CHAPTER 3 – THE MAN HER MOTHER WARNED HER ABOUT
CHAPTER 3 – THE MAN HER MOTHER WARNED HER ABOUT
Ethan sat motionless long after finishing Lily's letter.
The ink had bled in several places where rainwater had soaked through the paper.
"Ethan,
If you're reading this, then I ran out of time.
I'm no longer angry with you. I'm only angry that I believed the truth could protect innocent people.
Sadie is your daughter.
Emma is too.
And please... don't let Richard Hale sign anything involving the girls.
He destroyed my life once.
If he learns they're alive, he'll do it again.
— Lily"
Ethan felt every drop of blood leave his face.
Richard Hale.
The name dragged him fifteen years into the past.
Richard had once been the Chief Financial Officer of Cole Industries.
The brilliant executive everyone trusted.
The man who had stolen millions from the company.
The man who had framed Lily Brooks for every dollar before disappearing without a trace.
The authorities had believed Richard died years earlier in a private plane crash somewhere over South America.
Ethan had believed it too.
Apparently...
they had all been wrong.
"You know him."
Mara's voice broke the silence.
Ethan nodded slowly.
"If Lily wrote this..."
"...then Richard Hale is still alive."
Before Mara could answer, the automatic doors to the emergency department slid open.
A sharply dressed man in his early sixties walked inside.
His silver hair was neatly combed despite the storm outside.
Behind him followed a young attorney carrying a leather briefcase.
The moment Sadie saw him...
she froze.
Every bit of color disappeared from her face.
Then she screamed.
"No!"
Her tiny body stumbled backward until she hit the wall.
"Don't let him sign anything!"
The hallway instantly fell silent.
Richard smiled as though greeting an old family friend.
"There you are, Sadie."
His voice was warm.
Too warm.
"You've had everyone worried."
Sadie began shaking uncontrollably.
"You lied!"
Her voice cracked.
"You said Mommy was sleeping!"
"You said she'd come back if I was good!"
Richard's smile faded for only a fraction of a second.
Then it returned.
"Your mother was very sick."
Ethan stepped directly between them.
"Don't come any closer."
Richard studied him carefully.
"So..."
"The famous Ethan Cole."
"I've been expecting this meeting."
The attorney opened his briefcase.
"My client has temporary guardianship papers for both children."
Mara accepted the documents.
She scanned them for less than thirty seconds before narrowing her eyes.
"These signatures are photocopies."
"They're still legally sufficient."
"No."
"They're not."
Richard sighed dramatically.
"Lily was dying."
"She wasn't always capable of signing paperwork correctly."
The words struck Sadie like another lightning bolt.
"Dying?"
She looked around the hallway.
"You told me Mommy was coming home!"
Richard's expression hardened.
"Sadie."
"Enough."
The warmth vanished from his voice.
For the first time...
everyone saw the man hiding beneath the smile.
Ethan slowly removed the photograph Lily had left inside the envelope.
He held it up.
The picture showed himself and Lily laughing together years earlier.
His arm rested around her shoulders.
On the back, written in Lily's handwriting, were the words:
"The day we found out we were going to be parents."
Richard's eyes widened.
Only for a heartbeat.
But Ethan caught it.
"You knew."
Ethan whispered.
"You knew these girls were mine."
Richard recovered instantly.
"I know nothing."
Ethan took one step closer.
"I think you know everything."
Richard looked directly into Ethan's eyes.
"Fine."
"If you believe she's your daughter..."
"...let's settle it."
"Run a DNA test."
May you like
He smiled coldly.
"I think you'll be very disappointed."
