Chapter 5: The Driver's Secret
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Rain battered the windows.
The old house creaked around us.
Nathaniel stared at the name.
“Thomas Bell is my father?””
Grace nodded.
“Yes.””
He shook his head.
“No. My father was Richard Callaway.””
“Richard raised you. He wasn't the man who fathered you.””
Nathaniel turned away.
“Why would Thomas do this?””
Grace sat down.
“Because Richard couldn't have children, and he was obsessed with producing an heir.””
I looked at the journal.
“Then how did Thomas become involved?””
Grace took a deep breath.
“Thomas was Richard's closest friend. They grew up together. He was the only person Richard trusted with the company's private affairs.””
Nathaniel gave a bitter laugh.
“So my entire identity was a business arrangement?””
Grace didn't answer immediately.
Then she said something that made the room even colder.
“Thomas agreed to father a child for Richard and Eleanor.””
I stared.
“What?””
“Eleanor knew Richard couldn't have children. They arranged everything privately. Thomas was paid to remain silent.””
Nathaniel gripped the edge of the table.
“And you?””
Grace looked at him.
“I was working as a nurse at the hospital. I was twenty-two. I had no idea what Richard and Thomas had arranged until the night you were born.””
She turned toward me.
“Your birth was complicated. Eleanor was in labor at the same time I was. The doctors realized there were two babies. Richard had planned for Thomas's child to become the Callaway heir, but he didn't want anyone knowing the arrangement.””
Nathaniel stared at her.
“And Rose?””
“Rose was Eleanor's biological daughter.””
I frowned.
“Then why did Richard give me away?””
Grace's eyes filled.
“Because Eleanor had suffered severe complications. Richard believed she wouldn't survive. He was afraid that if she died, the company would be controlled by distant relatives. He wanted a male heir with no competing claims.””
Nathaniel slowly sat down.
“So he took me from you.””
“Yes.””
“And Rose?””
Grace looked at me.
“Richard wanted to remove every complication. He arranged for Eleanor's daughter to be declared dead. Then he told Eleanor that her baby had not survived.””
My stomach turned.
“But Eleanor raised me.””
Grace nodded.
“She was told you were a healthy child born through a private adoption. She didn't know the adoption had been arranged using falsified records.””
Nathaniel rubbed his forehead.
“Then why did Eleanor say she searched for Rose?””
“Because years later, she discovered the truth.””
“When?””
Grace opened the journal again.
“After Richard died.””
I looked at her.
“What happened seventeen years ago?””
Grace closed her eyes.
“Victoria's father discovered the journal. He wanted the Callaway family to sell a hospital property to his company. Richard had promised him a controlling interest, but the agreement was never completed.””
Nathaniel frowned.
“Why would Victoria be involved?””
“Because her father died shortly after Richard. She inherited his business interests and discovered the adoption records.””
Grace's voice dropped.
“She threatened to expose everything unless Thomas helped her gain control of the Callaway trust.””
Nathaniel looked up.
“Thomas?””
Grace nodded.
“He had spent years hiding his involvement. Victoria knew that if the truth came out, he would lose everything.””
I looked at the photograph of my mother.
“So you disappeared to protect me.””
“Yes.””
“But the house fire?””
Grace's face crumpled.
“It was staged.””
I stepped backward.
“What?””
“Thomas arranged for the house to be set on fire after I refused to hand over the journal. I escaped through the back door. The authorities were told I had died.””
I stared at her.
“And everyone believed it?””
“Not everyone.””
“Who knew?””
Grace looked at Nathaniel.
“Victoria.””
My blood turned cold.
“Why would she let you live?””
Grace gave a bitter smile.
“Because she thought I had given her the original journal.””
Nathaniel stood.
“Where has Thomas been all these years?””
“Working for the Callaways. He stayed close to the family. He made sure no one ever found me.””
I looked at the window.
“Then why did he help Victoria escape tonight?””
Grace's expression changed.
“Because she has something he wants.””
“What?””
Grace pointed to the journal.
“The original birth certificate.””
Nathaniel leaned forward.
“Where is it?””
Grace looked at me.
“Inside the Callaway family vault.””
I frowned.
“Why would it be there?””
“Because Richard put it there before he died. He believed the vault was the safest place in the city.””
Nathaniel shook his head.
“That's impossible. I've been inside that vault.””
“Then you know the family documents are stored in a separate compartment.””
Nathaniel went still.
I looked at him.
“What?””
He swallowed.
“There is a compartment behind the main wall. Only my father and Eleanor had access.””
Grace nodded.
“Richard placed the original documents there. And he left something else.””
“What?””
“A letter.””
Nathaniel looked toward the journal.
“What does it say?””
Grace turned to the final page.
There was a photograph of a sealed envelope.
On it, Richard had written:
To the rightful heir of the Callaway estate.
Nathaniel stared.
“Who is the rightful heir?””
Grace didn't answer.
Instead, she reached into the journal and pulled out a folded document.
It was a copy of the original adoption agreement.
At the bottom were three signatures.
Richard Callaway.
Thomas Bell.
And Eleanor Callaway.
But beneath Eleanor's signature was a handwritten note.
If the truth is ever revealed, the entire Callaway inheritance must pass to the child whose birth was concealed.
I read it twice.
Then I looked at Nathaniel.
“That's you.””
He shook his head.
“No.””
Grace pointed to the document.
“Read the final line.””
I leaned closer.
The handwriting was different.
It appeared to have been added years later.
The concealed child's identity is not the child recorded as Nathaniel Callaway.
My breath caught.
Nathaniel stepped backward.
“What does that mean?””
Grace looked at him.
“It means Richard changed the records twice.””
The house suddenly felt unbearably small.
I looked at my mother.
“Who was the concealed child?””
Grace didn't answer.
Instead, she took my hand.
“Rose, I need you to listen carefully. There is something I never told you about the night you were born.””
I felt my throat tighten.
“What?””
She looked directly into my eyes.
“You were not Eleanor's first child.””
My stomach dropped.
“What?””
“Eleanor gave birth to another baby six years before you. A little boy.””
Nathaniel frowned.
“Where is he?””
Grace's eyes filled with tears.
“Richard told everyone he died.””
I looked at the document again.
The date.
The signatures.
The handwritten note.
Then I noticed something.
The final signature belonged to someone who had not been mentioned in our conversation.
A witness.
*Victoria Sterling.*
I looked up.
“Why would Victoria sign this?””
Grace's face turned white.
“Because she was there.””
Nathaniel shook his head.
“She would have been a child.””
Grace nodded.
“She was seven years old.””
A horrible silence followed.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
A man's voice came through.
“Rose Carter?””
“Who is this?””
“Thomas Bell.””
My blood turned to ice.
“What do you want?””
“I want you to stop reading that journal.””
I tightened my grip on the phone.
“You helped destroy my mother's life.””
A pause.
Then he said, “Your mother is telling you only half the truth.””
Grace stood abruptly.
“Hang up!””
Thomas continued.
“Ask Grace what happened to Eleanor's first baby.””
I stared at my mother.
She was trembling.
Thomas lowered his voice.
“And ask her why she was the only person who left that hospital with two children.””
The call disconnected.
I slowly lowered my phone.
Nathaniel turned toward Grace.
“Mom?””
Grace looked at the floor.
“Please.””
“Tell me what happened.””
She began crying.
Then she whispered five words.
“Victoria was the other baby.””
Nathaniel froze.
I couldn't breathe.
My mother reached for the journal.
But before she could touch it, the front door downstairs slammed open.
Footsteps echoed through the hallway.
Marcus shouted.
“Who's there?””
A man's voice answered.
“I'm here for my son.””
Nathaniel looked toward the staircase.
Grace grabbed my wrist.
“Rose, don't let him take the journal.””
Then the footsteps stopped directly outside the bedroom.
And a familiar voice spoke through the door.
“Hello, Nathaniel.””
May you like
It was Thomas Bell.
“It's time you met your real father.””
