CHAPTER 3 — The Grave That Never Held a Child
Ethan couldn't breathe.
His father's face stared back at him from the investigation file.
There he was—walking through the maternity ward, carrying a newborn wrapped in a pink blanket. The timestamp matched the exact day Victoria had supposedly lost their baby.
"I don't understand..." Ethan whispered.
The lead investigator slid another document across the table.
"You were told your daughter died during childbirth."
Ethan nodded slowly.
"We've now confirmed no infant was buried in the cemetery you visited every year."
His world shattered.
Every flower he had laid...
Every tear he had cried...
Every birthday he had mourned...
Had been for an empty grave.
Victoria buried her face in her hands.
"I begged your father to tell you the truth," she sobbed. "He said your enemies would use Lily against you. He promised it would only be temporary."
"Temporary?" Ethan shouted. "She was stolen from me for six years!"
Victoria looked up, her eyes filled with unbearable guilt.
"He threatened to destroy my family if I refused."
The room fell silent.
Then another investigator spoke.
"There's something even stranger."
He projected an old security video onto the living room wall.
The footage showed Ethan's father leaving the hospital.
But he wasn't alone.
A woman in a black coat took Lily into her arms before disappearing into a waiting limousine.
The camera zoomed in just enough to reveal a silver ring engraved with a single letter:
M.
The investigator paused the video.
"We've spent six years trying to identify that woman."
Ethan stared at the screen.
Then Lily quietly walked over.
She pointed at the mysterious woman.
"I know her."
Everyone froze.
"You... know her?"
Lily nodded innocently.
"She still sends me birthday presents."
The investigators exchanged horrified glances.
May you like
Because according to every official record...
The woman in black had died five years ago.
