Chapter 5: Eleven Million Reasons to Lie
Marcus reached the doorway before Roland could make it to the stairs.
“Stop!””
Roland ignored him.
He took the steps two at a time, one hand gripping the banister, his polished shoes striking the marble with sharp, uneven cracks.
Marcus followed.
I remained in the study for several seconds, staring at the hospital record.
Receiving party: Roland Cole.
The document was dated December 3, 1998.
The day Elizabeth had supposedly been placed in our care.
But Roland had just claimed he had given the baby to Evelyn's mother.
If that were true, then the little girl I had raised had not simply been adopted under sealed records. Someone had deliberately transferred her from one family to another, and Ellis had helped conceal it.
I forced myself to move.
By the time I reached the hallway, Marcus had cornered Roland beside the front door.
“Who is Evelyn's mother?”” Marcus demanded.
Roland straightened his shirt.
“Her name was Margaret Brooks.””
“Was?””
“She died in 2001.””
“And what did you give her?””
Roland looked at me.
“Vivian, you need to understand that your husband was trying to correct a mistake.””
“What mistake?””
“Evelyn had been told her baby died.””
My stomach lurched.
Marcus went still.
“You told a mother her child was dead?””
Roland's voice rose defensively.
“I didn't make that decision alone.””
“Who did?””
“Ellis.””
Marcus shoved him against the wall.
“Don't you dare hide behind my father again!””
I grabbed Marcus's arm.
“Marcus, let him speak.””
My son released Roland, though every muscle in his body remained tense.
Roland adjusted his collar.
“Evelyn gave birth in a private clinic. There were complications. She was unconscious for several hours. Ellis was informed that the baby had suffered severe respiratory distress.””
“Was the baby alive?”” I asked.
Roland looked at the floor.
“Yes.””
The word came out so quietly that I almost didn't hear it.
“Then why did everyone believe she was dead?””
“Because Ellis was afraid.””
“Afraid of what?””
Roland swallowed.
“Of losing you.””
I stared at him.
It was such a small answer for such a monstrous betrayal.
He continued.
“Evelyn had become involved with someone dangerous. Ellis believed the man would use the child against her. He arranged for the baby to be placed with a family he trusted.””
“Which family?””
“Margaret's sister.””
“And then?””
Roland's face tightened.
“The arrangement failed.””
“What does that mean?””
“The child was moved again. Margaret believed the baby had been adopted overseas. Evelyn believed she had died. Ellis believed the arrangement was temporary.””
Marcus gave a bitter laugh.
“So everybody believed whatever was convenient.””
Roland looked at him.
“You have no idea how complicated it was.””
“No. I have no idea how a grown man could look at a mother and tell her that her baby was dead.””
Roland's shoulders slumped.
For a moment, he looked older than I had ever seen him.
Then he reached for the front door.
Marcus blocked him.
“You're not leaving until you tell us where Elizabeth is.””
“I don't know.””
“Then tell us how to find her.””
Roland hesitated.
“There is someone you can contact. A woman named Sarah Bennett. She worked at the clinic where Evelyn gave birth.””
“Where is she?””
“Retired. She lives in Connecticut.””
“Give me her number.””
Roland shook his head.
“I don't have it.””
Marcus pulled out his phone.
“Then we'll find it ourselves.””
He turned toward me.
“Mom, call a lawyer. Someone who isn't connected to Uncle Roland or the company. We need copies of every document in that room.””
I nodded.
But before I could reach for my phone, Roland spoke again.
“If you expose this, you'll destroy the company.””
Marcus looked at him coldly.
“If the company depends on stolen money and falsified records, then it deserves to be destroyed.””
Roland's face twisted.
“You think your father would want that?””
“No,” Marcus replied.
“I think my father would want me to stop lying for him.””
He opened the front door.
Roland stepped into the cold night, but before Marcus could close it, he turned back.
“There is one more thing you should know.””
Neither of us spoke.
Roland looked directly at me.
“The woman who raised Elizabeth after she left your house wasn't a stranger. She was paid by Ellis to keep Elizabeth hidden. And the money came from the same trust you think I stole from.””
My blood turned cold.
“Who was she?””
Roland's mouth tightened.
“Her name was Catherine Vale.””
I knew the name.
Catherine had been my personal assistant for nearly fifteen years. She had arranged my appointments, managed my correspondence, and helped me care for Ellis during his final illness.
She had been the person who told me Elizabeth had gone to live with distant relatives.
She had hugged me when I cried.
She had told me the girl would eventually come home.
And now I wondered whether every comforting word had been part of a lie.
Roland walked away before I could question him further.
Marcus shut the door.
For a moment, we stood in the silent hallway, listening to his car engine start outside.
Then Marcus said, “We're going to Catherine's house.””
I shook my head.
“She's probably already gone.””
“Then we'll go to her office.””
“She retired last year.””
“Then we'll find out where she went.””
He picked up his coat.
I watched him prepare to leave, and suddenly the weight of the evening became unbearable.
“Marcus.””
He turned.
“What if she tells us something worse?””
His expression softened.
“Then we'll deal with it.””
“What if everything we believed about your father was a lie?””
Marcus looked toward the staircase, where the family portraits hung in their gilded frames.
“Then I guess we have to decide what kind of people we're going to be without him.””
He left me standing in the hallway.
I followed him to the car.
We drove to Catherine's old office first. It occupied the second floor of a brick building downtown, above a pharmacy and a small accounting firm. The lights were off, and a faded sign beside the door still bore her name.
Marcus tried the handle.
Locked.
A cleaning woman came out of the neighboring office carrying a trash bag.
“Can I help you?””
“We're looking for Catherine Vale,” Marcus said.
The woman frowned.
“She moved out months ago.””
“Do you know where she went?””
“I don't know her new address, but a courier came by earlier this week asking about a package she left here.””
Marcus leaned forward.
“What package?””
The woman shrugged.
“A brown envelope. The landlord said it was supposed to be collected by a woman named Elizabeth.””
I felt my heart stumble.
“Elizabeth Cole?””
The woman nodded.
“Maybe. I didn't see the paperwork.””
Marcus and I exchanged a look.
“Where is the envelope now?”” he asked.
“Probably in the landlord's office. He's out of town until Monday.””
Marcus thanked her.
As we returned to the car, my phone rang.
The caller ID showed a private number.
I answered.
“Hello?””
A woman's voice spoke.
“Vivian, this is Catherine.””
I gripped the phone.
“Where are you?””
“I can't tell you that.””
“Did you lie to me about Elizabeth?””
Silence.
Then Catherine said, “I did what Ellis asked me to do.””
“Did you take her away from us?””
“No.””
“Did you know she was his daughter?””
“Yes.””
The admission cut through me.
“How could you?””
Catherine's voice trembled.
“Because I was there when he brought her home. I was there when he told you the child was an orphan. And I was there when you held her for the first time.””
I closed my eyes.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because Ellis said the truth would destroy you.””
“He destroyed me by lying!””
“I know.””
For the first time, Catherine sounded like she was crying.
“I have lived with this for twenty-five years, Vivian. Every birthday, every Christmas, every time you asked whether Elizabeth had written, I wanted to tell you.””
“Then why didn't you?””
“Because I was afraid.””
“Of Ellis?””
“No.””
A pause.
“Of Roland.””
I looked at Marcus.
He leaned closer to the phone.
“What did Roland do?””
Catherine inhaled shakily.
“He came to my house after Ellis died. He told me the company was in danger and that Elizabeth's trust would have to be protected. He asked me to sign a statement saying she had voluntarily left the family.””
“Did you sign it?”” Marcus asked.
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because he showed me photographs of my daughter leaving school. He told me he knew where she lived, where she worked, and who she loved.””
I felt sick.
“He threatened your family?””
“Yes.””
Marcus's face darkened.
“Where is Elizabeth now?””
“I don't know.””
“Catherine, please.””
“I swear I don't. The last time I saw her, she was twenty-two. She came to my house with a folder of documents and asked me to tell her the truth about her birth. I told her everything I knew.””
“What did she do?””
“She left. She said she would come back when she had enough proof.””
“Proof of what?””
Catherine's breathing grew ragged.
“Proof that Roland had stolen more than money.””
I leaned against the car.
“What else did he steal?””
Catherine whispered, “Your daughter's identity.””
The words seemed to stop time.
“My daughter?””
“Vivian, there's something you don't know. The baby you raised wasn't the child Ellis brought home from the clinic.””
I stopped breathing.
Marcus stared at me.
“What?””
Catherine continued, her voice breaking.
“Ellis arranged for two babies to be transferred that night. One was Evelyn's daughter. The other was a newborn whose mother had died during delivery.
Roland switched their records. The child you raised as Elizabeth was given Evelyn's identity, while Evelyn's biological daughter was sent away under another name.””
I clutched the phone.
“No.””
“I'm sorry.””
“No, that's impossible.””
“I have the original records.””
“Where?””
“Catherine's voice dropped to a whisper.
“In a safe-deposit box. The key is hidden in the brown envelope at my old office.””
Marcus grabbed my arm.
“Who is Evelyn's biological daughter?””
Catherine hesitated.
Then she answered.
“Her name is Tiana Brooks.””
The phone slipped from my hand.
Marcus caught it before it hit the ground.
He stared at me, horror spreading across his face.
Tiana.
The woman who had come to the gala with a photograph of his son.
The woman who had told us she was Evelyn's daughter.
The woman whose child had brought the truth back into our lives.
She was not simply the mother of Marcus's child.
She was the daughter Ellis had spent twenty-five years trying to hide.
And Elizabeth—the girl I had raised as my own—might not have been the child I believed her to be at all.
Marcus looked at me.
“Mom, we have to find Tiana.””
My phone rang again.
This time, the caller ID displayed a number from the hospital.
I answered.
A nurse spoke quickly.
“Mrs. Cole, I'm calling about Tiana Brooks. She was discharged an hour ago, but we can't locate her son.””
My blood turned to ice.
“What do you mean, you can't locate him?””
“The baby's aunt came to collect him. She presented identification and signed the discharge papers.””
“Which aunt?””
The nurse paused.
“Catherine Vale.””
I looked at Marcus.
He had gone completely still.
Catherine had just told us she didn't know where Elizabeth was.
May you like
But someone claiming to be Catherine had walked into the hospital and taken Marcus's newborn son.
And according to the nurse, Tiana had left with her.
