Chapter 7: The Child Everyone Was Looking For
I didn’t think.
I didn’t ask questions.
I didn’t wait for anyone to explain.
I ran upstairs.
The sound of my own footsteps felt too loud.
The hallway seemed longer than it had seconds before.
Behind me, I heard Daniel calling my name.
“Jasmine, wait!””
I ignored him.
Because there was only one thought in my mind.
Noah.
My baby.
My six-month-old son.
The child who had never spent a night away from me until tonight.
The child who trusted me to protect him.
I pushed open the guest room door.
Empty.
My heart stopped.
“No.””
The room was exactly the same.
The blanket on the bed.
The half-empty bottle on the nightstand.
The small nightlight glowing in the corner.
But the crib beside the window was empty.
“No.””
This time the word came out louder.
I rushed toward it.
The sheet was pulled back.
The stuffed rabbit Noah always slept beside was lying on the floor.
And the window was open.
Cold air rushed into the room.
I froze.
Behind me, Daniel stopped.
His voice changed immediately.
“Where is he?””
I turned around.
The fear on his face was real.
Not an act.
Not guilt.
Fear.
“You tell me.””
He stepped into the room.
“I don’t know.””
“You said someone was watching us.””
“I didn’t know they would come here.””
“You didn’t know?””
My voice cracked.
“My son is gone, and you didn’t know?””
Daniel looked like the words physically hurt him.
“I’m sorry.””
I shoved past him.
“Don’t.””
I looked around desperately.
“Don’t apologize.””
I ran to the window.
The yard below was dark.
Empty.
Nothing moved.
No footsteps.
No car.
No person.
Nothing.
Then I noticed something.
A small piece of white fabric caught on the edge of the window latch.
I grabbed it.
A blanket.
Noah’s blanket.
My hands started shaking.
“He was here.””
Daniel came closer.
“Jasmine.””
I turned.
“He was here.””
The panic in my voice finally broke through.
“He was sleeping right here.””
Daniel looked at the blanket.
Then his face changed.
Like he understood something I didn’t.
“What?””
He didn’t answer.
“What is it?””
He looked toward the hallway.
Then downstairs.
“Where’s Vanessa?””
My stomach tightened.
“What?””
“Where is she?””
We rushed downstairs.
Aunt Diane was standing in the living room.
Vanessa was gone.
The front door was open.
I stared.
“No.””
Aunt Diane looked at me.
“What happened?””
I couldn’t speak.
Daniel answered.
“She took him.””
The room went silent.
Aunt Diane looked at me.
“Noah?””
I nodded.
And the second she understood, her entire body changed.
The woman who always stayed calm.
The woman who always knew what to do.
She broke.
“No.””
She grabbed the back of the chair.
“No, no, no.””
I had never seen Aunt Diane afraid.
Not like this.
“What do we do?””
Nobody answered.
Then Daniel grabbed his phone.
“I’m calling someone.””
I looked at him.
“Who?””
He hesitated.
That hesitation made me angry.
“Who?””
“A person who can help.””
“Who?””
“Jasmine—”
“Tell me.””
His jaw tightened.
“My brother.””
The room went quiet again.
“You have a brother?””
He looked away.
“Yes.””
“Another secret.””
“I didn’t think he was involved.””
“Of course you didn’t.””
The bitterness in my voice surprised even me.
Daniel looked like he wanted to defend himself.
But he didn’t.
Good.
Because I didn’t need explanations.
I needed my son.
Aunt Diane walked toward me.
“Jasmine.””
I looked at her.
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I’m sorry.””
The words were quiet.
But they carried twenty years of something I didn’t understand.
“For what?””
She looked at the stairs.
“For not telling you sooner.””
My anger softened for one second.
Only one.
“What do you know?””
She swallowed.
“Your mother had another child.””
I already knew.
But hearing it from her made it real.
“A boy?””
She nodded.
“His name was Ethan.””
I stared.
“Why didn’t I know?””
“Because you were sixteen.””
“That’s not an answer.””
She closed her eyes.
“Because Rebecca wanted you safe.””
“Safe from who?””
Aunt Diane looked at Daniel.
Then at the empty stairs.
“I don’t know.””
“You do.””
She shook her head.
“I know what your mother told me.””
“What?””
Aunt Diane’s voice dropped.
“She said if anything happened to her, I needed to make sure you never searched for Ethan.””
My heart sank.
“Why?””
“Because whoever took him would come after you.””
A cold silence filled the room.
Daniel looked at me.
“Jasmine.””
I turned.
“What?””
“I think Vanessa didn’t take Noah because of your mother.””
“Then why?””
His expression was painful.
“Because of Ethan.””
The name felt strange.
A person who had existed my entire life without me knowing.
My brother.
A missing piece of my family.
A ghost.
“What does Ethan have to do with Noah?””
Daniel looked at the floor.
“I don’t know.””
But I knew.
He was lying.
“You know something.””
“No.””
“You do.””
He rubbed his face.
“I found records.””
“What records?””
“Medical records.””
My stomach tightened.
“Whose?””
“Ethan’s.””
“And?””
Daniel looked at me.
“He had the same rare blood type as Noah.””
The room went silent.
I stared.
“What?””
“That’s why they’re interested in him.””
I shook my head.
“That makes no sense.””
“It does if you know the whole story.””
“Then tell me.””
Daniel hesitated.
Then he finally said:
“Ethan wasn’t just your mother’s son.””
I waited.
“He was part of a research program.””
I frowned.
“What research program?””
“I don’t know all the details.””
“Daniel.””
“I’m telling you the truth.””
“For once?””
The words hurt him.
But I didn’t take them back.
He looked down.
“Ethan had something rare.””
“What?””
“A genetic trait.””
I stared.
“And Noah has it?””
“Yes.””
I looked upstairs.
At the empty room.
At the place where my baby had been sleeping.
“And someone took my son because of that?””
Daniel nodded slowly.
“I think so.””
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
My normal life.
My small apartment.
My arguments about bills.
My worries about diapers and school lunches.
All of it had been happening on top of a secret that started before I was even born.
My phone suddenly rang.
Everyone froze.
Unknown number.
My hands trembled as I answered.
“Hello?””
At first, nothing.
Then a voice.
A woman.
“Jasmine.””
My blood turned cold.
“Rebecca?””
Aunt Diane covered her mouth.
The woman on the phone was crying.
“I’m sorry.””
“Where is my son?””
Silence.
Then:
“He has Noah.””
My knees weakened.
“Who?””
Rebecca’s voice became quieter.
“The person who took Ethan twenty years ago.””
I looked at Daniel.
At Aunt Diane.
“Who is it?””
Rebecca breathed in.
And then she said:
“The person you’ve trusted your entire life.””
My heart stopped.
“What?””
The line crackled.
“Jasmine, listen to me. Do not go back to your house.””
“Why?””
“Because that’s where they started.””
“What are you talking about?””
Then I heard something in the background.
A man’s voice.
Close.
Rebecca gasped.
“Jasmine, I have to go.””
“No!””
But before the call ended, she whispered:
“It was never Daniel.””
The line went dead.
I stared at my phone.
Slowly, everyone looked at Aunt Diane.
Because Rebecca’s final words were still hanging in the air.
May you like
*It was never Daniel.*
And Aunt Diane was the only person in the room who looked like she already knew what that meant.