Chapter 10 - Phoebe’s SecretPhoebe Worthington had never considered herself cruel.
The twins were unharmed.
Grace was crying because adults were shouting.
Noah was furious because officers had confiscated his toy walkie-talkies while checking the house.
Sydney dropped to her knees and pulled both children against her.
“I’m here.”
“Why are there police?” Noah asked.
“Someone scared us.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know yet.”
Grace buried her face against Sydney.
“Are bad guys coming?”
“No.”
Sydney hated lying.
But the truth had become too large.
Darwin stood several feet away.
He wanted to touch them.
He did not.
Noah noticed him.
“Darwin.”
The boy had remembered his name.
Darwin’s heart twisted.
“Hey, buddy.”
“Why are you here?”
Darwin looked at Sydney.
This was her decision.
Sydney closed her eyes briefly.
The children were already inside the story.
Maybe hiding everything was no longer protection.
She sat them on the sofa.
“Remember when Noah noticed Darwin looked like him?”
Noah nodded.
Grace whispered, “Like the picture.”
“Yes.”
Sydney took both their hands.
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
Darwin could barely breathe.
“You know families can be made in lots of ways.”
Noah nodded solemnly.
“Marcus says family is who shows up.”
Darwin felt that sentence like a knife.
Sydney smiled faintly.
“Marcus is right.”
She looked toward Darwin.
“Darwin knew me a long time ago. Before you were born.”
Grace looked between them.
“Were you friends?”
“We were married.”
Noah’s eyebrows rose.
“You had another husband?”
“Yes.”
“Before Marcus?”
Sydney almost laughed.
“Marcus and I were never married.”
Noah considered this complicated timeline.
Sydney continued.
“When you were born, Darwin didn’t know about you.”
“Why?”
There it was.
The impossible question.
Darwin spoke.
“Because I made some bad choices.”
Sydney looked at him.
He continued carefully.
“I left before I knew your mom was going to have you.”
Grace frowned.
“Both of us?”
“Both.”
“And you didn’t know?”
“No.”
Noah stared.
Then asked:
“Are you our dad?”
Silence.
Sydney squeezed his hand.
“Biologically, yes.”
Grace looked confused.
“What’s biologically?”
“It means part of what made you comes from Darwin, just like part comes from me.”
Noah looked at Darwin.
“You’re our father?”
Darwin’s eyes filled.
“Yes.”
Noah’s expression hardened.
“Where were you?”
Darwin had expected the question eventually.
Not from a five-year-old.
Not this soon.
“I wasn’t there.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t know you existed.”
“Mom knew.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t she tell you?”
“She tried.”
Sydney closed her eyes.
Darwin continued.
“Other adults stopped me from knowing.”
Noah looked at his mother.
“Is that true?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Sydney took a breath.
“Because some people made very bad choices.”
Grace slid off the sofa.
She walked toward Darwin.
He froze.
She stood in front of him.
“You’re my daddy?”
Darwin’s voice broke.
“I’m your biological dad.”
Grace touched his jacket.
“Do I have to call you Daddy?”
“No.”
The answer came instantly.
“You can call me Darwin forever if you want.”
“Okay.”
She thought for a second.
“Can I still call Marcus Marcus?”
Darwin laughed through tears.
“Yes.”
Grace nodded, satisfied.
Then returned to Sydney.
Noah was not satisfied.
“You left Mom.”
Darwin looked at him.
“Yes.”
“That was mean.”
“Yes.”
“Did you say sorry?”
“Many times.”
Noah looked at Sydney.
“Did you forgive him?”
Every adult in the room went still.
Sydney smiled sadly.
“That is a grown-up question.”
“Why?”
“Because grown-up feelings are complicated.”
Noah folded his arms.
“Okay.”
Then he turned toward Darwin.
“I’m still mad.”
“You’re allowed to be.”
“I might be mad tomorrow.”
“You’re allowed.”
“Maybe a lot of days.”
Darwin nodded.
“I’ll still be here.”
Noah stared at him.
Then something softened.
Not acceptance.
Not forgiveness.
But curiosity.
That was enough.
Later, after the children slept, Sydney stood by the window.
Darwin approached.
“You were good with them.”
“I was terrified.”
“That may be why.”
He smiled faintly.
The smile faded.
“They deserve better than this.”
“They deserve honesty.”
“I mean the danger.”
Sydney nodded.
“We end it.”
“How?”
“We give Hale what he wants.”
“The originals?”
“No.”
She looked at Darwin.
“We give him the originals.”
Darwin stared.
“You just said—”
“The originals aren’t the only copies.”
He understood.
“You made backups.”
“Years ago.”
“Where?”
Sydney smiled for the first time in days.
“Somewhere no Worthington has access to.”
They planned the exchange.
A digital message was sent through the channel the kidnappers had provided.
DARWIN WILL BRING THE FILES.
ALONE.
The response arrived three minutes later.
WORTHINGTON LAB BUILDING 3.
MIDNIGHT.
Ruiz objected.
Darwin insisted.
The abandoned laboratory had belonged to Worthington Biologics during the Varexin years.
Appropriate.
Every family seemed to return eventually to the scene of its first lie.
At 11:57 p.m., Darwin entered alone carrying a metal case.
Police tactical teams surrounded the property at distance.
A wire was sewn into his jacket.
The building smelled of dust and chemicals long gone.
A light clicked on.
Arthur Hale stepped from behind a plastic curtain.
Darwin recognized him instantly.
Older.
Thinner.
Still wearing the calm expression of the man who once scheduled Eleanor’s board meetings.
“Mr. Worthington.”
“Arthur.”
“Put the case down.”
“Where is Halpern?”
“Alive.”
“Prove it.”
A second light came on.
Halpern sat tied to a chair.
His face was bruised.
But he was alive.
Darwin exhaled.
“Where is your father?”
Arthur smiled.
“You always were brighter than Eleanor gave you credit for.”
“Simon killed Thomas Holston.”
“My father prevented a criminal from destroying thousands of lives.”
“He ran a man off the road.”
“Thomas chose war.”
Darwin’s stomach turned.
“And you threatened children.”
Arthur’s face remained calm.
“I threatened their mother.”
“You sent photographs of five-year-olds.”
“I needed her attention.”
Halpern struggled.
“Arthur, stop.”
Arthur struck him.
Darwin forced himself not to react.
“You’ve been cleaning up your father’s mess for decades.”
“No. I’ve been preserving what the Worthington family was too weak to preserve themselves.”
Darwin frowned.
Arthur stepped closer.
“Your father confessed. Your mother panicked. Halpern drank himself half to death. Everyone became sentimental.”
“And you?”
“I learned from Simon.”
“Where is he?”
“Gone.”
“You expect me to believe he isn’t here?”
“He’s eighty. He doesn’t need to be.”
Darwin looked around.
“Then why do this?”
Arthur smiled.
“Because Thomas’s files implicate my father.”
“And you.”
“Only if you know where to look.”
Darwin’s pulse quickened.
“What did you do?”
Arthur stared at him.
“You really don’t know.”
“Know what?”
“Your wife’s letters.”
Darwin went still.
Arthur smiled wider.
“Eleanor intercepted the first.”
Darwin’s blood chilled.
“She told me she intercepted all three.”
“She likes being the villain. It makes her feel powerful.”
“What did you do?”
“The second letter arrived at Worthington Holdings.”
Darwin’s fists clenched.
“You destroyed it.”
“Yes.”
“And the third?”
Arthur leaned closer.
“I read it.”
Darwin wanted to kill him.
“You knew there were twins.”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“I sent someone to watch Sydney.”
Darwin’s voice dropped.
“Why?”
“Because pregnant women become cautious. I wanted to know whether she had passed Thomas’s records to anyone.”
“You watched her pregnancy.”
“Yes.”
“The hospital?”
“Yes.”
The rage became almost unbearable.
“And you never told me.”
Arthur laughed softly.
“Why would I?”
Darwin took one step forward.
Police voices erupted in his earpiece.
Stay calm.
Keep him talking.
Darwin forced himself to breathe.
“You threatened Sydney now because the restaurant exposed the twins to me.”
“Exactly.”
“How?”
“Phoebe.”
Darwin froze.
Arthur smiled.
“Your wife has been very useful.”
Darwin’s stomach dropped.
“What did Phoebe do?”
“She told us where Sydney would be dining.”
“No.”
“She has been communicating with my father for years.”
Darwin’s face emptied.
Arthur reached into his pocket.
Then lights exploded through the windows.
“Police!”
Arthur grabbed Darwin.
A gun pressed against his ribs.
Halpern shouted.
Officers flooded the room.
Arthur dragged Darwin backward.
Then a shot cracked.
Arthur fell.
The gun skidded across the floor.
Halpern had kicked the back of Arthur’s knee just as a tactical officer fired.
Darwin stumbled free.
Arthur survived.
Within an hour, he was in surgery under police guard.
Halpern was taken into custody as a cooperating witness.
Darwin stepped outside.
Sydney waited behind the police perimeter.
He crossed toward her.
“It’s over.”
She shook her head.
“No.”
Darwin frowned.
“What?”
Her face was pale.
“Phoebe is gone.”
He stopped.
“She left the house before police arrived.”
“Where?”
Sydney held up her phone.
Phoebe had sent one message.
I’M SORRY. I THOUGHT I WAS PROTECTING YOU.
Then another.
YOUR MOTHER KNOWS WHERE SIMON IS.
Darwin looked toward the city lights.
May you like
The nightmare was not ending.
It was simply moving to the final person still hiding.
