Chapter 6 - The Whispering Media
By Friday, the story had leaked. The Westbrook Chronicle ran a front-page headline: “The Billion-Dollar Twin: Stolen Heir Found in East Side Slums.”
The media circus erupted. Paparazzi camped outside Sarah’s hotel, forcing her to move the girls to a secluded cabin in the woods owned by Arthur Vance’s family. The sudden isolation took a toll on the children. Lily missed her toys and her routine, while Emma felt an immense weight of guilt, believing her presence was the cause of the family’s suffering.
One evening, Sarah found Emma sitting on the cabin's porch, her small knees pulled up to her chest, looking out at the dark trees.
"Emma? What's wrong, sweetheart?" Sarah asked, draping a warm blanket over the girl's shoulders.
"If I wasn't born sick, would you have kept me?" Emma asked, her voice cracking with a vulnerability that broke Sarah's heart. "Grandma Rose says you loved me before you even saw me. But if I caused all this trouble..."
Sarah knelt beside her, pulling the small girl into her arms. For the first time, Emma didn't stiffen; she leaned into the embrace, burying her face in Sarah's neck.
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"Oh, baby, no," Sarah cried, holding her tight. "You didn't cause any trouble. Some people have darkness in their hearts, and they tried to hide the brightest thing that ever happened to me. You and Lily are my miracles. I would climb mountains, cross oceans, and fight a thousand wars to hold you just like this. You are wanted. You are loved. Never doubt that."
From the doorway, Lily watched them, a soft smile on her face. She walked out and squeezed into the blanket with them, completing the circle. "See, Emma? I told you she was our mommy."
