Chapter 7 - THE WOMAN AT THE DOORMargaret didn't wait for permission.
She used a master key.
The door opened.
She walked inside carrying a black handbag.
She looked calm.
Too calm.
“Where are my grandchildren?”
“Sleeping,” I said.
“Good.”
She looked at Brandon.
“You told her?”
“Yes.”
Margaret closed her eyes.
“Then we're out of time.”
I crossed my arms.
“Start talking.”
She looked at me.
“You think I wanted to take your daughter.”
“You did.”
“I wanted to protect her.”
“From what?”
Margaret glanced at Brandon.
Then back at me.
“From the truth.”
I laughed bitterly.
“Everybody keeps saying that.”
She set her bag down.
“Daniel Reeves wasn't simply a doctor.”
“Then what was he?”
“A researcher.”
“Researching what?”
“Genetic inheritance.”
My stomach tightened.
Margaret continued.
“Years ago, Daniel discovered that certain genetic markers could predict serious illnesses before symptoms appeared.”
“And?”
“He created a private program.”
“What program?”
“Families paid him for genetic screening.”
“That sounds legal.”
“It wasn't.”
She opened her handbag.
Inside were dozens of files.
“The program used embryos without proper consent.”
I stared at her.
“What?”
“I didn't know at first.”
“When did you find out?”
“After Brandon's father died.”
That name made Brandon stiffen.
His father had died years ago.
Margaret continued.
“Daniel had access to the fertility clinic's records.”
“Why?”
“Because he worked with them.”
“You're saying the clinic sold patient information?”
“Yes.”
My mind raced.
“And the twins?”
Margaret looked down.
“One embryo was part of Daniel's research.”
I felt sick.
“What does that mean?”
“One of the twins may carry a marker.”
“What marker?”
“A rare genetic mutation.”
“Which twin?”
“We don't know.”
“Then why did you try to take Lily?”
Margaret hesitated.
“Because Daniel told me Lily was the one.”
I stared at her.
“How?”
“An embryology error.”
“That's not enough.”
“He had access to the lab reports.”
“And Brandon?”
Margaret looked at her son.
“You were never supposed to find out.”
Brandon stepped forward.
“What did you do?”
“I protected you.”
“You emptied our savings.”
“To pay Daniel.”
“You hired lawyers.”
“Yes.”
“You tried to get guardianship.”
“Yes.”
He looked horrified.
“For what?”
“To remove Lily temporarily until the genetic test was complete.”
I looked at Margaret.
“You destroyed our family.”
“I was trying to save it.”
“No.”
My voice shook.
“You were trying to control it.”
Margaret reached into her bag.
She pulled out a flash drive.
“Daniel left this behind.”
Brandon took it.
“What is it?”
“Everything.”
I stared at the drive.
“What's on it?”
“Medical records.”
“Anything else?”
Margaret hesitated.
“Messages.”
“Between who?”
She looked at Brandon.
“Daniel and your husband.”
I looked at Brandon.
He whispered,
“That can't be right.”
“Why?”
“Because I never messaged him.”
Margaret gave a small, sad smile.
“You did.”
Brandon opened the laptop.
We inserted the drive.
Hundreds of files appeared.
Then one folder.
The name was simple.
EMILY
Inside were photos.
Medical records.
Financial documents.
And one video.
The timestamp was from six months before the twins were born.
Brandon clicked it.
A recording began.
Daniel Reeves appeared on screen.
He looked directly into the camera.
“If you're watching this, Margaret failed.”
Then he said something that none of us expected.
“I was never testing the twins.”
The video paused.
My heart stopped.
May you like
Daniel smiled faintly.
“I was testing Emily.”
