Chapter 2: The Second Locket
Eleanor moved on pure instinct, driven by an overwhelming impulse.
“Show me your wrist again,” she demanded, her voice cutting through the heavy air.
Emily knit her brows in confusion, though she maintained her professional grace. “Like this?”
She upturned her inner arm once more. The heart-shaped birthmark remained, unmistakable and identical.
A veil of tears blurred Eleanor’s sight. Trembling uncontrollably, her fingers fumbled with the clasp of her designer handbag. She reached inside and pulled out a tarnished, vintage silver locket.
With a soft click, she sprung the latch open. Resting inside was a weathered photograph of a newborn babe—displaying that exact same intricate mark.
Emily leaned in, her gaze shifting from mild curiosity to deep unease. “I don’t understand why you have that.”
Eleanor’s voice broke into a desperate sob. “Because I put it on you.”
The faint hum of the restaurant vanished into absolute silence.
Emily instinctively retreated a pace. “My foster mother said I was left at Saint Mary’s Orphanage.”
Eleanor went rigid. The name struck her like an icy plunge. Her daughter hadn’t been surrendered to an orphanage—she was born at Saint Anne’s Hospital.
Beside her, Richard slammed his hands on the table as he stood up. “Eleanor, stop this madness.”
Eleanor turned toward her husband, her eyes narrowing as a harrowing suspicion took root. “Did you change the records?”
A momentary flicker of panic crossed Richard’s face—microscopic, yet undeniable. It was all the proof she needed.
Emily’s wide eyes darted between the couple, terror creeping into her posture. “Who are you people?”
And in that chilling moment, the horrific truth settled over Eleanor—
This girl had spent her entire life completely unaware that she had been stolen.
