Chapter 7 - ETHAN'S LAST LIE
The hospital erupted into chaos.
Doctors ran toward the NICU.
Security officers flooded the corridors.
Phones rang.
Alarms screamed.
But I couldn't move.
I could only hear one sentence repeating inside my head.
Project Three is finally complete.
Adrian grabbed my shoulders.
“Claire.”
I looked at him.
“Where are my babies?”
“I'm getting you there.”
“What did he mean?”
“I don't know.”
“Ethan knows.”
We both looked at Ethan.
He was standing against the wall.
Pale.
Frozen.
Like he'd just seen a ghost.
“Ethan.”
He didn't respond.
Adrian stepped toward him.
“What did your father mean?”
“I don't know.”
Adrian grabbed his collar.
“Try again.”
“I said I don't know.”
“You recognized him.”
“Because he's my father.”
“Your father died nine years ago.”
Ethan's jaw tightened.
“He was supposed to.”
The hallway went silent.
I stared at him.
“You knew?”
Ethan looked at me.
“I suspected.”
“You suspected your dead father was alive?”
“Yes.”
“And you never told me?”
“I was trying to keep you safe.”
“Stop saying that.”
My voice cracked.
“Everyone keeps saying they're protecting me while they lie to me.”
Ethan looked devastated.
But I didn't care.
“Tell me everything.”
He closed his eyes.
“My father didn't die.”
“Where has he been?”
“Underground.”
“What does that mean?”
“He disappeared after the government investigated his research.”
I stared.
“The government?”
“Yes.”
Adrian looked at him.
“What was the investigation?”
“Human experimentation.”
My stomach turned.
“My God.”
Ethan continued.
“My father escaped.”
“And your mother?”
“She died.”
“How?”
“Suicide.”
I looked away.
This was too much.
Too many lies.
Too many secrets.
Then a nurse rushed toward us.
“Mrs. Mercer!”
I turned.
“Your children are being moved.”
“Why?”
“We detected another intrusion.”
“Where?”
“Inside the NICU.”
Adrian's face hardened.
“Take me there.”
The nurse shook her head.
“No visitors.”
Adrian looked at her.
“I own the hospital.”
She froze.
“I know.”
“Then open the doors.”
Inside the NICU, every alarm was flashing.
Doctors were manually controlling equipment.
Technicians had disconnected the network.
Grace's ventilator was running independently.
Lucas's oxygen levels were stable.
Noah's heart rate was elevated.
I pressed my hand against the glass.
“Mommy's here.”
Noah's tiny hand moved.
I began crying.
Then Adrian's security chief appeared.
“Sir.”
Adrian turned.
“What?”
“We found something.”
He handed Adrian a small device.
“What is it?”
“A transmitter.”
“Where?”
“Inside the wall behind Grace's incubator.”
Adrian stared at it.
“Remove it.”
“We already did.”
“Can it transmit?”
“Yes.”
“To where?”
“We traced the signal.”
Adrian's expression changed.
“Where?”
The security chief looked at Ethan.
“Mercer Holdings.”
Ethan went pale.
“That isn't possible.”
“Everything connects back to your company.”
Ethan looked at me.
“I swear I didn't know.”
I couldn't answer.
Then the security chief said:
“There's more.”
“What?”
“The signal wasn't being sent to Mercer Holdings.”
Adrian frowned.
“Where?”
“Los Angeles.”
Ethan's eyes widened.
“Sabrina.”
Two hours later, Sabrina was brought into a private conference room.
She looked exhausted.
No makeup.
Wet hair.
Shaking hands.
Ethan stared at her.
“What did you do?”
She began crying.
“I didn't know.”
“Didn't know what?”
“That they were going to use the babies.”
I stepped forward.
“Use them for what?”
She looked at me.
“Your blood.”
My heart stopped.
“What?”
“Your blood and theirs.”
Adrian's voice became cold.
“Explain.”
Sabrina swallowed.
“Ethan's father believes the children inherited something from Claire's father.”
“What?”
“I don't know.”
“You know more than that.”
She began crying.
“There's a laboratory.”
“Where?”
“Below the Mercer estate.”
Ethan's face changed.
“What laboratory?”
“You know.”
“No.”
“You've been there.”
“I've never seen a laboratory.”
Sabrina looked at him.
“Then you don't know what your father has been doing.”
Adrian leaned forward.
“Why were you in Los Angeles?”
“Because he sent me.”
“Who?”
“Thomas.”
Ethan stepped forward.
“My brother?”
Sabrina nodded.
“He's alive.”
Silence.
“He contacted me six months ago.”
“Why?”
“He wanted me to convince Ethan to leave Claire.”
My blood went cold.
“Why?”
“He said the divorce would make the transfer easier.”
“What transfer?”
Sabrina looked at me.
“Your legal rights.”
I frowned.
“What rights?”
“Parental rights.”
My stomach dropped.
“They wanted Ethan to get custody.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because they needed access to the babies.”
Adrian's expression hardened.
“Why?”
Sabrina whispered:
“To take them somewhere Claire couldn't reach.”
I couldn't breathe.
“No.”
She nodded.
“They were going to disappear them.”
My hands shook.
Adrian immediately moved closer.
“They won't.”
Sabrina looked at him.
“You don't understand.”
“What?”
“They already have another facility.”
“Where?”
“Outside Boston.”
Adrian froze.
“What?”
Sabrina continued.
“It's called Blackridge.”
Ethan suddenly stepped back.
“I know that name.”
I looked at him.
“How?”
“My father used to mention it.”
“What is it?”
Ethan swallowed.
“A research center.”
Adrian looked at him.
“Not anymore.”
“What?”
Adrian's phone buzzed.
He answered.
His security chief spoke rapidly.
Adrian's face went blank.
Then he looked at me.
“What?”
“Blackridge has been activated.”
My blood froze.
“When?”
“Thirty minutes ago.”
“Why?”
Adrian looked toward my babies.
“Because someone just transferred three medical transport reservations into your children's names.”
I couldn't breathe.
“They're coming for my babies.”
Adrian nodded.
“Yes.”
Ethan stepped forward.
“No.”
Adrian looked at him.
“You're not going anywhere near them.”
Ethan's face hardened.
“You don't understand.”
“Then explain.”
Ethan looked at me.
“I do understand.”
He reached into his jacket.
Pulled out a key.
And placed it in my hand.
“This opens the laboratory beneath the Mercer estate.”
I stared at him.
“Why are you giving me this?”
His eyes filled with regret.
“Because everything you're looking for is there.”
“What?”
“The truth about your father.”
He looked at Adrian.
“And the truth about me.”
Then he walked away.
I looked down at the key.
It was old.
Heavy.
Engraved with one word.
THREE.
May you like
And beneath it was a date.
My birthday.
