Chapter 7 - The Test)
They left before sunrise.
Margaret refused to stay behind.
Ethan moved everyone to a small private medical clinic owned by an old college friend, Dr. Aaron Bell.
Aaron asked no questions when Ethan arrived with four women, one child and a story that sounded impossible.
He only locked the doors.
"You said you need a DNA test."
Ethan nodded.
"Fast."
"We can get a preliminary result today. Full legal confirmation takes longer."
Elena sat beside Lily.
Lily looked terrified by the swab until Ethan volunteered first.
"Does it hurt?"
He rubbed the cotton swab inside his cheek.
"Terribly."
Lily's eyes widened.
Then Ethan smiled.
"I'm kidding."
She laughed.
It was the first time Elena heard her laugh since arriving at Mercer House.
Something warm and painful moved through Elena.
She had spent seven years imagining Ethan meeting Lily.
In some versions, he rejected them.
In others, he embraced Lily immediately.
Reality was quieter.
Awkward.
Careful.
Human.
After the samples were collected, Aaron led Ethan into the hallway.
"You okay?"
"No."
"Good answer."
Ethan leaned against the wall.
"What if she's mine?"
Aaron stared.
"You've looked at her, right?"
"That isn't what I mean."
"Then what?"
"What if I lost seven years because everyone around me made choices for me?"
Aaron's expression softened.
"Then you can't recover seven years in one day."
Ethan looked through the window at Lily.
"You start with today."
Inside the room, Margaret was telling Elena more about Northstar.
Victoria remained apart.
Elena finally looked at her.
"Why are you helping us?"
Victoria folded her arms.
"I'm helping myself."
"At least that's honest."
"I know what you think."
"You threatened my child with a baseball bat."
Victoria closed her eyes.
"I know."
"You don't get redemption because Daniel scares you."
"I know."
Elena stood.
"Stop saying that."
Victoria met her eyes.
"I spent seven years convincing myself you deserved what happened."
Elena said nothing.
"At first because I was jealous. Then because admitting the truth meant admitting I helped Daniel."
"You did."
"Yes."
"So why marry Ethan?"
Victoria's mouth tightened.
"Because I loved him."
"You don't do this to someone you love."
"No. You do this when love becomes possession."
The answer surprised Elena.
Victoria looked toward Ethan through the glass.
"I kept telling myself that if I could make him happy enough, everything before me would disappear."
"Lily ruined that."
"Lily proved nothing disappeared."
Elena sat again.
"What does Daniel have on you?"
Victoria's face changed.
Elena noticed instantly.
"That's why you're afraid."
Victoria looked away.
"Everyone in Northstar has a file."
"What's in yours?"
"Something that could put me in prison."
"For what?"
Before Victoria answered, Aaron entered.
"We have a problem."
Ethan followed.
"Someone tried to access the test."
"Who?"
"No idea. Remote login. Failed twice."
Margaret stood.
"Daniel."
Aaron shook his head.
"The credentials belonged to a Mercer Holdings employee."
Ethan pulled out his phone.
"Name?"
Aaron showed him the screen.
Ethan stared.
"No."
Elena approached.
"What?"
The employee ID belonged to Thomas Mercer.
Ethan's uncle.
Chairman of Mercer Holdings.
Charles's younger brother.
The man who had raised Ethan after both parents supposedly died.
Ethan called him.
Thomas answered on the second ring.
"Ethan?"
"Where are you?"
"London."
Ethan looked at Aaron's computer.
The login location displayed Virginia.
"You're lying."
Silence.
Thomas's voice changed.
"What's happened?"
"Did you try to access a DNA test?"
Another silence.
Longer.
"Ethan, listen carefully. Do not trust your mother."
Margaret's face hardened.
Ethan put the call on speaker.
"Why?"
"Because she isn't telling you why Charles faked her death."
Margaret whispered, "Thomas."
"Hello, Margaret."
"Stay away from him."
Thomas laughed.
"You've had twelve years to rewrite history."
Ethan snapped.
"Enough. Tell me what Northstar is."
Thomas went quiet.
Then he said something nobody expected.
"Northstar belongs to your mother."
Margaret turned white.
The call disconnected.
Elena stared at her.
"Is that true?"
Margaret gripped the chair.
"No."
Victoria whispered, "Not exactly."
Everyone turned.
She reached into her handbag and removed a small silver card.
A compass symbol was engraved on it.
Northstar.
"I told you Daniel has something on me."
She placed the card on the table.
"He recruited me six years ago."
Ethan stared.
"After Elena disappeared?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
May you like
Victoria looked at Margaret.
"Because he said the woman who created Northstar had returned from the dead."
