Chapter 6 - The Secret Maternity
The hum of the SUV’s tires on wet asphalt was the only sound inside the darkened cabin. Julian kept the vehicle tucked between two long-haul semi-trucks, using their massive silhouettes to mask his movements from overhead highway cameras.
His eyes flickered to Hannah. The dash light painted the sharp contours of her face in a faint amber hue.
“What did you say?” Julian’s voice barely rose above a whisper, tight and perilous.
Hannah stroked Leo’s cheek with a trembling, swollen thumb. “The surrogacy agency Victoria hired in Switzerland... it was a fabrication. She staged the entire pregnancy using private clinics and fabricated ultrasound reports. She told you the baby was carried to term by an anonymous surrogate abroad to avoid public scrutiny.”
Julian gripped the steering wheel so hard the leather groaned. “And the child? Where did she get Leo?”
“My sister, Claire,” Hannah said, a sob catching in her throat. “Claire was a patient at St. Jude’s. She was terminal, Julian. Heart failure. She gave birth seven months ago, completely destitute. Victoria’s foundation offered to pay for Claire's experimental treatments in exchange for placing the child in a closed, confidential adoption.”
Julian’s breath shuddered. “Claire didn't survive.”
“She died three days after giving birth,” Hannah whispered, tears running freely down her face. “Victoria got the child she needed to satisfy the Cole trust fund deadline. But I found out. I found Claire’s medical records hidden among Victoria's legal correspondence while organizing the private library. Victoria didn't adopt him legally. She bought him under the table from corrupt hospital administrators. The papers in the drawer—she was going to declare me insane so that no blood relative could ever claim him.”
Julian felt the world spinning off its axis. The boy he had held, the boy he thought carried his own family bloodline, was an orphan traded like a piece of high-stakes corporate property.
“Why didn't you go to the authorities before this?” Julian asked, his voice cracking with anguish.
“To who?” Hannah looked at him, her eyes fierce despite her bruises. “Her father is the former state attorney general! Who would believe a penniless maid over the Cole dynasty? I stayed because I had to protect Claire’s son. I became his wet nurse, his nanny, his only shield.”
Suddenly, the phone on the center console lit up. The screen displayed no caller ID, only a blinking icon.
May you like
Julian tapped speakerphone.
“Julian,” Victoria’s cold, smooth voice filled the cabin. “You didn't check the navigation system, did you? The car belongs to the Cole fleet. We know your coordinates, darling. And Dennis is only three miles behind you.”
