Chapter 164
Ethan’s POV:
Eleanor Bailey’s door slammed behind me.
تا
I stood there for a moment, my heart hammering against my ribs as I
tried to process her hostile reaction.
Twenty minutes ago.
My heart raced as I climbed the steps of the Bailey residence, the
address clutched tightly in my hand.
The hospital records had led me here.
I nervously pressed the doorbell.
When the door swung open, I was momentarily taken aback.
Eleanor Bailey–the same woman I’d seen at the Thornton estate
gates. Audrey’s adoptive mother.
All I’d done was ask about Audrey–and she’d practically thrown me
out.
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As I stepped into the hallway, I spotted two familiar figures near the
building’s entrance.
“Finley? Clara?” I called out, surprised to see my brother and his wife.
Clara turned, her eyes widening slightly.
“Ethan! What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same question,” I replied, approaching them.
Finley studied my face.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost, brother.”
“Not quite a ghost.” I glanced back at the building. “I just had a rather unpleasant conversation with Eleanor Bailey.”
“Eleanor Bailey?” Clara repeated, she seemed a bit nervous, “What do
you want with her?
料
“I found an address in the hospital records,” I said, keeping my voice
low.
“The Bailey residence. I came hoping to find answers about our sister, and accidentally discovered this is Audrey’s adoptive parents‘ home.”
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Finley’s eyes widened in shock.
“Wait, are you saying you think Audrey might be our sister?”
I nodded solemnly.
“Everything points to it, Fin. The timing, the hospital records, the
fact that the Baileys‘ condition.”
“What did Eleanor actually tell you?” Finley asked, his brow furrowed
in concentration.
“Nothing useful,” I replied with a frustrated sigh.
“She just insisted I was mistaken and practically threw me out.
24
I turned to Clara, who had been unusually quiet throughout the
exchange.
“Clara, you and Audrey are close. Do you know if she was born at
Manhattan Memorial Hospital?”
Clara’s hands immediately began fidgeting with the strap of her
purse.
Her eyes darted between Finley and me, clearly uncomfortable.
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“I–I’m not sure,” she stammered, her voice higher than normal.
But something in her expression told me otherwise.
The slight tremor in her voice, the way she couldn’t quite meet my
eyes.
Finley noticed it too.
He placed a protective hand on Clara’s shoulder, giving it a gentle
squeeze.
“This isn’t the place for this conversation,” he said firmly, glancing
around at the building’s entrance. “Let’s go home and talk there.”
Clara shot him a grateful look, the relief evident on her face.
“You’re right,” I agreed, suddenly aware we were still standing just
outside the Bailey residence.
Back at our Manhattan apartment, Clara paced the living room while
Finley made coffee.
I watched her from the couch, giving her space to collect her
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thoughts.
She seemed unusually agitated, her hands fidgeting with the hem of
her blouse as she moved back and forth across the hardwood floor.
Finally, she stopped pacing and turned to face me.
“I need to apologize to you, Ethan,” she said, her voice strained. “I
haven’t been completely honest.”
I sat up straighter, feeling my pulse quicken. “About what?”
Clara sank into the armchair across from me, her shoulders slumping.
“About Audrey. The hospital records do match. She was born at
Manhattan Memorial on the same day your sister was taken.”
Although I had some expectation in mind, my heart still involuntarily
started to race.
“Why did you hide it from us?”
“I promised her I wouldn’t,” Clara said, her eyes pleading for
understanding.
“Last night, when we were outside the door during Kevin’s
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interrogation, Audrey and I both realized the implications of what he
was saying about the baby switch. She connected the dots just as I
did.”
Finley entered with mugs of coffee, setting them on the table before
taking a seat beside me.
“So Audrey already knows she might be Ethan’s sister?”
2
Clara nodded. “She asked me not to say anything. She needed time to
process it.”
“Why?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady despite the emotions
churning inside me.
“Why wouldn’t she want to know her real family?”
“Because she’s been hurt before, Ethan,” Clara explained gently.
“The Baileys raised her as their daughter, then practically discarded
her when they found their biological child. When she discovered she
wasn’t their blood, they pushed her into a contract marriage with
‘Samuel West‘ to save their failing business.”
“Samuel West?” I frowned. “Another name for Caspar?”
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Clara nodded. “Yes.”
“The Baileys treated her terribly,” Clara continued.
“Everyone except the grandmother, Margaret. And Eleanor… she’s the
worst of them all. That’s probably why she turned you away at the
door–she simply doesn’t want Audrey to be happy.”
I felt a surge of protective anger.
If Audrey truly was our sister, the thought of her suffering at the
hands of these people was unbearable.
“Why wouldn’t Audrey want to find her biological family?” I asked, thinking of how desperately we’d searched for her.
“Fear of rejection, maybe,” Clara suggested.
“She was already abandoned once. She built walls to protect herself.”
I nodded slowly, understanding dawning.
I fell silent, processing everything.
“We need a DNA test,” I said finally. “That’s the only way to know for
certain.”
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Clara bit her lip. “How do you plan to get that? Ask her directly?”
“No,” I shook my head firmly.
“Audrey would almost certainly resist if I approached her directly. ”
“Then what do you suggest?” Clara asked, concern evident in her
voice.
I hesitated before meeting her eyes.
“I was hoping you might be able to help. Maybe… get a strand of her
hair next time you see her?”
Clara’s eyes widened, her lips parting slightly in shock.
The living room fell into a tense silence, the only sound the distant
hum of traffic outside our apartment window.
As I watched her reaction, the full weight of what I was asking settled
on me.
I was putting her in an impossible position–between her loyalty to a
friend and her loyalty to us.
“Clara, I’m sorry,” I began, shaking my head. “That was unfair of me to
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ask. Forget I—”
“I’ll do it,” Clara interrupted, her voice quiet but firm.
I blinked in surprise. “You will?”
She nodded slowly.
“I’ve been Audrey’s friend for years now. I’ve seen how she struggles,
how she’s built walls around herself. If you really are her family… she
deserves to know that.” Clara took a deep breath. “But I have one
condition.”
“Name it,” I said immediately.
“No matter what the results show, we tell Audrey everything
immediately afterward,” she said, her eyes meeting mine with
unwavering intensity.
“No more secrets. She deserves complete honesty–especially from
the people who claim to care about her.”
I nodded solemnly.
“You have my word. The moment we know for certain, we’ll tell her
everything.”
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I said, relief washing over me. “Thank you, Clara.”
She gave me a small, tight smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Don’t thank me yet. I’m still not sure this is the right thing to do.”
I understood her reservation.
In her position, I’d feel the same way.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
