped my face.<\/p>\n
\u201cI barely know her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt should.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked toward the building.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wanted you to be her mother too.\u201d<\/p>\n
That hurt.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens if the other girl exists?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou keep saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently it\u2019s contagious.\u201d<\/p>\n
He smiled faintly.<\/p>\n
Then became serious.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, none of this changes that Lily needs someone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd it doesn\u2019t change what you\u2019ve already become to her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve known her one day.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you get wise?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout five minutes ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed.<\/p>\n
A real laugh.<\/p>\n
Short.<\/p>\n
Unexpected.<\/p>\n
Then headlights moved across the parking lot.<\/p>\n
A vehicle entered slowly.<\/p>\n
Jake and I both turned.<\/p>\n
Not Keane\u2019s car.<\/p>\n
Not Michael\u2019s truck.<\/p>\n
A small silver hatchback.<\/p>\n
It stopped near Carla\u2019s sedan.<\/p>\n
A woman got out.<\/p>\n
Mid-fifties.<\/p>\n
Short dark hair.<\/p>\n
She looked at the church entrance.<\/p>\n
Then at me.<\/p>\n
Carla stepped outside behind us.<\/p>\n
She saw the woman.<\/p>\n
Her face went white.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman stared at Carla.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carla backed toward the door.<\/p>\n
Keane came out.<\/p>\n
Daniel behind him.<\/p>\n
Daniel stopped so abruptly he nearly hit the frame.<\/p>\n
The woman looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
He whispered, \u201cElaine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Elaine Ward.<\/p>\n
Alive.<\/p>\n
She had walked into the parking lot.<\/p>\n
Lily came outside.<\/p>\n
Ward saw her.<\/p>\n
For the first time, her composure broke.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lily stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ward\u2019s eyes filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you create me?\u201d<\/p>\n
She closed them.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer hung in the night.<\/p>\n
Lily asked the next question before anyone else could.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is the other girl?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ward looked directly at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cCloser than any of you think.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lily released my hand. Not because she wanted distance. Because both of hers began trembling. \u201cTwo babies.\u201d Carla nodded. \u201cYes.\u201d \u201cBoth girls?\u201d \u201cI believe so.\u201d \u201cYou believe?\u201d \u201cThe second infant … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22499,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22510","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22510","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22510"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22510\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22545,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22510\/revisions\/22545"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/22499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22510"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22510"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}