Chapter 7 — The Video Diane Tried to Erase
Chapter 7 — The Video Diane Tried to Erase
The fire alarm screamed through the hotel.
Emily held Lily against her chest and followed Marcus down the emergency stairs.
“Don't look back,” Marcus said.
“I wasn't planning to.”
“Good.”
Behind them, doors slammed open.
Guests stumbled into the stairwell.
Someone shouted that there was smoke.
There wasn't.
Emily knew it immediately.
The alarm was a distraction.
Someone wanted the hotel evacuated.
Someone wanted them separated.
Marcus suddenly stopped on the sixth floor.
Emily nearly collided with him.
“What?”
He pointed toward the exit door.
A man stood outside.
Dark jacket.
Baseball cap.
Waiting.
Marcus pulled Emily back.
“Not that way.”
“Then where?”
“Roof.”
Emily stared at him.
“You're kidding.”
“No.”
He pushed open another door.
They climbed.
Lily began crying.
Emily whispered to her.
“It's okay, sweetheart.”
But Emily wasn't sure it was.
She had spent years preparing evidence against Diane.
She had never prepared for people to hunt her.
Marcus opened the rooftop door.
Cold rain struck Emily's face.
The city stretched beneath them.
Sirens were approaching.
“Over here.”
Marcus led them behind a ventilation structure.
Emily crouched with Lily.
“Who triggered the alarm?”
Marcus looked down toward the street.
“Someone who wanted us outside.”
“Diane?”
“Probably.”
Emily stared at him.
“Probably isn't good enough anymore.”
Marcus looked at her.
“No.”
He pulled out his phone.
“I found something.”
“What?”
“The video.”
“What video?”
“The one Jason recorded at the warehouse.”
Emily's heart jumped.
“The photograph?”
“No.”
Marcus turned the screen toward her.
A video file was uploading.
JASON BENNETT — 11:47 PM
Emily's hands trembled.
“Play it.”
Marcus did.
Jason appeared on screen.
He looked exhausted.
His face was bruised.
But his eyes were clear.
He spoke directly into the camera.
“If you're watching this, I probably didn't get out.”
Emily covered her mouth.
Jason continued.
“I need Emily to know something.”
He paused.
“I never married her for the money.”
Emily's eyes filled.
“I married her because I loved her.”
The video shook.
Jason looked over his shoulder.
“I know how that sounds after everything I've done.”
He lowered his voice.
“But it's true.”
Emily stared at the screen.
Jason continued.
“My mother created the contract before our wedding.”
He held up a document.
“She wanted Emily tied to the Bennett family.”
A noise came from somewhere behind him.
Jason turned.
Then looked back at the camera.
“The marriage was supposed to produce a child who could be tested against the trust records.”
Emily's face went pale.
“But the child wasn't Lily.”
Marcus stiffened.
Jason continued.
“The beneficiary was Sarah Hale's daughter.”
Emily looked at Marcus.
“The baby was supposed to inherit Catherine's trust.”
Jason lowered the document.
“But the baby disappeared.”
He swallowed.
“My mother blamed Marcus.”
The video suddenly distorted.
Jason looked frightened.
Then whispered:
“She lied.”
The screen went black.
Emily stared.
“That's it?”
Marcus nodded.
“For now.”
“No.”
Emily shook her head.
“He knew more.”
“He did.”
“Where's the rest?”
Marcus looked at the file.
“It was damaged.”
Emily closed her eyes.
Then remembered something.
“The USB.”
“What?”
“Jason told me there was a USB at the warehouse.”
Marcus looked at her.
“When?”
“Before the call ended.”
“You didn't tell me.”
“I didn't know if you were involved.”
Marcus nodded.
“Fair.”
Emily looked down at Lily.
“What if Diane has it?”
“Then we get it first.”
They returned to the hotel after the fire department cleared the building.
Emily couldn't stop thinking about the video.
Jason had finally admitted the truth.
But one sentence kept echoing in her mind.
The child wasn't Lily.
If Diane knew that, why had she spent three years controlling Lily?
Why had she allowed Emily to believe Lily was the target?
And why had Jason been willing to risk everything to protect them?
At 4:26 a.m., Marcus received a call.
He answered.
“Hello?”
A woman's voice spoke.
Marcus went completely still.
Emily recognized the reaction.
“Who is it?”
Marcus didn't answer.
The woman spoke again.
Then Marcus whispered:
“Sarah?”
Emily's heart stopped.
Marcus stood.
“Where?”
Silence.
“I understand.”
He ended the call.
Emily stared.
“Was that her?”
Marcus nodded.
“Sarah is alive.”
They found her at an abandoned church two hours later.
The building had been empty for years.
Broken stained glass covered the floor.
The air smelled of damp stone.
Marcus entered first.
Emily followed with Lily.
A woman stepped out from behind a pillar.
She looked thinner than the photograph.
Older.
Exhausted.
But alive.
Marcus stopped.
“Sarah.”
She looked at him.
For a moment, neither moved.
Then she whispered:
“I thought you were dead.”
Marcus laughed once.
“So did everyone.”
Sarah's eyes moved toward Emily.
“You're Emily.”
“Yes.”
“And that's Lily.”
“Yes.”
Sarah approached slowly.
Lily hid against Emily's shoulder.
Sarah stopped.
“I understand.”
Emily studied her.
“You were supposed to be dead.”
Sarah nodded.
“I know.”
“Why did everyone believe you were?”
“Because Diane paid someone to make it look that way.”
Marcus stepped forward.
“Where is my daughter?”
Sarah's face collapsed.
“I don't know.”
Marcus closed his eyes.
Emily felt the pain in the room.
“But you knew where she was.”
Sarah nodded.
“For a while.”
“What happened?”
Sarah looked at Emily.
“She was alive when I escaped.”
“Where?”
“Diane's private nursery.”
Emily's blood ran cold.
“You mean she kept the baby?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because she needed time.”
“For what?”
Sarah looked at Marcus.
“To prove the child belonged to the trust.”
Marcus clenched his fists.
“And then?”
“Then someone took her.”
“Who?”
Sarah shook her head.
“I never saw his face.”
Emily asked:
“Was it Jason?”
“No.”
“Diane?”
“No.”
“Then who?”
Sarah hesitated.
“The man Diane called her insurance.”
Marcus's expression changed.
“My father.”
Sarah nodded.
“He was alive.”
Emily couldn't believe it.
“The man everyone thought was dead.”
Sarah nodded.
“He never died.”
“Why fake his death?”
“To disappear from the trust records.”
“Why?”
“Because Catherine had removed him.”
Emily frowned.
“Removed him from what?”
“Everything.”
Sarah walked toward an old table.
She placed a file on it.
“Catherine discovered that her son had been stealing from the family.”
Marcus stared.
“My father?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“Enough to destroy the company.”
Emily opened the file.
Inside were bank statements.
Millions transferred through shell companies.
Then another document.
A trust amendment.
Beneficiary protection clause.
Sarah pointed to it.
“Catherine changed the trust after discovering the theft.”
Emily read the clause.
No member of the Bennett family may control the trust without independent approval.
“That's why they needed the child.”
“Yes.”
“If the child inherited it—”
“The family could try to control her guardian.”
Emily understood.
“And that's where I came in.”
Sarah nodded.
“You were chosen because you had no connection to them.”
Emily looked at her.
“So I was supposed to become the guardian?”
“No.”
Sarah's eyes filled.
“You were supposed to become the scapegoat.”
The word hung in the air.
Emily looked at Marcus.
“Scapegoat?”
Sarah nodded.
“When the trust became active, Diane planned to accuse you of financial misconduct.”
“What?”
“She would claim you married Jason for money.”
Emily stared.
“They had everything planned.”
“Yes.”
“Then why did Jason resist?”
“Because he fell in love with you.”
Emily looked away.
“And Lily?”
“Lily was leverage.”
Sarah's voice broke.
“They needed a reason to keep you tied to Jason.”
Emily hugged Lily tighter.
Sarah looked at the child.
“I am sorry.”
Emily didn't answer.
Sarah continued.
“There was another part of the plan.”
“What?”
“They needed Lily's medical records.”
“Why?”
“To create a false connection between her and the trust.”
Emily's eyes widened.
“Diane wanted to make Lily appear to be Sarah's daughter?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“So the trust would recognize her.”
Marcus shook his head.
“That wouldn't work.”
“Not if the DNA records were real.”
Emily looked at him.
“Were they?”
Sarah nodded.
“They were altered.”
“By whom?”
Sarah looked toward the door.
“Diane had help.”
A noise came from outside.
Everyone froze.
Marcus reached inside his coat.
Emily moved behind him.
Footsteps approached.
Then stopped.
The door opened.
A man entered.
Not Diane.
Not Jason.
A stranger.
He looked at Sarah.
“You shouldn't have come here.”
Sarah stepped back.
Marcus moved between them.
“Who are you?”
The man smiled.
“You know exactly who I am.”
Marcus's face went white.
Emily recognized him from the old photographs.
The man who had supposedly died eleven years earlier.
Marcus's father.
Richard Bennett.
Richard looked at Emily.
“So you're the woman they chose.”
Emily's voice was steady.
“They?”
Richard smiled.
“Diane.”
He looked at Lily.
“She's beautiful.”
Marcus stepped forward.
“Don't look at her.”
Richard laughed.
“You still think you can protect everyone.”
“You're not touching them.”
Richard's smile disappeared.
“You have no idea how many people had to suffer because you refused to cooperate.”
Marcus stared at him.
“You killed Sarah.”
“No.”
Richard looked at Sarah.
“She survived.”
Sarah's face went pale.
Richard continued.
“I only needed everyone to believe she didn't.”
Emily realized something.
“You weren't trying to kill her.”
“No.”
“You wanted her hidden.”
Richard nodded.
“Because she knew where the baby was.”
Marcus looked at Sarah.
“You knew?”
Sarah shook her head.
“I didn't know where they took her.”
Richard smiled.
“But you knew who took her.”
Sarah's face changed.
Emily whispered:
“Who?”
Sarah didn't answer.
Richard did.
“Brooke.”
Emily's heart stopped.
“No.”
Richard nodded.
“She took the baby from Diane.”
“Why?”
“Because Brooke wasn't working for Diane.”
Emily stared.
Richard smiled.
“She was working for me.”
Marcus lunged.
Richard stepped backward.
A gunshot exploded.
Emily screamed.
Glass shattered.
Marcus grabbed Emily and pulled her behind a stone pillar.
“Stay down!”
Lily began crying.
Emily covered her ears.
Another shot.
Then silence.
Marcus looked around.
Richard was gone.
Sarah was bleeding from her arm.
Emily rushed to her.
“Are you hurt?”
“It's nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“Just a graze.”
Marcus looked toward the broken door.
“He wanted us scared.”
Emily looked at him.
“Why?”
Marcus's phone buzzed.
A new message.
He opened it.
His expression changed.
“What?”
He turned the screen toward Emily.
A video file.
BROOKE HARRINGTON — PRIVATE
Emily pressed play.
Brooke appeared on screen.
She was sitting in a dark room.
Her eyes were red from crying.
“I don't know how long I have.”
She looked directly at the camera.
“If Emily sees this, she needs to know something.”
Brooke swallowed.
“I lied about the baby.”
Emily stopped breathing.
Brooke continued.
“Marcus's daughter didn't die.”
Emily looked at Marcus.
“She was alive.”
Brooke's voice broke.
“I gave her to someone who promised to protect her.”
“Who?” Emily whispered.
Brooke continued:
“Jason.”
Marcus's face changed.
“What?”
Brooke nodded.
“Jason took the baby.”
Emily stared.
“Why?”
“Because he knew Diane would eventually find her.”
Brooke wiped her eyes.
“He hid her.”
Marcus whispered:
“Where?”
Brooke looked toward the camera.
“I don't know.”
Then she said something that made Emily's blood run cold.
“But Jason left a clue.”
The video froze.
Then restarted.
Brooke held up a small envelope.
On it was a number.
38.
Emily immediately understood.
“Exhibit Thirty-Eight.”
Marcus looked at her.
“What?”
“The evidence I collected.”
She suddenly remembered.
Photographs.
Messages.
Medical records.
The thirty-eighth item had always been different.
It was the only file Emily had never been able to open.
She had assumed it was corrupted.
Now she understood.
It wasn't corrupted.
It had been encrypted.
Emily pulled out her phone.
She opened the file.
A password prompt appeared.
She typed Lily's birthday.
Wrong.
Jason's birthday.
Wrong.
Her wedding date.
Wrong.
Then she remembered the marriage contract.
The clause.
Child's seventh birthday.
Emily entered:
7.
The file opened.
A video appeared.
Jason.
Holding a baby.
Not Lily.
Another little girl.
The baby had dark hair.
A tiny birthmark shaped like a crescent sat beneath her left ear.
Jason looked into the camera.
His voice shook.
“If anyone sees this, I need you to understand.”
He held the baby closer.
“This child is alive.”
Emily covered her mouth.
Marcus couldn't move.
Jason continued:
“Her name is Ava.”
The screen went black.
Then one final line appeared.
SAFE LOCATION: MERCER HOUSE — BASEMENT ROOM 3.
Marcus looked at Emily.
“Myrtle Avenue.”
Emily nodded.
“We go now.”
Sarah grabbed her arm.
“Wait.”
Emily turned.
Sarah's face was pale.
“Mercer House was abandoned.”
“Exactly.”
“No.”
Sarah shook her head.
“It's not abandoned.”
“Then what is it?”
Sarah whispered:
“It's where Catherine kept the original trust.”
Emily looked at Marcus.
And suddenly the pieces fell into place.
The marriage contract.
The missing baby.
The forged records.
The false death.
Brooke.
Jason.
Diane.
Richard.
They had all been fighting over the same thing.
A child.
And the money attached to her name.
But Emily was beginning to understand that the money was not the most dangerous secret.
The most dangerous secret was why Catherine had created the trust in the first place.
And what she had discovered about her own family before she died.
Emily picked up Lily.
“Let's go.”
Marcus nodded.
Behind them, Sarah whispered:
“Emily.”
Emily turned.
“If you find Ava…”
“Yes?”
“Don't trust the first person who says she's protecting her.”
Emily frowned.
“Why?”
Sarah's eyes filled with fear.
“Because that's exactly what they told me.”
Outside, thunder rolled across the city.
And somewhere inside an abandoned house on Myrtle Avenue, a little girl named Ava was waiting.
She had been hidden for three years.
Protected by a man everyone believed was a coward.
May you like
Hunted by a family that believed she belonged to them.
And tonight, for the first time, someone was coming to bring her home.
