Chapter 5 - Vanessa's Warning
The lights came back on.
Vanessa was gone.
Only a wet footprint remained near the back door.
Detective Reed rushed outside.
Claire grabbed Lily and held her tightly.
Ethan stood frozen.
“You heard her,” Claire said.
He nodded.
“She said not to let you take Lily.”
“I heard.”
“Why would she say that?”
Ethan looked at their daughter.
“I don't know.”
Claire stepped back.
“You're lying again.”
He finally exploded.
“Because I don't know who to trust!”
The room went silent.
Then Ethan admitted something worse.
Two years earlier, Vanessa had discovered that someone was using Claire's identity to move money through offshore accounts.
The money came from a company owned by Claire's father.
A company Claire had never known existed.
Her father's accident had not been random.
He had been investigating financial fraud.
And someone had silenced him.
Claire sat down.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because the person behind it had connections inside law enforcement.”
Reed looked offended.
“Are you saying someone in the police department is involved?”
Ethan nodded.
“Yes.”
Before Reed could respond, his phone rang.
He listened.
His face changed.
“What?”
He ended the call.
“The hospital has been breached.”
Claire's blood ran cold.
“Lily?”
“She’s safe.”
“Then what did they take?”
Reed looked at Claire.
“Your medical file.”
Someone had stolen every record connected to the attack.
Not her jewelry.
Not money.
Her medical records.
That meant whoever was behind this needed to know exactly what had been put into her body.
And why.
That night, Claire found a note beneath her pillow.
Three words.
YOU REMEMBERED WRONG.
She read it again.
Then she noticed the handwriting.
May you like
It was her mother's.
Except her mother had been dead for fifteen years.
