CHAPTER 3 â âThe Girl in the Basementâ

The police didnât believe Lily at first.
A dead mother couldnât come back.
But when they returned to the abandoned farmhouse and broke open a hidden wall behind the basement shelves, they found a narrow tunnel leading underground.
At the end of it was a locked steel door.
Inside, chained to a bed, was a woman so weak she could barely lift her head.
But when Lily saw her, she screamed.
âMommy!â
Everyone froze.
The woman listed as dead for four years was alive.
Her name was Rachel Monroe, and she had spent years as a prisoner because she had discovered the truth: a respected adoption charity was secretly selling children to powerful families.
The fake mother who brought Lily to the hospital wasnât protecting her.
She was returning damaged âproperty.â
Rachel grabbed Dr. Ethanâs hand and whispered, âDonât trust the police captain.â
Before Ethan could answer, his phone rang.
The caller ID showed the hospital.
A nurse was screaming.
âDoctor, someone just walked into Lilyâs room⊠wearing your badge.â
Ethan turned around.
Lily was gone again.
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And this time, the kidnapper left a note on her pillow:
âYou saved the mother. Now choose which one dies.â