The Door I Was Never Supposed to Open

For several seconds, I couldn't look at my wife.

The words she'd spoken seemed to echo through the dining room.

The woman who gave birth to them was still alive.

I looked down at the document in my hand, then toward the staircase where my sons were sleeping.

Everything I believed about my family had been built on a lie.

And the person who had helped build it was standing three feet away from me.

"What's her name?"" I asked.

Victoria wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand.

"James, please sit down.""

"What's her name?""

"Sarah Whitmore.""

I forced myself to breathe.

"Where is she?""

"I don't know.""

I laughed once, bitterly.

"You expect me to believe that?""

"I haven't seen her in years.""

"Then how do you know she's alive?""

Victoria looked at Daniel Price.

The investigator lowered his eyes, and that small movement told me more than either of them wanted to admit.

"You found her," I said.

Daniel nodded reluctantly.

"Three weeks ago.""

My chair scraped backward as I stood.

"Three weeks ago?""

"I was hired to investigate the original birth records. I located Sarah through a former employee of the maternity facility. She lives outside Fort Worth.""

"And nobody thought to tell me?""

"Your wife instructed me not to contact you until I had verified the records.""

I turned toward Victoria.

"You hired a private investigator to find the biological mother of our children, and you kept it secret from me?""

"I was trying to protect you!""

"From what? The truth?""

Victoria flinched.

Daniel gathered the documents into a neat stack.

"Mr. Cole, there are things you should know before you contact Sarah. Her situation is complicated, and I don't believe you should approach her without understanding what happened.""

"Then tell me.""

He hesitated.

Victoria immediately seized the opportunity.

"James, we can talk about this privately. Daniel doesn't know everything. He's been paid to dig through our lives, and now he's trying to make himself important.""

Daniel's jaw tightened.

"You signed a contract with me, Victoria. You asked me to locate Sarah because you were afraid she'd come forward.""

"That's a lie!""

"You asked me whether she had contacted a lawyer. You asked whether she had spoken to the hospital. You asked whether she had any proof that the boys were hers.""

Victoria stepped toward him.

"Stop talking.""

"Why?"" I demanded.

"What are you afraid he'll say?""

She turned to me, and for the first time, I saw something that resembled hatred beneath her tears.

"You want to know the truth? Fine. Your father arranged everything because he knew what losing this family would do to you.""

"My father is dead. Stop using him as an excuse.""

"He knew you were desperate for children. He knew how much you wanted to be a father.""

"So he arranged for you to take someone else's babies?""

Victoria's face crumpled.

"It wasn't supposed to happen like this.""

I gripped the back of the chair.

"How was it supposed to happen?""

She looked toward the stairs.

"I was supposed to be their mother.""

The silence that followed was unbearable.

I thought of all the nights I'd watched her rock the twins. All the times she'd complained about feeding schedules, sleepless nights, and the exhaustion of caring for newborns.

Had any of it been real?

"Did you give birth to them?"" I asked.

Victoria shook her head.

"No.""

The word was so quiet that I almost missed it.

I felt as though the floor had opened beneath me.

"Then why did you let me believe you did?""

She began crying harder.

"Because I loved you.""

"You lied to me about the biggest thing that ever happened to us.""

"I know.""

"You let me hold those babies in a hospital room and believe they were ours.""

"They are yours!""

"Not if you stole them!""

Victoria recoiled as though I'd struck her.

Daniel intervened.

"Mr. Cole, I don't think anyone should make assumptions about the legal circumstances until we have the complete records.""

I turned toward him.

"Then get me the complete records.""

"I can take you to Sarah.""

Victoria rushed forward.

"No!""

Her sudden shout startled us both.

She grabbed the front of Daniel's jacket.

"You promised you wouldn't take him to her.""

Daniel gently removed her hands.

"I promised to investigate the records. I never promised to help you conceal the result.""

Victoria looked at me.

"James, if you meet her, you'll destroy everything.""

"Everything has already been destroyed.""

I went upstairs to check on the boys.

Emily sat in the nursery with Liam against her shoulder. Noah slept in the other crib, his tiny chest rising and falling beneath a pale blue blanket.

Emily looked up as I entered.

"Are they okay?""

"They're fine.""

I stood beside the crib, staring at Noah.

His little fingers were curled around the edge of his blanket.

I had memorized every detail of his face. The faint crease between his eyebrows. The shape of his ears. The way his mouth moved when he dreamed.

I loved him so much that the thought of losing him made my chest hurt.

Yet now I couldn't stop wondering whether Sarah had watched him make those same expressions in another hospital room.

Had she held him?

Had she kissed his forehead?

Had someone told her he had died?

I turned to Emily.

"Did you know?""

She looked confused.

"Know what?""

"That Victoria didn't give birth to the twins.""

Emily slowly shook her head.

"No. I swear I didn't.""

I believed her.

"Do you know a woman named Sarah Whitmore?""

Emily's expression changed.

It was subtle, but I saw it.

She glanced at the babies, then back at me.

"Why are you asking?""

"Because I think she's their biological mother.""

Emily's eyes filled with tears.

"Oh, my God.""

"You know her?""

She shook her head.

"No. But I heard Mrs. Cole talking about her on the phone last week. She said Sarah was asking questions again.""

My heart began pounding.

"Questions about what?""

"About the boys. Mrs. Cole said she'd already paid enough to keep Sarah quiet, and she wasn't going to let her ruin everything now.""

I closed my eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me?""

Emily looked ashamed.

"Because I thought it was a private family matter. And because Mrs. Cole had already threatened to accuse me of stealing the babies.""

I stared at her.

"She threatened you before today?""

Emily nodded.

"Several times.""

My hands curled into fists.

"Why?""

"I don't know. But she seemed terrified of the idea that you might discover something.""

I looked at the twins.

For the first time, I understood why Victoria had been so determined to make me distrust Emily.

She hadn't merely wanted to control the house.

She'd wanted to control what I believed.

My phone rang.

An unfamiliar number appeared on the screen.

I answered.

"James Cole.""

A woman's voice came through, trembling and breathless.

"Mr. Cole? My name is Sarah Whitmore.""

I stopped breathing.

Emily looked at me.

The voice continued.

"I know you've probably been told a lot of terrible things about me. But I need you to listen carefully.""

"How did you get my number?""

"Daniel Price gave it to me. He said you were finally ready to hear the truth.""

I looked toward the nursery door.

Downstairs, Victoria was speaking in a low, angry voice.

Sarah continued.

"I don't have much time. Someone has been watching my house, and yesterday I received a letter telling me to stop asking about my sons.""

My knees nearly buckled.

"Your sons?""

There was a long silence.

Then she said, "The two babies Victoria Cole brought home from Methodist Dallas are mine.""

I gripped the phone so tightly that my fingers hurt.

"Where were they born?""

"At a private maternity clinic outside Dallas. I was told there had been complications. I was heavily sedated, and when I woke up, the babies were gone.""

Her voice broke.

"They told me both boys had died.""

I felt sick.

"They told you they were dead?""

"Yes.""

"Who told you that?""

"The doctor. Marcus Reed.""

I stared at the nursery wall.

Sarah began crying softly.

"For years, I believed my babies were buried somewhere I would never find. Then a former nurse contacted me. She said she'd seen photographs of two little boys who looked exactly like the babies I lost.""

I couldn't speak.

"Mr. Cole, I don't know whether you knew. I don't know whether you were involved. But I need you to understand something.""

Her voice suddenly hardened.

"I never gave those babies away. I never signed adoption papers. And I never agreed to let another woman raise them.""

I looked down at Noah.

He had begun to stir in his crib.

"Sarah," I whispered, "what do you want from me?""

"I want to see my children.""

Before I could answer, I heard a crash downstairs.

Then Victoria screamed my name.

"JAMES! GET AWAY FROM THAT PHONE!""

Sarah gasped.