Chapter 3 - THE BROTHER WHO CONTROLLED EVERYTHING
Sebastian Blackwood had been deciding parts of my life without my knowledge.
My job.
My hospital bills.
Perhaps even the reason Gabriel disappeared.
I stared at the message on Kieran's phone.
"Who the child really belongs to?"
My voice sounded strange.
Almost calm.
Kieran looked sick.
"I don't know what Sebastian meant."
I stepped away.
"Then why did you keep sending him money?"
"Because he told me it was supporting a child whose family had been harmed by our business."
I laughed without humor.
"And you never checked?"
His expression changed.
"No."
The admission was quiet.
Painful.
And honest.
For a moment, I remembered every time I'd looked at Elijah sleeping in his hospital bed and wondered how I would pay for the next appointment.
Somewhere, Kieran had been sending enough money to cover his care many times over.
And someone had been diverting it.
I swallowed.
"I want the records."
Kieran nodded immediately.
"I'll arrange an independent audit."
"And I'm contacting an attorney."
"Good."
That surprised me.
He didn't try to persuade me to trust his lawyers.
Instead, he gave me the name of a local legal aid organization and offered to cover independent representation only if I wanted it, without conditions.
I refused the money.
But I accepted the contact information.
Then I called my friend Maya, a pediatric nurse who'd helped me through Elijah's previous hospitalizations.
She answered sleepily.
"Saraphina?"
"Maya, I need help."
She was awake instantly.
"Is Elijah okay?"
"He's stable."
I took a breath.
"But I think someone has been lying about his bills."
Maya listened as I explained.
Then she said something that made my heart stop.
"Saraphina, I noticed something unusual last month."
"What?"
"Elijah's financial assistance account showed a large payment."
My stomach tightened.
"How large?"
"Almost forty thousand dollars."
I stared.
"That's impossible."
"I thought you knew."
"No."
Maya hesitated.
"Then where did the money go?"
I closed my eyes.
"I don't know."
Kieran had already begun reviewing records on his laptop.
His expression darkened.
Then he looked up.
"Saraphina, Sebastian authorized a transfer yesterday."
My heart pounded.
"To whom?"
Kieran swallowed.
"A company called Meridian Patient Services."
I'd never heard of it.
He continued.
"The same company received most of the money intended for Elijah."
My stomach tightened.
"Who owns it?"
Kieran stared at the screen.
Then slowly looked toward me.
"Sebastian's wife."
I froze.
"Your sister-in-law?"
He nodded.
"Victoria Blackwood."
The name meant nothing to me.
Until I remembered a woman I'd seen at St. Catherine's months earlier.
Elegant.
Blond.
Wearing a pearl necklace.
She'd approached Elijah's room and asked the nurse whether he still remembered his father.
I had assumed she was visiting another patient.
Now I understood why she'd looked so disappointed when I said Gabriel was dead.
May you like
And suddenly, I remembered what she'd whispered before leaving.
"That boy shouldn't have survived."
