Chapter 6: The Hidden Records
I didn’t sleep.
Not that night.
Not after seeing a photograph of my son taken by someone inside our home.
I sat in the living room with every light turned on.
Rebecca stayed near the hidden room.
Claire sat across from me, holding a mug of untouched coffee.
For the first time since I met her, she looked like someone I didn’t recognize.
Not because she had changed.
Because I was finally seeing how much she had hidden.
“Start from the beginning,” I said.
Claire looked up.
“Daniel…”
“Everything.””
She nodded slowly.
“The night Elijah was born, Victor came to the hospital.””
“Why?””
“To make sure everything happened the way he wanted.””
I leaned forward.
“What does that mean?””
Claire looked at her hands.
“When the fertility treatment failed, I thought our chance was gone.””
I remembered that time.
The tears.
The disappointment.
The way she blamed herself.
“Then my father offered to help.””
“And you accepted?””
“I didn’t know what he was planning.””
She looked at me.
“I thought he was finally being a father.””
The bitterness in her voice was obvious.
“What did he do?””
“He arranged another procedure.””
My jaw tightened.
“Without telling me?””
Claire nodded.
“I thought it was another treatment using an anonymous donor.””
“And it wasn’t.””
“No.””
She looked at Rebecca.
“Victor used his own genetic material.””
The room went quiet.
I looked toward the hallway.
At the hidden room.
At the family secrets buried behind our walls.
“Why would he do that?””
Rebecca answered.
“Because he wanted an heir.””
I frowned.
“But he already had a daughter.””
Rebecca gave a sad smile.
“He never wanted daughters.””
Claire looked away.
“He wanted someone he could control.””
A sound came from upstairs.
A floorboard.
All three of us froze.
I stood immediately.
“Elijah?””
No answer.
I walked toward the stairs.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
“Who is this?””
A woman’s voice responded.
“Daniel Mercer?””
“Yes.””
“My name is Laura Bennett.””
I didn’t recognize it.
“Why do you have my number?””
“I worked at the clinic where Elijah was born.””
My grip tightened.
“What do you want?””
“To tell you that the records Victor showed you were incomplete.””
Claire stood.
“What does she mean?””
I put the phone on speaker.
Laura continued.
“Victor altered the paperwork.””
I looked at Claire.
“Altered how?””
There was a pause.
Then:
“The baby transferred from the clinic was not the baby listed in the first file.””
Nobody moved.
“What?””
“The original records show two births that night.””
My heart raced.
“Two?””
“Yes.””
Claire’s face drained of color.
Laura continued.
“One child belonged to Claire Mercer.””
Silence.
“And the other…”
Her voice became quieter.
“The other belonged to Victor Hale’s family.””
Rebecca whispered:
“No.””
I looked at Claire.
“What is she saying?””
Claire looked terrified.
“I don’t know.””
Laura spoke again.
“Daniel, you need to understand. Victor didn’t just manipulate a donor agreement.””
A pause.
“He switched identities.””
The room felt like it stopped.
I gripped the phone.
“Are you saying Elijah isn’t the baby we were told he was?””
“I’m saying the records were changed.””
“Where are the original records?””
“Hidden.””
“Where?””
Another pause.
Then Laura said:
“In the same place your wife’s mother hid her evidence.””
Rebecca stepped forward.
“The key.””
Laura’s voice shook.
“Yes.””
I looked at the brass key on the table.
“2147.””
“That key opens a storage unit.””
“Where?””
“Old Mercy Medical Center.””
Claire covered her mouth.
“That hospital closed fifteen years ago.””
“Yes.””
“Why would my mother hide something there?””
Laura answered:
“Because she knew Victor would never look for the truth in a place he believed was forgotten.””
A sudden crash came from outside.
We all turned.
The back window had a shadow moving across it.
Then the lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
The call cut off.
I grabbed the flashlight again.
“Stay here.””
Claire caught my arm.
“Daniel.””
I looked at her.
There was fear in her eyes.
Not fear of Victor.
Something else.
“What?””
She whispered:
“Before my mother disappeared, she told me one thing.””
“What?””
Claire looked toward the hidden room.
“She said if the truth ever came out…”
A pause.
“…we would discover we had been raising the wrong child.””
My blood ran cold.
From upstairs came Elijah’s voice.
“Daddy?””
I turned.
“Yes?””
His voice trembled.
“Someone left a picture on my pillow.””
I ran upstairs.
On his bed was a photograph.
A hospital photo.
Two newborn babies.
Side by side.
May you like
On the back, written in black ink, were five words:
*ONLY ONE WAS YOUR SON.*
