Chapter 14 - Thomas's Last Lie
Thomas had moved the baby.
He had not stolen her.
At least not originally.
He claimed he discovered Dr. Vale planned to use the newborn as NV-04—a fake continuation subject designed to frighten Marianne into resurfacing.
Thomas intercepted the transport.
Then instead of immediately contacting authorities, he gave the baby to Marianne.
Why?
He needed Marianne to trust him.
She possessed Northstar’s original sample-access codes.
Thomas wanted them.
“To destroy the database?”
Claire asked.
Thomas hesitated.
Wrong answer.
“What were you going to do with it?”
He looked at his daughter.
“Sell it.”
Silence.
Claire felt something inside her finally break.
Not emotionally.
Illusion.
Thomas had spent six years hiding.
At first, he genuinely wanted to expose Northstar.
Then he discovered the archive’s commercial value.
Pharmaceutical firms would pay enormous sums for legally usable datasets.
Thomas convinced himself he could sell selected information, fund restitution for victims and keep enough to disappear permanently.
Claire whispered:
“You became them.”
“No.”
“You decided other people’s information belonged to you because you had a good reason.”
Thomas began crying.
“I wanted to make it right.”
“With money?”
“With something.”
Claire shook her head.
“You let me think you were dead.”
“To protect you.”
“You called me only when you needed Northstar exposed.”
“That isn’t true.”
“Isn’t it?”
Thomas couldn’t answer.
Then investigators revealed another fact.
The mysterious call into Ryan’s phone in the bathroom had not been accidental.
Thomas knew Melissa would hand Claire the phone.
How?
He had been communicating with Melissa.
Claire looked at her.
Melissa went pale.
“For how long?”
“Three weeks.”
Melissa had found one of Thomas’s hidden messages and contacted him.
He instructed her to keep pretending to support Ryan while documenting everything.
That explained her trembling smile.
Her watching.
Her decision to hand over the phone.
But Thomas had told her Claire’s father was alive.
Why had Melissa reacted with horror when Claire said he was dead?
Because Melissa thought Claire knew.
Her reaction was genuine confusion.
Then Ryan locked the door.
Thomas called.
A trap collided with another trap.
Claire asked Melissa:
“Why didn’t you just call police?”
Melissa looked ashamed.
“Thomas told me not to.”
“Why?”
“He said we needed enough evidence to expose Northstar, not just Ryan.”
Claire stared at her father.
“You left me chained so you could build a bigger case.”
Thomas’s face collapsed.
“I thought Melissa could keep you safe.”
“She watched me drink from a toilet.”
Melissa began sobbing.
“I know.”
Thomas whispered:
“I didn’t know it had gotten that bad.”
Claire’s voice became ice.
“You knew enough.”
There it was.
The final distinction.
Ryan was the direct abuser.
Northstar cultivated him.
Evelyn manipulated him.
Melissa delayed intervention.
Thomas allowed danger to continue because evidence benefited his larger goal.
Different guilt.
Different consequences.
But Claire was finished accepting the phrase “I was protecting you.”
Then police escorted Thomas away for further questioning regarding the intercepted newborn and unauthorized data access.
Claire watched him leave.
She did not know whether she would forgive him.
She no longer believed forgiveness had to happen quickly.
That night, Sarah visited.
Independent testing confirmed Sarah was Evelyn’s biological daughter.
Sarah chose not to meet Evelyn yet.
Also valid.
The newborn was placed with appropriate protective authorities while the lawful adoption process was reconstructed.
No child became someone’s clue.
Then Claire finally received her own medical results.
The baby was healthy.
Ryan was the biological father.
Claire was the biological mother.
No hidden embryo.
No genetic donor.
No engineered heir.
Just their baby.
Claire cried with relief.
Then the doctor hesitated.
“There is something else.”
Claire stiffened.
“What?”
“Someone requested a paternity test three months before you became pregnant.”
Claire stared.
“That’s impossible.”
The doctor placed the record down.
Patient:
Claire Bennett.
Potential father:
Ryan Hale.
Date:
Three months before conception.
May you like
And the result already listed:
PATERNITY CONFIRMED.
