Chapter 2 - The Question He Couldn't Ask
Adrian barely slept.
The photograph remained on his desk until midnight.
He studied it from every angle.
Lily stood in the nursery.
The nursery he had prepared for Ellie when she was a baby.
But the photograph was older.
Much older.
Lily looked younger.
Not pregnant.
Holding a newborn.
Who was the baby?
Why was she inside his house?
And who had taken the picture?
At 6:30 the next morning, Adrian was waiting downstairs when Lily arrived.
She stopped when she saw him.
“Good morning, Mr. Mercer.”
“Good morning.”
She looked at him carefully.
“You're early.”
“So are you.”
“I always am.”
He noticed her hand resting protectively over her stomach.
“How are you feeling?”
“Fine.”
“Any complications?”
She frowned.
“No.”
“Do you need medical care?”
“I have a doctor.”
“Good.”
She started walking toward the kitchen.
“Lily.”
She stopped.
He almost asked.
Instead:
“Your bag.”
She looked down.
“What about it?”
“You've been taking supplies out every day.”
Her expression changed.
“Is that a problem?”
“Where do they go?”
She stared at him.
Then smiled sadly.
“You followed me.”
Adrian said nothing.
“I wondered when you'd do it.”
“You knew?”
“I knew eventually you'd become suspicious.”
“Why?”
“Because you don't trust people.”
That stung.
“Should I?”
“Sometimes.”
“Do you have something to hide?”
“Yes.”
His pulse quickened.
“What?”
Lily looked at him.
“My life.”
Then she walked away.
Adrian followed.
“Lily.”
She turned.
“I don't steal from you.”
“I didn't accuse you.”
“You didn't need to.”
He looked at her stomach.
“Who is the father?”
Her expression hardened.
“That isn't your business.”
“I apologize.”
“You should.”
She walked away.
Adrian watched her.
He had expected fear.
Guilt.
Defensiveness.
Instead, she seemed angry.
And somehow that made him trust her more.
That afternoon, Ellie found Lily in the kitchen.
“Can we make cookies?”
Lily smiled.
“I don't know if your dad approves.”
Ellie looked toward Adrian's office.
“He never knows what I do.”
Adrian heard her.
He stepped out.
“I know everything you do.”
Ellie grinned.
“No, you don't.”
Lily laughed.
Adrian almost smiled.
Almost.
Then Ellie whispered:
“Dad?”
“Yes?”
“Why don't you ever laugh?”
Lily looked away.
Adrian stared at his daughter.
“I don't know.”
“You should.”
She took Lily's hand.
“Come on.”
They disappeared into the kitchen.
Adrian stood alone.
His phone rang.
His security chief.
“Sir, we've identified the person who left the photograph.”
“Who?”
“We're not sure yet.”
“Then what did you find?”
“A second photograph.”
Adrian's stomach dropped.
“Send it.”
The image arrived.
This one showed Lily standing beside an older woman.
The woman was wearing a Mercer Urban Holdings employee badge.
Adrian recognized her.
His mother.
Margaret Mercer.
His mother had died twelve years ago.
He stared at the photograph.
It was impossible.
Unless the picture wasn't what it seemed.
He enlarged it.
The badge wasn't Margaret's.
It belonged to another woman.
A woman with the same last name.
Eleanor Mercer.
His father's sister.
His aunt.
The woman Adrian hadn't seen since he was seventeen.
His father had told him she died.
But apparently she hadn't.
Adrian called his father.
The line was disconnected.
His father had been dead for six years.
Suddenly, the photograph seemed less like a threat.
And more like a message.
Someone wanted him to uncover something.
That night, Adrian entered his father's old study.
He hadn't opened the room in years.
Dust covered everything.
He searched through old files.
Then found a locked drawer.
Inside was a letter.
The handwriting was his father's.
Adrian,
If you're reading this, Eleanor is alive.
His hands trembled.
I lied because I was trying to protect you.
Adrian continued reading.
There was a child.
He stopped.
A child?
The next line was partially torn.
The child belongs to our family, but the Mercer name cannot protect her.
Adrian heard footsteps behind him.
He turned.
Lily stood in the doorway.
She was pale.
She looked at the letter.
Then at him.
“You found it.”
Adrian's voice was barely audible.
“What child?”
Lily closed her eyes.
May you like
Then whispered:
“Ellie.”
