The phone slipped from my hand.

It hit the floor.

But I barely heard it.

Because Thomas Hale’s voice was still inside my head.

I want my family back.

The words were almost worse than a threat.

Because they sounded like love.

And I had learned something about Thomas.

The most dangerous thing about him was never his anger.

It was the way he could make something terrible sound reasonable.

I looked at Daniel.

His face had gone completely still.

Too still.

Like he was no longer in the hospital room.

Like he was somewhere thirty-two years ago.

“Daniel?”

He didn’t answer.

“Daniel.”

Finally, he blinked.

“He knew.”

My mother closed her eyes.

“I told you.”

I looked between them.

“What?”

Daniel turned toward Margaret.

“You knew he was waiting for this?”

“No.”

Her voice was weak.

“But I knew he would come eventually.”

“Why?”

My mother looked at me.

“Because Thomas never lets go of anything he believes belongs to him.”

The words made my stomach twist.

Belongs to him.

That was the problem.

Thomas didn’t see people.

He saw possessions.

Things to own.

Things to control.

Things to take back.

“He said I was his family.”

Daniel’s hands tightened into fists.

“He has always believed that.”

I looked at him.

“How can he believe that after everything he did?”

Daniel’s eyes were full of anger.

“Because people like Thomas don’t think they hurt others.”

A pause.

“They think they are correcting the world.”

For several minutes, nobody spoke.

The hospital room felt smaller.

My mother lay in the bed.

Daniel stood beside the window.

And I sat between two people who had spent thirty-two years trapped inside the same nightmare.

Finally, I asked:

“Mom.”

She looked at me.

“There’s something you still haven’t told me.”

Her expression changed.

I knew I was right.

“There’s more.”

Margaret looked away.

Daniel noticed too.

“Margaret.”

She swallowed.

“Yes.”

My heart sank.

“What?”

She took a deep breath.

“The night Daniel disappeared…”

Daniel moved closer.

“Yes?”

“My brother was not the only person Thomas took.”

The room went silent.

I looked at Daniel.

Then at my mother.

“What does that mean?”

Margaret looked at me.

“He took something from Daniel.”

Daniel frowned.

“What?”

She looked at him.

“Your memory.”

Nobody moved.

“What?”

Daniel stared at her.

“What are you talking about?”

Margaret’s eyes filled with tears.

“You were not unconscious because you fell.”

A cold feeling moved through me.

“What happened?”

She whispered:

“They hurt you.”

Daniel’s face changed.

“Who?”

“I don’t know.”

“Margaret.”

“I swear.”

Her voice broke.

“I only saw you after.”

Daniel stepped back.

“You’re saying someone attacked me?”

“Yes.”

“And I forgot?”

“Yes.”

The room became silent.

I looked at Daniel.

Suddenly everything made sense.

The missing pieces.

The strange gaps.

The fact that he remembered the pain but not the details.

“You don’t remember the night my brother disappeared.”

Daniel looked at me.

“No.”

“Because someone made sure you wouldn’t.”

He slowly sat down.

For the first time, the strong biker looked lost.

“Why?”

The question came from Daniel.

Quietly.

Broken.

“Why would Thomas do that?”

My mother looked at him.

“Because you saw something.”

Daniel froze.

“What?”

“You saw what he was really doing.”

His eyes narrowed.

“What did I see?”

Margaret closed her eyes.

“You saw where he took Daniel.”

The room stopped.

I felt my heartbeat in my ears.

“You knew?”

My mother nodded.

“I suspected.”

“Where?”

She looked at the floor.

“An old farmhouse.”

Daniel stood immediately.

“Where?”

“I don’t know.”

“Margaret.”

“I don’t!”

She started crying.

“Thomas moved everything. He changed locations. He erased records.”

Daniel stared at her.

“But you knew he took him.”

“Yes.”

“And you did nothing?”

The pain in his voice was obvious.

My mother flinched.

“I tried.”

Daniel looked away.

“I searched.”

“I know.”

“I spent thirty-two years searching.”

“I know.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me?”

My mother’s tears fell faster.

“Because I thought you were dead.”

That stopped him.

“What?”

“I thought Thomas killed you.”

Daniel looked at her.

“I thought I lost both of you.”

The anger on his face faded.

Only sadness remained.

“I’m sorry.”

My mother shook her head.

“No.”

She reached for his hand.

“You were a child too.”

Daniel looked at her.

“You were supposed to protect me.”

The words were quiet.

But they hurt.

My mother closed her eyes.

“I know.”

That afternoon, the doctors insisted my mother rest.

But none of us could leave.

Not after everything.

Not after Thomas had returned.

The Iron Saints stayed outside the room.

They knew something bigger was happening.

Something dangerous.

Marcus came in briefly.

“We need to talk.”

Daniel nodded.

“About Thomas?”

“Yes.”

Marcus looked at me.

“You need to know something.”

“What?”

He hesitated.

“Thomas has been preparing for this.”

My stomach tightened.

“Preparing?”

“For years.”

“How?”

Marcus looked at Daniel.

“By making sure nobody believed the truth.”

Daniel understood.

“He created a backup plan.”

Marcus nodded.

“Yes.”

“What kind of backup plan?”

Marcus placed a folder on the table.

“We found this years ago.”

Daniel opened it.

Inside were documents.

Old.

Official-looking.

My eyes moved across the pages.

Then stopped.

A birth certificate.

My name.

But something was wrong.

I looked closer.

“This isn’t mine.”

Daniel looked.

His face changed.

“What?”

“The father’s name.”

Silence.

I pointed.

The document listed:

Thomas Hale.

But underneath it…

There was another name.

A name crossed out.

A name hidden.

Daniel stared.

“That’s impossible.”

“What?”

He touched the paper.

“This name…”

He looked at me.

“This is the man who helped Margaret escape.”

My mother looked toward us.

She saw the paper.

And her face turned pale.

“No.”

Daniel looked at her.

“Margaret.”

“No.”

She shook her head.

“That can’t be.”

“Who is he?”

My mother whispered:

“Your real father.”

The room froze.

I couldn’t breathe.

“What?”

Daniel looked at her.

“You told me Thomas was her father.”

Margaret shook her head.

“I thought he was.”

“What do you mean?”

Her hands trembled.

“Thomas made me believe everything.”

I stared.

“My entire life…”

My voice broke.

“Everything is a lie?”

My mother cried.

“No.”

She reached for me.

“You were the only real thing I ever had.”

But I couldn’t move.

Because suddenly a terrifying thought entered my mind.

If Thomas wasn’t my real father…

Then why had he spent thirty-two years controlling my life?

Why had he wanted me?

Why had he come back now?

Daniel looked at the hidden name again.

Then his face changed.

Because he recognized something.

“What?”

He looked at me.

“Evelyn…”

“What?”

He slowly turned the paper around.

The name was visible.

And I felt the world disappear.

Because the man listed as my biological father…

Was the same man who had been searching for Daniel all these years.

The same man who had walked into the diner.

The same man who was standing beside me.

Daniel Cross.

My brother.

My blood.

And somehow…

My father.

Nobody spoke.

The impossible truth sat between us.

Then my mother whispered:

“Thomas didn’t steal one child.”

A tear fell down her face.

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“He stole two.”

END OF CHAPTER 10