Chapter 8: The Woman in the Hospital Photograph
Adrian read the message three times.
Your mother wasn't the one who started this.
The sentence opened a door to a possibility he had spent his entire life avoiding.
His mother had been controlling, manipulative, and obsessed with the family name. But she had also been fiercely protective of him. He had grown up believing that, beneath her rigid manners and cutting remarks, her love had been unquestionable.
Now he wondered whether the person he remembered had ever existed as he understood her.
Marcus arrived in the library ten minutes later.
“Sir, I reviewed the security footage from last night.””
“And?””
“Victoria entered the house at 11:38 p.m. She went directly to the library and stayed for approximately four minutes.””
“Did she open the concealed door?””
“The camera angle doesn't show the bookcase, but she left carrying something small.””
“The key?””
“Possibly.””
Adrian handed him the photograph of the twins.
“Find Arthur Bell. He called me, then someone interrupted the conversation. I need to know where he is and whether he's safe.””
Marcus examined the message on Adrian's phone.
“Should we contact the police?””
“Yes. Give them copies of the documents from the hidden room. Tell them we have evidence of forged authorizations, financial fraud, and a potentially unlawful transfer of a child.””
Marcus nodded.
“And Victoria?””
“Find her.””
“Do you want her brought here?””
Adrian shook his head.
“No. I don't want her anywhere near Nathan or Camille.””
He paused.
“Actually, I want to speak with her somewhere public, with witnesses present. But first, I need to know where Arthur is.””
Marcus left.
Adrian returned to the desk and spread out the documents. The records had been carefully organized, but several pages were missing. The gaps were deliberate.
Someone had removed the information that would have connected the false identities to specific locations.
He found another photograph beneath the filing cabinet.
It showed a woman standing outside a hospital entrance, holding a newborn baby in a blanket.
The woman's face was partially turned away.
But Adrian recognized the coat.
It belonged to his mother.
On the back, someone had written:
*October 14 — Transfer completed. Original mother notified.*
Adrian stared at the final phrase.
Original mother notified.
Not adoptive mother.
Not legal guardian.
Original mother.
He called Dr. Price.
“I need to ask you something about the patient records.””
“Go ahead.””
“Did Camille ever receive visitors from a woman other than Victoria?””
There was a pause.
“I found an old visitor log,” Dr. Price replied.
“One visitor was listed under the name Eleanor Brooks.””
Adrian's stomach tightened.
“Eleanor Brooks?””
“Yes. The entry is dated seven months after Camille's admission. The visitor stayed for nearly an hour.””
“My mother was named Eleanor Cole.””
“I understand.””
“Did Camille know who she was?””
“I can't say. But the nurse's note mentions that the patient became extremely distressed after the visit.””
Adrian looked at the photograph again.
“What happened afterward?””
“The visitor requested that the patient be transferred to another facility. The request was denied by the attending physician.””
“Who was the physician?””
“Dr. Warren.””
Adrian closed his eyes.
His mother had visited Camille.
And Camille had become distressed afterward.
He called Evelyn.
She answered immediately.
“Adrian?””
“I'm coming back to Willow Creek. I need you to ask Camille about a visitor named Eleanor.””
“Your mother?””
“Yes.””
Evelyn was quiet for a moment.
“I'll ask gently.””
“Don't push her if she becomes upset.””
“I won't.””
When Adrian arrived at the facility, Evelyn was sitting beside Camille's bed. The blue ribbon lay on the bedside table, carefully folded.
Camille looked exhausted but calmer than she had the previous day.
She watched Adrian enter.
“Did you find Noah?””
He stopped.
“Not yet. But I know where he is.””
Camille's eyes filled.
“Is he alive?””
“Yes.””
She covered her mouth.
For a moment, she seemed unable to breathe.
Then she began to cry, and Evelyn wrapped both arms around her.
“My baby,” Camille whispered.
“My little boy.””
Adrian sat beside them.
“He's three years old. He's been raised by a woman named Sarah Brooks.””
Camille looked at Evelyn.
“Your sister?””
Evelyn nodded, tears slipping down her cheeks.
“I didn't know, Camille. I swear to you.””
Camille closed her eyes.
“Of course you didn't.””
Her voice held no accusation.
Only grief.
Adrian waited until her breathing steadied.
Then he asked, “Do you remember my mother visiting you here?””
Camille's face changed immediately.
She turned toward the window.
“Eleanor.””
“Yes.””
Camille gripped the blanket.
“She told me you had signed everything.””
“Signed what?””
“The papers. The transfer. The agreement that said I couldn't see the children.””
Adrian felt sick.
“She told you that I agreed to keep you away?””
Camille nodded.
“She said you wanted a new life. She said you were ashamed of me.””
He shook his head.
“I never signed those papers.””
Camille looked at him.
“Then why did everyone say you did?””
“Because someone forged my signature.””
She stared at him for a long time.
Then she whispered, “Your mother told me something else.””
Adrian leaned forward.
“What?””
“She said Noah wasn't the only baby.””
He went still.
“What do you mean?””
Camille's eyes filled with terror.
“There were three.””
The room fell silent.
Evelyn slowly released Camille's hand.
Adrian felt as though the floor had shifted beneath him.
“Triplets?””
Camille nodded.
“Two boys and a girl.””
He could barely speak.
“Where is the girl?””
Camille pressed both hands to her chest.
“I don't know.””
“What happened to her?””
“I woke up after the delivery, and they told me one of the babies hadn't survived. They showed me a photograph of a tiny blanket and said there had been complications.””
Adrian stared at her.
“Did you see the baby?””
“No.””
“Did you hold her?””
Camille shook her head.
“They said I was too sick.””
Her voice broke.
“Eleanor came to see me afterward. She said the little girl had been placed with another family because there was no way I could care for three children.””
Adrian felt his chest tighten.
“My mother took one child. Victoria told us the other died. And someone else may have taken the third.””
Camille looked at him with desperate eyes.
“Please find her.””
He reached for her hand.
“I will.””
She clung to him suddenly, pressing her face against his chest.
For one fleeting moment, Adrian felt the familiar warmth of the woman he had loved. Then she stiffened, pulled away, and looked at the door.
“She's here.””
Adrian turned.
No one stood in the hallway.
“Who?””
Camille's breathing quickened.
“Victoria.””
“She's not here.””
“She always comes when we talk about the babies.””
Evelyn took Camille's hand.
“Sweetheart, look at me. You're safe.””
Camille stared at the doorway.
Then she whispered, “She told me the girl was an accident.””
Adrian's blood ran cold.
“What kind of accident?””
Camille shook her head.
“I don't know. I heard them arguing. Eleanor said the girl had to disappear because she looked too much like someone.””
“Like whom?””
Camille pressed her lips together.
“I don't remember.””
Adrian wanted to ask more, but Dr. Price appeared in the doorway.
“Mr. Cole, may I speak with you privately?””
He followed her into the corridor.
She held a folder against her chest.
“We reviewed the original intake records. The woman listed as Eleanor Brooks used an identification document that appears to have belonged to your mother.””
“Do you have a photograph?””
Dr. Price opened the folder.
Inside was a grainy security image showing an older woman entering the facility with a small handbag.
Adrian recognized his mother's posture immediately.
But there was something else.
The woman walking beside her was much younger.
Her face was partly obscured by the brim of a hat, but her red coat was unmistakable.
Victoria.
Adrian stared at the photograph.
“They were working together.””
Dr. Price nodded.
“Apparently.””
“Is there a date?””
“October 14, three years ago.””
The same date written on the back of the hospital photograph.
Adrian's phone vibrated.
Marcus had sent a message.
**Arthur Bell located. He is alive and has agreed to meet. He insists you come to the old courthouse at 9 a.m.
tomorrow. He says the original birth records are there.**
Adrian typed a reply.
*Ask him about the third child.*
Marcus responded almost immediately.
*He says there were never three babies. He says one of the birth records was altered after the delivery.*
Adrian stared at the message.
He returned to Camille's room.
She was holding the blue ribbon, rubbing the faded fabric between her fingers.
“Camille,” he said gently, “I need you to tell me something. When you were pregnant, did anyone ever tell you there might be three babies?””
She looked up.
“Yes.””
“Who?””
“My doctor. During an ultrasound, he said he could see three heartbeats.””
Adrian felt a cold wave move through him.
“Do you remember the doctor's name?””
Camille closed her eyes.
“Warren.””
The same doctor who had authorized the transfers.
Adrian sat beside her.
“Did he tell you later that one of the babies had died?””
“Yes.””
“Did he show you a death certificate?””
“No.””
“Did he explain what happened?””
Camille shook her head.
“He said I was confused because of the medication. He told me I had given birth to twins.””
Adrian's jaw tightened.
Someone had changed the medical records.
Someone had erased a child.
And someone had convinced Camille that her own memories were unreliable.
He looked at Evelyn.
“We need to get the original hospital records.””
Evelyn nodded.
“I'll help.””
Camille caught Adrian's sleeve.
“Don't let them separate the children.””
He covered her hand with his.
“I won't.””
She stared at him, tears gathering in her eyes.
“You said that before.””
He felt the old wound open between them.
“I know.””
For a moment, he could not speak.
Then he leaned forward and kissed her forehead.
“This time, I won't stop until I find the truth.””
He left Willow Creek just before sunset.
Outside, the sky had turned a deep orange, and the air smelled of rain.
Marcus was waiting beside the SUV.
“Sir, there's one more thing.””
Adrian looked at him.
“What?””
“Arthur Bell called. He says the third child's record was never destroyed.””
“Where is it?””
Marcus handed him a small envelope.
“Your mother's safe-deposit box.””
Adrian opened it.
Inside was a key and a handwritten note.
*If you want to know why the third child was hidden, ask the woman who raised Victoria.*
Adrian stared at the words.
Victoria had always told him she was an only child. Her mother had died when she was young, and she had never spoken about her father.
But now, for the first time, Adrian wondered whether Victoria had been hiding more than his wife's past.
He looked at the key.
Then he called Arthur Bell.
The lawyer answered on the first ring.
“Did you receive the note?”” Arthur asked.
“Yes. Who raised Victoria?””
Arthur took a long breath.
“Her mother was never dead, Adrian.””
Adrian stopped walking.
“What?””
“She has been living under another name for twenty-eight years.””
“Why?””
“Because the woman who raised Victoria wasn't her biological mother.””
Adrian looked back toward the facility where Camille was waiting.
“Then who was?””
May you like
Arthur's answer was almost a whisper.
“Your mother.””
