CHAPTER 2 — The Woman Everyone Hated
CHAPTER 2 — The Woman Everyone Hated
The apartment smelled like medicine and cold soup.
Eleanor followed Liam through a rundown building on the edge of the city.
Every step made her heart pound harder.
Nothing about this could be a coincidence.
When the apartment door opened, Eleanor stopped breathing.
A thin woman sat on an old couch.
Pale.
Exhausted.
But instantly recognizable.
"Emily..."
The woman looked up.
Tears filled her eyes.
Because she recognized Eleanor too.
Six years ago, Emily Hayes disappeared with Eleanor's newborn child.
The newspapers called her a kidnapper.
The police called her a fugitive.
The city called her a monster.
But nobody knew the truth.
Emily pulled an old storage box from beneath the couch.
Inside were photographs.
Hospital records.
DNA reports.
Legal documents.
And a pink baby blanket.
The same blanket Eleanor had wrapped around her newborn years ago.
Emily finally broke down.
"I didn't kidnap your baby."
Eleanor stared at her.
Then Emily whispered words that changed everything.
"Your husband sold her."
The room fell silent.
Liam looked between them in confusion.
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Eleanor felt the world tilt beneath her feet.
Because suddenly the impossible made sense.
