Chapter 3 - Unraveling Clara's Legacy
Ethan brought Laya directly to his penthouse overlooking the river. His housekeeper, Mrs. Gable, took one look at the soaked, malnourished child and immediately set to work running a warm bath, preparing hot broth, and fetching clean blankets.
While Laya rested and warmed up, Ethan sat at his dining table, staring at the silver bracelet Laya had voluntarily taken off and handed to him.
"She said a lady with dark hair and blue eyes gave it to her at a shelter two years ago," Mrs. Gable whispered, coming out of the guest room with a stack of wet clothes. "Mr. Lancaster... Clara died twenty-two months ago. Could she have been alive after the crash?"
"The police said Clara was alone in the car," Ethan said, his mind racing. "The body was charred beyond recognition; they identified her through dental records. But what if... what if it wasn't Clara? Or what if Clara gave this away right before..."
Ethan picked up the silver bracelet and examined the inner clasp closely. Under the bright dining room chandelier, he noticed something he had never seen before: a tiny, almost invisible seam along the underside of the silver band. He pressed a paperclip into a microscopic pinhole beside the clasp.
Click.
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A hidden compartment sprang open. Inside was a micro-SD card smaller than a fingernail, tucked safely beneath a waterproof seal.
Ethan's hand shook as he took the card to his study and inserted it into his laptop. A single folder appeared on the screen, labeled with a date from nine years ago—the exact year Clara had given birth to a daughter who was pronounced stillborn at Saint Jude's Private Hospital.
