Chapter 5 - The Reunion
The storm outside Maren's small farmhouse had worsened. Heavy rain poured down from the sky, rattling against the metal roof in a rhythmic, deafening roar.
Inside, Maren sat near the small fireplace, rocking one of the twins in her arms while the other slept peacefully in the crib nearby.
Suddenly, headlights cut through the dark window, blinding her for a brief second.
A car door slammed shut outside.
Maren stood up nervously, laying the baby down and grabbing a heavy iron poker from beside the fireplace. "Who's there?" She called out defensively toward the door.
The front door burst open.
I stepped into the warm glow of the living room, soaked in rain, shivering from the cold wind—but inside my heavy wool coat, cradled safely against my chest, was a bundle wrapped in a blue hospital blanket.
Maren dropped the iron poker. It clattered loudly against the floorboards.
She stared at the bundle in my arms, her mouth hanging open, unable to form words.
"Rowan..." She whispered, her voice trembling. "What... what is that?"
I walked slowly across the small room, my heart pounding in my ears. I reached down, carefully peeling back the soft blue blanket to reveal the sleeping face of the third baby.
Maren gasped. A sound of pure, shattered agony and unbelievable joy tore from her throat.
"He didn't die, Maren," I said, my voice choked with emotion as tears streamed down my face. "He's alive. He's safe. I brought him home."
Maren stumbled forward, falling onto her knees in front of me. Her hands hovered over the child’s face, afraid that if she touched him, he would disappear like a dream.
"My baby..." She wept, wrapping her trembling arms around the infant as I lowered him into her lap. "My baby boy... oh God, my sweet baby boy..."
She pulled him close, burying her face in his neck, sobbing uncontrollably. The child opened his eyes, letting out a soft whimpering coo, instinctively recognizing his mother's warmth and voice.
I dropped to my knees beside her, putting my arm around her shoulders. For the first time in a year, Maren didn't push me away.
For nearly an hour, we sat on the floor of that tiny, drafty farmhouse. Maren held all three babies together for the very first time—a brother and a sister on either side, and the lost third child resting in the middle.
They were triplets. Complete. Reunited.
When the babies finally fell asleep together in a wide makeshift bed on the rug, Maren turned to look at me. Her eyes were red from crying, but the heavy, crushing sorrow that had plagued her for months seemed to have lifted.
"How did she do it, Rowan?" Maren asked softly, staring into the flickering embers of the fireplace. "How could someone be so evil?"
"She wanted control," I answered quietly. "She wanted my wealth, my reputation, and my family name. She knew you were the only person I truly loved. So she decided to erase you completely."
Maren looked at her hands. "What happens now? She has power, Rowan. Her family has political connections that span across the country. If she realizes you took the baby—"
"She already knows," I interrupted smoothly. "And right now, she thinks she has the upper hand because of her father's influence."
I reached into my inner coat pocket and pulled out a small black flash drive, laying it on the coffee table.
"What is that?" Maren asked.
"While I was at the clinic," I revealed, a cold, calculating smile appearing on my face for the first time, "I didn't just take our son. I had my security team hack into the clinic’s central server and download every financial transfer, every off-the-record email, and every video recording from the past eighteen months."
I leaned closer to Maren.
"Tessa thinks our wedding in ten days is going to be her crowning achievement. She thinks she's going to step into high society as my wife."
"What are you going to do?" Maren whispered, her eyes wide.
"I'm going to let her plan the wedding," I said, my voice dripping with cold determination. "I'm going to let her invite every news reporter, every politician, every billionaire, and every elite family in Tennessee."
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"And then?"
"And then," I smiled, "I am going to destroy her in front of the entire world."
