Chapter 5 - WHAT MARGARET KNEW
Margaret Sloan had spent twenty-nine years regretting one decision.
In 1997, she was a medical resident at St. Catherine’s Hospital.
Rebecca Carter came to her apartment one rainy evening with blood on the sleeve of her coat and terror in her eyes.
Rebecca was pregnant.
Twelve weeks.
She worked as a research coordinator for Hayes Pharmaceutical.
And she had discovered internal records from an experimental prenatal program.
The official program involved nutrient studies.
The private records were different.
Pregnant women were being tracked through hereditary markers, family histories, neurological development, and fetal blood samples.
The project had wealthy sponsors.
Not because they wanted healthier children.
Because they wanted predictable heirs.
Rebecca believed members of the Hayes family were directly involved.
Margaret had thought it sounded impossible.
Then Rebecca showed her documents.
A list of participating family names.
Trust structures.
Private clinics.
Confidential births.
Children transferred between legal guardians.
Medical histories rewritten.
One family appeared more often than any other.
Hayes.
Rebecca told Margaret she planned to give the files to her brother Michael.
Margaret begged her to go to police first.
Rebecca refused.
“I don’t know which police they own.”
Three nights later, Rebecca disappeared.
Her apartment was cleaned out.
Her bank account was closed.
Her car was found at Logan Airport.
Police concluded she had left the country voluntarily.
Margaret knew better.
She never told Michael everything.
That became the regret.
Years later, when Michael began investigating Rebecca’s disappearance, Margaret gave him fragments.
Not all of it.
She was afraid.
Then Michael died.
Officially from a heart attack.
Margaret never believed the timing.
Now, in Olivia’s living room, twenty-nine years after Rebecca’s disappearance, the same family was interfering with another Carter pregnancy.
Margaret looked at Dylan.
“You need to understand something.”
He was still holding Noah.
His hands trembled.
“I’m listening.”
“This did not start with you.”
Victoria stood near the Christmas tree.
“No.”
Margaret ignored her.
“Your grandfather funded private medical programs that collected genetic information from wealthy families.”
Dylan stared at her.
“What kind of genetic information?”
“Everything they could collect.”
“Why?”
“Selection.”
Olivia frowned.
“Selection for what?”
Margaret looked at Noah.
“That’s what Rebecca tried to discover.”
Victoria suddenly moved.
“Give me the folder.”
Margaret held it tighter.
“No.”
“I said give it to me.”
Dylan stepped between them.
“Stay away from her.”
Victoria stared at her son.
“You don’t understand what you’re protecting.”
“Then explain it.”
“I can’t.”
“You won’t.”
“For your own safety.”
Dylan laughed bitterly.
“You forged evidence, destroyed my relationship, intercepted Olivia’s mail, manipulated my accounts, and tried to alter my son’s medical records.”
Victoria whispered:
“Because some truths are more dangerous than lies.”
Dylan looked at her as though she were a stranger.
“You sound insane.”
Victoria’s face softened.
That almost made it worse.
“When you were six months old, your father tried to leave me.”
Dylan froze.
“For Rebecca?”
Victoria closed her eyes.
Olivia stopped breathing.
Margaret whispered, “Victoria.”
Dylan’s voice became hollow.
“My father knew Rebecca Carter?”
Victoria opened her eyes.
“Yes.”
“How?”
“They worked together.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
Victoria looked toward Noah.
“Charles loved her.”
Dylan stared.
Olivia covered her mouth.
Margaret lowered her head.
Victoria continued.
“For almost two years.”
“While married to you?”
“Yes.”
Dylan turned away.
Another foundation of his childhood shattered.
“Was Rebecca pregnant with his child?”
Victoria did not answer.
That was an answer.
Dylan turned back.
“Was she?”
“I don’t know.”
Margaret said quietly:
“She believed she was.”
Victoria snapped toward her.
“You promised.”
Margaret’s eyes hardened.
“I promised because I was afraid.”
Dylan felt as if the floor shifted beneath him.
“If Rebecca’s baby was my father’s…”
Olivia finished the thought.
“Then that child would be your half sibling.”
Silence.
Dylan looked down at Noah.
“Why does this matter now?”
Margaret placed the forged birth-record request beside an older photocopy.
Both had the same small emblem in the lower corner.
A circle crossed by three vertical lines.
Olivia recognized it immediately.
She ran to the box containing Michael Carter’s archive.
She pulled out an old photograph.
Rebecca was holding a folder.
The same emblem appeared on the cover.
Dylan whispered:
“What is that?”
Margaret answered.
“The organization Rebecca was trying to expose.”
Victoria sat down.
For the first time, she looked old.
Olivia stared at her.
“You know its name.”
Victoria remained silent.
Dylan stepped closer.
“Mom.”
She looked up.
“Tell us.”
Victoria whispered two words.
“North Winter.”
Margaret’s face drained of color.
Olivia had never heard the name.
But Dr. Sloan had.
Dylan saw it.
“What?”
Margaret backed away from the table.
“No.”
“What is North Winter?”
Margaret shook her head.
May you like
Victoria whispered:
“The reason your father is dead.”
