Chapter 13 - The Children They Never Had
The file carried Nora’s name, but the blood type was wrong.
Seven years earlier, before Sophie, doctors had told Roman and Nora that complications had made another pregnancy unlikely. They had stopped trying.
Now the records showed something else.
An embryo storage authorization.
A clinic payment from Northstar Consulting.
A note from a physician: PATIENT TO BE INFORMED OF LOW VIABILITY.
Nora turned toward Helena.
“What did you do?”
Helena began to cry.
“I thought I was helping.”
“Helping with what?”
Helena looked at Sophie across the room.
“Marco said if you had more children, the Calder trust would split among them. He wanted one heir. One line he could control.”
Roman’s hands curled into fists.
“You bought a diagnosis?”
“The doctor owed Marco money.”
Nora dropped the file.
“You let me believe something was wrong with my body because it made theft easier.”
“I didn’t understand how far Marco would go.”
“You went far enough.”
Brooks took the file. “Is the clinic still open?”
Daniel, speaking through his attorney from custody, provided the new name.
Brooks called local investigators.
Twenty minutes later she received a call.
The clinic’s old records room was on fire.
Roman stared at Helena. “Marco’s in custody. Daniel’s in custody. Pike is under guard. Who is left?”
Helena shook her head. “I don’t know.”
Brooks opened the flash drive again.
One encrypted directory remained.
Its name was FIFTH PARTNER.
Daniel had finally provided the password.
Inside were payroll records, clinic transfers, and one name Roman did not recognize.
DR. SAMUEL KERR.
Nora did.
May you like
Her face went white.
“That’s the doctor who delivered Sophie.”
