Chapter 2 - The Woman Behind the Service Door
For five years, Ethan had imagined what he would say if he ever saw Hannah Cole again.
He had imagined anger.
Questions.
Indifference.
Once, after too much bourbon in a hotel suite in Singapore, he had imagined telling her she had broken him and watching her regret it.
But standing outside the old library on Christmas Eve, Ethan could not remember a single rehearsed sentence.
Hannah looked at Lily.
“Baby.”
Lily released Ethan’s hand and ran to her.
Hannah dropped to her knees and wrapped both arms around her daughter.
“Are you okay?”
“I waited like you said.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You said Mr. Mercer would help.”
Hannah closed her eyes.
Ethan heard the words.
So did everyone else.
Victoria stepped forward.
“That’s enough.”
Hannah stood quickly, pulling Lily behind her.
Ethan noticed the reflex.
Fear.
Not of him.
Of his mother.
“What is that document?” Ethan asked.
Hannah stared at him.
For one second the years disappeared.
Then they came back all at once.
“It’s the reason I tried to leave tonight.”
She handed him the papers.
The first page carried the Mercer family crest.
CONFIDENTIAL SEPARATION AND RELEASE AGREEMENT.
Ethan skimmed it.
His name appeared throughout.
At the end, an electronic signature had been attached.
Ethan Mercer.
The agreement stated that Hannah Cole acknowledged receiving $250,000 in exchange for terminating all contact with Ethan and the Mercer family.
Ethan looked up.
“I never authorized this.”
“I know.”
“How?”
“Because I never received the money.”
Victoria scoffed.
“Please.”
Hannah turned to her.
“You told me he wanted me gone.”
Victoria remained silent.
Hannah’s voice strengthened.
“You came to my apartment five years ago. You brought this agreement. You told me Ethan had changed his mind.”
Ethan looked at his mother.
Victoria said, “She’s twisting events.”
Hannah laughed once.
There was no humor in it.
“You told me he was embarrassed by me.”
Ethan’s jaw tightened.
“You told her what?”
Hannah kept going.
“You said he wanted someone who understood his responsibilities. Someone from his world. You said he had already left for London and didn’t want to see me again.”
“I was protecting my son.”
“From what?” Ethan demanded.
Victoria turned to him.
“From making a permanent decision based on an infatuation.”
Hannah recoiled as if struck.
Ethan stepped closer.
“You forged my signature.”
“I prevented a disaster.”
“You forged my signature.”
Adrian spoke softly.
“Mom.”
Victoria ignored him.
“You were about to throw away everything your father built.”
“For Hannah?”
“For a life you would have regretted.”
Ethan stared at her.
“You don’t get to decide what I regret.”
“I was your mother.”
“You still are. That’s what makes this worse.”
Lily pressed against Hannah’s side.
Hannah glanced down and immediately controlled her expression.
“Come on, sweetheart.”
Ethan looked at her.
“Where are you going?”
“Home.”
“No.”
Hannah stopped.
The word came out too forcefully.
Ethan softened his tone.
“I mean—please don’t leave yet.”
She gave him a tired look.
“I’ve spent five years being told what to do by Mercers. I’m done.”
He deserved that.
He nodded.
“You’re right.”
That seemed to surprise her.
“I won’t stop you. But I need answers.”
“So do I.”
The sentence sat between them.
Mrs. Delaney entered quietly.
“Ms. Cole, your coat is in the staff room.”
Hannah nodded.
Victoria said, “She no longer works here.”
Ethan turned.
“What?”
“I terminated her.”
“When?”
“Tonight.”
“Why?”
Victoria’s eyes shifted toward Lily.
“Hannah violated staff policy by bringing a child into the residence during a private event.”
Ethan stared at her.
“On Christmas Eve?”
“Rules matter.”
“So does humanity.”
“Ethan—”
“You fired a single mother on Christmas Eve because her sitter failed?”
Hannah interrupted.
“It wasn’t because of Lily.”
Ethan looked at her.
“Then why?”
Hannah took a breath.
“Because she found out I was planning to tell you.”
Victoria snapped, “That is not true.”
“It is.”
Hannah looked at Ethan.
“I didn’t come here seven months ago because I wanted to get close to you.”
He said nothing.
“I needed work. Mrs. Delaney hired me through an agency. I didn’t know this was your primary residence until after I started.”
Mrs. Delaney nodded.
“That’s true.”
Hannah continued.
“When I realized, I almost quit.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Because Lily needed health insurance.”
Ethan glanced at the little girl.
Hannah quickly added, “She’s healthy. It was for coverage. I didn’t have much savings left.”
Ethan felt shame for a life he had not even known she was living.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. You didn’t know.”
“That seems to be the theme tonight.”
Hannah looked at Victoria.
“Your mother did.”
Ethan rubbed his thumb across the edge of the photograph.
“Why didn’t you contact me?”
Hannah’s expression changed.
“I did.”
His head lifted.
“What?”
“I wrote to you.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“I never got anything.”
“I know that now.”
“How many?”
“At first? Dozens.”
Victoria looked away.
Ethan noticed.
His voice dropped.
“How many, Hannah?”
“I stopped counting after twenty.”
He stared at her.
“I emailed your old address. I mailed letters to your office. I left messages with your assistant.”
“I had the same number.”
“Not after February.”
Ethan frowned.
He remembered replacing his number after a supposed security breach.
His mother’s security consultant had insisted.
Hannah continued.
“I went to Mercer Tower when I was four months pregnant.”
Ethan’s chest constricted.
The hallway disappeared.
“When you were what?”
Silence.
Adrian turned away.
Victoria closed her eyes.
Hannah looked at Lily.
Then back at Ethan.
“I was pregnant.”
Ethan’s gaze moved to Lily.
Four years old.
March third.
His hands became cold.
“Is she—”
Hannah stopped him.
“Not here.”
He understood.
Lily was listening.
He nodded immediately.
Hannah crouched beside her daughter.
“Sweetheart, can you go with Mrs. Delaney for hot chocolate?”
Lily looked at Ethan.
“Will Mommy stay?”
Hannah smiled.
“Yes.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Mrs. Delaney held out her hand.
Lily took it but stopped beside Ethan.
“Do you like marshmallows?”
Ethan blinked.
“Yes.”
“Me too.”
Then she disappeared down the hall.
No one spoke until she was gone.
Ethan turned back to Hannah.
“Is Lily my daughter?”
Hannah’s eyes shone.
“Yes.”
One word.
Four years of life.
Five years of lies.
Ethan sat down on the nearest chair because his legs no longer trusted him.
Adrian swore under his breath.
Victoria said, “Ethan, you cannot simply accept—”
“Don’t.”
His voice stopped her.
Hannah crossed her arms over herself.
“I didn’t tell Lily you were her father.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t know what you knew.”
He looked up.
“What does that mean?”
“It means your mother came to my apartment after Lily was born.”
Ethan slowly stood.
Victoria’s face turned rigid.
Hannah continued.
“She knew Lily existed.”
Ethan looked at his mother.
“You knew?”
Victoria said nothing.
“You knew I had a daughter?”
“I knew Hannah had a child.”
“That is not what I asked.”
Victoria inhaled.
“I suspected.”
“Did you ask?”
“No.”
“Did you offer to tell me?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because by then you had finally recovered.”
Ethan laughed.
It sounded broken.
“Recovered?”
“You were functioning again.”
“I was working twenty-hour days because I thought the woman I loved had sold our future for money.”
Hannah’s face changed.
“She told you I took the money?”
Ethan looked at her.
“Yes.”
Hannah stared at Victoria.
“You told me he paid it.”
Ethan and Hannah looked at each other.
The architecture of the lie became visible.
Victoria had not merely separated them.
She had built two different stories.
To Ethan: Hannah took the money and left.
To Hannah: Ethan paid the money and left.
Each had spent five years believing they had been rejected.
Ethan’s voice shook.
“You made both of us think the other chose money.”
Victoria lifted her chin.
“You were both better off.”
“Better?”
Hannah stepped forward.
“I gave birth alone.”
Victoria looked at her.
“You had support.”
“From whom?”
“I arranged financial assistance.”
“I never accepted a cent from you.”
“You received benefits through the clinic.”
“That was my insurance.”
Victoria paused.
Hannah understood something.
“What did you do?”
Victoria didn’t answer.
Hannah’s face drained.
“My maternity leave.”
Ethan stood.
“What about it?”
Hannah looked at him.
“My clinic suddenly extended my paid leave. I thought it was a policy correction.”
Victoria remained silent.
Hannah whispered, “You paid them.”
“I made sure you were taken care of.”
“You made sure I stayed quiet.”
“I protected everyone.”
Ethan’s anger sharpened.
“Stop calling it protection.”
His voice echoed down the hall.
The ballroom had gone completely silent now.
Victoria looked toward the closed doors.
“Your guests—”
“Can wait.”
“Your reputation—”
“Can burn.”
That silenced everyone.
Ethan walked to Hannah.
“I need to ask you something, and you can say no.”
She nodded.
“Will you stay here tonight? Not as staff. As my guest. You and Lily.”
Hannah hesitated.
“I don’t want your mother near her.”
“She won’t be.”
Victoria stiffened.
“Ethan.”
He did not look at her.
“Hannah?”
She glanced down the hall where Lily had gone.
“One night.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet.”
“I’m not expecting forgiveness.”
“Good.”
He nodded.
It hurt.
But it was fair.
Daniel approached quietly.
“Mr. Mercer?”
“Yes?”
“There’s another issue.”
Ethan almost laughed.
“Of course there is.”
Daniel held out a brown envelope.
“This was found in the old library desk after Ms. Cole came out.”
Hannah frowned.
“That’s not mine.”
Daniel handed it to Ethan.
The envelope had his name on it.
Not typed.
Handwritten.
Ethan recognized the handwriting instantly.
His father’s.
Richard Mercer had been dead for three years.
Ethan tore open the envelope.
Inside was a brass key and a single index card.
Three words were written across it.
ASK ADRIAN FIRST.
Ethan looked up.
His brother had gone pale.
“Adrian?”
Adrian backed away.
Ethan took one step toward him.
“What did Dad know?”
Adrian looked at Victoria.
Then at Hannah.
Then at the key in Ethan’s hand.
May you like
His voice was barely audible.
“More than you think.”
