PART 2 \u2013 Triplets, Secrets, and the Billionaire Who Knew Ava\u2019s Name Before She Spoke \u2013 2!001
\nPART 2<\/p>\n
The SUV cut through the storm as if the city itself had stepped aside. I lay across the leather seat, one hand gripping the edge, the other pressed against my stomach. Every bump in the road sent fear through me.<\/p>\n
Lucian Blackwood sat beside me, calm but not distant.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at me, Ava,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
I froze. \u201cI never told you my name.\u201d<\/p>\n
His jaw tightened slightly. \u201cNo. You didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before I could ask another question, pain pulled a cry from my throat. Lucian leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeattle Grace. Private entrance. Now.\u201d<\/p>\n
The driver did not answer. He simply turned.<\/p>\n
By the time we reached the hospital, my dress was soaked, my hair clung to my cheeks, and I was trembling so badly that Lucian carried me inside without asking permission.<\/p>\n
Doctors rushed toward us.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s six months pregnant,\u201d Lucian said. \u201cTriplets. Severe abdominal pain. Possible early labor.\u201d<\/p>\n
The physician looked startled. \u201cAre you family?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucian paused.<\/p>\n
Then he said, \u201cI\u2019m responsible for making sure she survives tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something in his voice made everyone move faster.<\/p>\n
They wheeled me into an examination room. Nurses attached monitors, checked my blood pressure, asked questions I struggled to answer. The babies\u2019 heartbeats filled the room moments later.<\/p>\n
Three tiny rhythms.<\/p>\n
Fast. Fragile. Alive.<\/p>\n
I cried when I heard them.<\/p>\n
The doctor smiled gently. \u201cThey\u2019re still with us, Mrs. Bennett.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time that night, I breathed.<\/p>\n
Then the door opened.<\/p>\n
Nathan stood there in a dark coat, rain glistening on his shoulders, three attorneys behind him like shadows.<\/p>\n
His eyes moved from me to Lucian.<\/p>\n
The room became quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cAva,\u201d Nathan said smoothly. \u201cThis has gone far enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucian stepped between us.<\/p>\n
Nathan\u2019s smile thinned. \u201cMr. Blackwood. I wasn\u2019t aware my private family matters interested you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey interest me now,\u201d Lucian replied.<\/p>\n
Nathan looked past him. \u201cAva, you are overwhelmed. My lawyers have prepared emergency paperwork. The children need stability.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou threw me out tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
His expression barely changed. \u201cEmotions were high.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou left me with a few hundred dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI gave you support.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew I was pregnant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know there were three.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words were quiet, but they revealed everything.<\/p>\n
Lucian turned slowly.<\/p>\n
Nathan noticed too late that he had said too much.<\/p>\n
The doctor cleared her throat. \u201cThis patient needs rest. Everyone not medically necessary should leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan lifted a folder. \u201cI have legal authority to remain.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n
My voice was weak, but it was mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, you don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucian looked at me, not Nathan. \u201cDo you want him here?\u201d<\/p>\n
I shook my head.<\/p>\n
Lucian opened the door. Two security officers appeared outside, as if they had been waiting.<\/p>\n
Nathan\u2019s face hardened. \u201cYou\u2019re making a mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor once,\u201d I said, \u201cI don\u2019t think I am.\u201d<\/p>\n
He left without raising his voice, which frightened me more than if he had shouted.<\/p>\n
After the room emptied, the doctor explained that stress had triggered contractions. They could try to stop them. I would need monitoring, quiet, and protection from further distress.<\/p>\n
Protection.<\/p>\n
The word felt strange.<\/p>\n
Lucian remained near the window, rain blurring the city behind him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you know my name?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
He did not turn immediately.<\/p>\n
When he did, his expression carried a weight I could not understand.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause your mother once saved my sister\u2019s life.\u201d<\/p>\n
My throat tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother died when I was seventeen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know,\u201d he said softly. \u201cEleanor Hayes. Nurse. Harborview emergency ward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hearing her name from his mouth changed the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucian reached into his coat and removed a folded photograph.<\/p>\n
In it, my mother stood beside a younger Lucian and a girl in a hospital bed. My mother\u2019s smile was tired but warm.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe stayed after her shift during a winter blackout,\u201d Lucian said. \u201cMy sister was twelve. No one thought she would last the night.\u201d<\/p>\n
I touched the photograph with shaking fingers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother refused money. Refused attention. She only asked me one thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
His gaze met mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat if her daughter ever needed help, I would not look away.\u201d<\/p>\n
The machines continued their steady rhythm around us.<\/p>\n
For years, I had believed my mother left me with nothing except memories. But somehow, across time and grief and rain, she had left me this.<\/p>\n
A promise.<\/p>\n
Lucian took back the photograph gently. \u201cI didn\u2019t know where you were after she died. When Drake Industries merged with one of my suppliers, your name crossed my desk.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou investigated me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI checked whether Eleanor Hayes\u2019s daughter was safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what did you find?\u201d<\/p>\n
His silence answered.<\/p>\n
I looked away.<\/p>\n
Before either of us could speak again, my phone buzzed on the blanket.<\/p>\n
A message from an unknown number appeared.<\/p>\n
Mrs. Bennett, I represent Nathan Drake. Do not consent to any procedure, transfer, or discharge without legal review.<\/p>\n
Then another message followed.<\/p>\n
Your children are Drake heirs. Their future will be decided appropriately.<\/p>\n
Lucian\u2019s face went cold, but his voice stayed controlled.<\/p>\n
\u201cMay I handle this through proper channels?\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost laughed. \u201cDo billionaires have proper channels?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of us keep them for emergencies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite everything, a tired smile tugged at my mouth.<\/p>\n
The doctor returned with medication and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. \u201cYour contractions are slowing. That is good news. But you cannot endure another scene like that tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t have anywhere to go,\u201d I admitted.<\/p>\n
Lucian answered before I could stop him.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe does.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
He explained carefully, almost formally, that he owned a private recovery residence attached to a medical foundation. It housed patients who needed privacy after complicated pregnancies, surgeries, or threats from public attention. There would be nurses, security, and legal counsel.<\/p>\n
It sounded impossible.<\/p>\n
It sounded like rescue.<\/p>\n
And rescue, I had learned, often came with hidden costs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you want from me?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Lucian looked almost offended, then sad.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople like you don\u2019t offer nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d he said. \u201cWe rarely do. But this is not business.\u201d<\/p>\n
I wanted to believe him.<\/p>\n
I also wanted not to be afraid.<\/p>\n
The night passed in pieces. Medication blurred the edges of pain. Nurses came and went. Lucian stepped outside to make calls, always returning quietly, never crowding me.<\/p>\n
At dawn, the rain stopped.<\/p>\n
Gray light filled the room.<\/p>\n
I woke to find a woman sitting beside my bed. She had silver hair, sharp eyes, and a tablet resting on her lap.<\/p>\n
\u201cMrs. Bennett,\u201d she said, \u201cI\u2019m Mara Voss. Family attorney.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stiffened.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot his,\u201d she added. \u201cYours, unless you object.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucian stood near the doorway, holding coffee he had not drunk.<\/p>\n
Mara\u2019s voice was brisk but kind. \u201cNathan Drake has filed nothing yet. He is posturing. However, he may attempt emergency action by claiming you are unstable, financially insecure, or being influenced.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe helped create every problem he plans to accuse me of having.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mara nodded. \u201cThat pattern is common among powerful spouses.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucian said quietly, \u201cCan he take the children?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot because he wants to,\u201d Mara replied. \u201cNot if Ava remains medically stable and legally prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time, someone had put my name before his.<\/p>\n
Ava.<\/p>\n
Not Mrs. Drake.<\/p>\n
Not Nathan\u2019s wife.<\/p>\n
A person.<\/p>\n
Mara placed a document on the tray table. \u201cThis authorizes me to respond to all communications. It does not give anyone control over your medical choices. Read every word before signing.\u201d<\/p>\n
So I did.<\/p>\n
Slowly.<\/p>\n
Carefully.<\/p>\n
No one rushed me.<\/p>\n
When I signed, my hand was still shaking, but not from helplessness.<\/p>\n
Later that morning, a nurse rolled in an ultrasound machine. The doctor wanted to check the babies again. Lucian stepped toward the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t have to leave,\u201d I said, surprising both of us.<\/p>\n
He stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, unless you want to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll stay where you ask me to stay.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stood beside the curtain, respectfully turned away until the monitor lit.<\/p>\n
Then there they were.<\/p>\n
Three small lives, crowded close together.<\/p>\n
Baby A moved a tiny hand.<\/p>\n
Baby B kicked.<\/p>\n
Baby C seemed curled inward, quiet but steady.<\/p>\n
The doctor smiled. \u201cThey are fighters.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed through tears.<\/p>\n
Lucian looked at the screen with an expression I could not name. It was not pity. Not ownership. Not calculation.<\/p>\n
It was wonder.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo they have names?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan had dismissed every name I suggested. Too old fashioned. Too ordinary. Too sentimental.<\/p>\n
Now, looking at their flickering shapes, I realized something simple.<\/p>\n
I could choose.<\/p>\n
By afternoon, Nathan\u2019s first formal letter arrived.<\/p>\n
Mara read it without expression.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe requests supervised visitation during pregnancy consultations, access to medical records, and notification of all treatment decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Mara\u2019s mouth curved. \u201cGood. That makes my reply easier.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucian received his own call shortly after. I could not hear the other voice, but I heard his answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Drake, you are mistaken. I am not holding Ava Bennett anywhere. She is a patient. She is represented. Further contact goes through counsel.\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, your reputation does not concern me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cNeither does your temper.\u201d<\/p>\n
He ended the call.<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou talk to everyone like that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly when they deserve complete sentences.\u201d<\/p>\n
A laugh escaped me before I could stop it. It was small and cracked, but it was real.<\/p>\n
Lucian looked relieved.<\/p>\n
That laugh changed something.<\/p>\n
Not everything. Not trust. Not safety. But the room felt less like a battlefield and more like a beginning.<\/p>\n
That evening, Mara returned with news.<\/p>\n
\u201cNathan\u2019s attorneys are digging into your background. Debts, medical records, employment history, family connections.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t have much family left.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat may be why they think you are vulnerable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucian\u2019s expression shifted.<\/p>\n
Mara noticed. \u201cThere is one complication.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNathan filed a sealed motion earlier this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis year? We weren\u2019t separated then.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. The motion had nothing to do with divorce.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mara handed me a copy.<\/p>\n
Most of the language meant nothing to me. Trusts. Succession. Protective designation. Future issue.<\/p>\n
Then I saw one phrase.<\/p>\n
Biological heirs.<\/p>\n
My pulse began to pound.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is this?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mara\u2019s voice softened. \u201cIt appears Nathan created a family trust for children conceived during the marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would he do that without telling me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucian said nothing.<\/p>\n
Mara looked at him, then back at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Drake Industries was under pressure from investors. A confirmed line of succession could stabilize certain private agreements.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo my babies were useful.\u201d<\/p>\n
No one answered.<\/p>\n
They did not have to.<\/p>\n
That night, sleep would not come. The city glowed beyond the window, silver and blue. I thought of Nathan choosing suits while I chose paint colors for a nursery he never entered. I thought of the way he had touched my stomach only when photographers were nearby.<\/p>\n
Then I thought of my mother.<\/p>\n
Had she known what kind of world money built around people?<\/p>\n
Lucian appeared in the doorway just after midnight.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should sleep,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo should you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI rarely do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds unhealthy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt probably is.\u201d<\/p>\n
He pulled the visitor chair farther from my bed, as if distance could make his presence less intimidating.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid my mother talk about me?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cOften?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough that I recognized your eyes before your name.\u201d<\/p>\n
My chest ached.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat you were stubborn when frightened. Kind when exhausted. And that you hummed when you were trying not to cry.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned my face away.<\/p>\n
I had been humming on the bus.<\/p>\n
Lucian\u2019s voice lowered. \u201cThat is how I knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
For a while, neither of us spoke.<\/p>\n
Then I asked, \u201cDid she know she was dying?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer hurt, but the honesty steadied me.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe made me promise one more thing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat I would never tell you unless you needed me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him through tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cI needed someone years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know,\u201d he said, and regret entered his voice. \u201cI failed to find you in time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something about that sentence broke through my fear.<\/p>\n
Not because it fixed anything.<\/p>\n
Because it admitted what could not be fixed.<\/p>\n
The next morning, I was transferred quietly to the Blackwood Foundation residence. It did not feel like a mansion. It felt like a hidden place built for people healing from storms. Wide windows faced a private garden. Nurses moved softly through warm hallways. There were books, clean blankets, and no mirrors unless I wanted one.<\/p>\n
My room overlooked a courtyard where rainwater shone on stone paths.<\/p>\n
For the first time in months, no one demanded I perform happiness.<\/p>\n
Mara visited daily. The doctors monitored the babies. Lucian came and went, never staying too long, never asking too much.<\/p>\n
Still, the questions grew.<\/p>\n
Why had my mother trusted him?<\/p>\n
Why had he searched for me?<\/p>\n
And why did Nathan seem more afraid of Lucian\u2019s involvement than of losing me?<\/p>\n
On the third day, a package arrived.<\/p>\n
No return address.<\/p>\n
Inside was a small white baby blanket and a note written in Nathan\u2019s handwriting.<\/p>\n
You always loved soft things. Come home before strangers turn you against your family.<\/p>\n
I held the blanket and remembered buying it alone.<\/p>\n
Nathan had not noticed it then.<\/p>\n
Now he was using it as bait.<\/p>\n
Mara photographed everything.<\/p>\n
Lucian watched from the doorway. \u201cDo you want it thrown away?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Everyone looked surprised.<\/p>\n
I folded the blanket carefully and set it in the drawer.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy children may use it one day. He doesn\u2019t get to ruin soft things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mara smiled slightly. \u201cThat is the strongest legal statement I\u2019ve heard all week.\u201d<\/p>\n
Life settled into an uneasy rhythm.<\/p>\n
I learned to take medication on schedule. I learned which nurse made the best tea. I learned that Baby B kicked whenever classical music played, while Baby A preferred my voice and Baby C remained quiet until night.<\/p>\n
I began keeping a notebook.<\/p>\n
Not for lawyers.<\/p>\n
For them.<\/p>\n
I wrote: Today, the rain stopped. Today, you scared me and then saved me. Today, I remembered I am allowed to want things.<\/p>\n
On the fifth day, Lucian found me in the garden wrapped in a blanket, watching fog lift from the hedges.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou disappeared,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI walked fifteen steps. Very rebellious.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour doctor said twelve.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen don\u2019t tell her.\u201d<\/p>\n
His mouth almost smiled.<\/p>\n
I noticed then how tired he looked. Powerful people were supposed to seem untouchable, but Lucian looked like a man holding too many locked doors shut.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy do people fear you?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
He sat on the opposite bench.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it is easier than knowing me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds lonely.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is efficient.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, it isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me with quiet surprise.<\/p>\n
I continued, \u201cLonely people call loneliness discipline because it sounds less painful.\u201d<\/p>\n
For a moment, the mask slipped.<\/p>\n
Then he said, \u201cYour mother spoke that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Warmth spread through me, followed by grief.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish I could ask her what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe would tell you to survive first. Decide later.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds like her.\u201d<\/p>\n
The garden smelled of wet earth and cedar. Somewhere nearby, water dripped from leaves in patient rhythm.<\/p>\n
Lucian folded his hands. \u201cNathan contacted my board.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe implied I am using foundation resources for personal reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The honesty startled me.<\/p>\n
He continued, \u201cBut not illegally. The foundation was built for exactly this kind of protection. He knows that. He is trying to create pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWill it work?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sound certain.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you\u2019re powerful?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I kept records.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words landed strangely.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat records?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucian\u2019s expression closed.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
I hated that answer.<\/p>\n
But I hated more that I trusted him enough to wait.<\/p>\n
That evening, Mara brought a laptop and showed me a public article about Nathan. The headline praised his strength during a \u201cprivate family medical matter.\u201d Chloe appeared beside him in the photograph, her hand placed delicately on his arm.<\/p>\n
My stomach twisted, but not from contractions.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s creating a story,\u201d Mara said. \u201cThe abandoned husband. The concerned father. The unstable wife hidden by a rival billionaire.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never abandoned him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
The worst part was Chloe\u2019s smile. Not cruel. Not triumphant.<\/p>\n
Uncertain.<\/p>\n
As if she did not know the whole story either.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan I talk to her?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Mara frowned. \u201cThat could be risky.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe may know something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucian, standing near the window, said, \u201cOr she may be another person Nathan controls with partial truths.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen maybe she deserves one complete truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
No one liked the idea.<\/p>\n
So naturally, I could not stop thinking about it.<\/p>\n
The call came the next afternoon from a blocked number. Mara was in court. Lucian was across town. I almost ignored it.<\/p>\n
Then something made me answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cAva?\u201d a woman whispered.<\/p>\n
I sat up carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cChloe?\u201d<\/p>\n
A breath shook through the phone. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t know I\u2019m calling.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart began to hammer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I saw the message he sent you. About the babies. About lawyers.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes. \u201cHe showed you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. His phone was open.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence stretched.<\/p>\n
Then Chloe said, \u201cAva, he told me you weren\u2019t really pregnant.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room tilted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said you were pretending at first. Then he said there was one baby, maybe, but it might not survive. He said you were confused and angry.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pressed a hand to my stomach.<\/p>\n
Three heartbeats.<\/p>\n
Three truths.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe lied to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that now,\u201d she whispered. \u201cBut there\u2019s more.\u201d<\/p>\n
A nurse glanced in through the glass panel. I forced myself to breathe evenly.<\/p>\n
Chloe continued, \u201cLast month, I heard him arguing with a man named Alden Pierce. They were talking about genetic reports.\u201d<\/p>\n
The name meant nothing to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat genetic reports?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know. Nathan said they had to be sealed before you asked questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mouth went dry.<\/p>\n
\u201cChloe, did he say anything else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice broke.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said, \u2018Ava can never learn why Blackwood was watching her.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The phone slipped in my hand.<\/p>\n
Before I could answer, the line went dead.<\/p>\n
By the time Lucian returned, I was sitting upright, pale and furious, with the nurse hovering nearby. I repeated every word Chloe had said.<\/p>\n
Lucian did not interrupt.<\/p>\n
But when I said Alden Pierce, he went completely still.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know him,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is he?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA geneticist. Private consultant. Expensive. Discreet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would Nathan hire him?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucian looked toward the darkening window.<\/p>\n
\u201cMara needs to hear this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I need to hear it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He turned back.<\/p>\n
The silence between us was no longer protective.<\/p>\n
It was a wall.<\/p>\n
I pulled the blanket tighter around myself. \u201cYou said my mother made you promise to help me. You said you looked for me. You said you kept records. Now Chloe says Nathan knew you were watching me. I am tired of being the only person in my own life who doesn\u2019t know the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucian\u2019s face changed. Not anger. Not guilt exactly.<\/p>\n
Surrender.<\/p>\n
He walked to the chair and sat down slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother was not only a nurse,\u201d he said. \u201cBefore Harborview, she worked for a private fertility clinic.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse stumbled.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe left after discovering irregularities. Missing files. Altered donor records. Procedures billed under false names.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that have to do with me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucian\u2019s voice lowered.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe believed children had been born from genetic material that powerful families later tried to trace, claim, or conceal.\u201d<\/p>\n
I could barely breathe.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother investigated that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe copied evidence before she left. She hid it. After she died, I received part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPart?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rest was missing.\u201d<\/p>\n
I whispered, \u201cNathan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you suspect.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The babies shifted beneath my hands, as if the truth had reached them too.<\/p>\n
Lucian continued, \u201cAlden Pierce worked at that clinic.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room narrowed around his words.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would Nathan need him now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause if Nathan is uncertain about the babies\u2019 legal or biological connection to him, a sealed genetic report could give him leverage.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cUncertain? Lucian, Nathan is my husband. Was my husband.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d My voice shook. \u201cYou don\u2019t get to say that calmly.\u201d<\/p>\n
The door opened before he could answer.<\/p>\n
Mara stepped inside, rain on her coat and urgency in her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucian stood. \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNathan filed an emergency petition.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor custody?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mara placed a document in front of me.<\/p>\n
My vision blurred as I read the first page.<\/p>\n
Nathan was not claiming the triplets as his heirs.<\/p>\n
He was requesting immediate court protection because, according to a sealed medical affidavit, the unborn children might be linked to another man entirely.<\/p>\n
At the bottom of the affidavit was a name.<\/p>\n
Lucian Blackwood.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PART 2 \u2013 Triplets, Secrets, and the Billionaire Who Knew Ava\u2019s Name Before She Spoke \u2013 2!001 PART 2 The SUV cut through the storm as if the city itself … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3459,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3,4,5],"class_list":["post-5499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-story-of-life","tag-family","tag-friend","tag-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/storylifedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/storylifedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/storylifedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storylifedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storylifedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5499"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/storylifedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5499\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5500,"href":"https:\/\/storylifedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5499\/revisions\/5500"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storylifedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3459"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/storylifedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storylifedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storylifedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}