Chapter 2 - The Stolen Records
The drive to the Costello estate in Lake Forest was conducted in a heavy, suffocating silence. Pamela sat in the back of the massive, armored SUV, sandwiched between the triple stroller and Roman’s imposing frame. She hadn't even gone back to the kitchen to grab her purse; Roman had simply told Paul that Pamela was leaving, and Paul had been too terrified to argue.
Throughout the forty-five-minute drive, the triplets remained perfectly calm, a state of being that Roman had not witnessed since their birth. Leo had his little hand wrapped around Pamela's index finger, refusing to let go even in his sleep. Pamela stared down at the three children, her heart breaking over and over again. Every instinct she possessed was screaming that a monstrous crime had been committed against her.
When the SUV pulled through the massive iron gates of the Costello mansion, winding up a long, tree-lined driveway to a breathtaking stone estate, Pamela barely noticed the luxury. Her mind was trapped in the sterile, white walls of Lakeview Memorial Hospital, remembering the cold, detached face of Dr. Silas Vance as he handed her a stack of papers and told her that her children’s hearts had stopped beating.
Roman led her into a massive, warmly lit living room. Two older women in maid uniforms rushed forward, their eyes widening when they saw the peaceful babies.
"Take the children upstairs to the nursery," Roman commanded smoothly.
As the maids moved to lift the babies, Arthur woke up, immediately letting out a sharp wail as soon as he realized Pamela was moving away. Mia’s eyes flew open, her little mouth forming the word "Mom" once again as she reached out frantically.
"Wait," Roman stopped the maids, his brows furrowing. He looked at Pamela, his expression unreadable. "Go with them. Keep them quiet until I call for you."
Pamela nodded, not needing to be told twice. She followed the maids up the grand staircase, her heart swelling as she helped settle the three babies into their cribs. She rocked Leo until his eyes grew heavy, she sang a soft lullaby her own mother had taught her to Mia, and she stroked Arthur’s dark curls until he fell back into a deep, restful sleep. To the maids' utter astonishment, the children didn't throw a single tantrum.
"They’ve never been like this," one of the maids whispered, looking at Pamela with a mixture of awe and suspicion. "They usually cry until they throw up if Mr. Costello isn't holding them."
Before Pamela could answer, Marco appeared at the nursery door. "Miss Hayes. Mr. Costello is ready for you in the study."
Pamela stood up, smoothing down her stained black apron. She felt small, exhausted, and terrified of what the powerful man downstairs might do to her, but the sight of her children sleeping peacefully gave her a spine of pure steel. She walked down the hallway and entered the mahogany-lined study.
Roman was sitting behind a massive desk, several folders spread out before him. A laptop screen glowed in the dim light, throwing sharp angles across his handsome, stern face. Marco stood beside him, his expression grim.
"Sit down, Pamela," Roman said, using her real name for the first time.
Pamela sat in the leather chair across from him, her hands clasped tightly in her lap.
"Marco’s team is very efficient," Roman began, tapping his fingers against the top folder. "Within thirty minutes, they breached the secure servers of Lakeview Memorial Hospital, as well as the exclusive surrogacy clinic in Zurich that I used fourteen months ago."
He looked up, his gaze boring into hers.
"Fourteen months ago, on May 14th, my estranged wife, Victoria, claimed to have delivered these triplets via a private surrogate in Switzerland. She brought them back to Chicago a week later. Two months after that, Victoria died in a car accident, leaving me a single father with three children who have done nothing but scream and reject every human being who comes near them. Until tonight."
Roman opened the second folder, sliding a document across the desk toward her. It was a medical birth log from Lakeview Memorial Hospital, dated May 14th—the exact same day.
"On that very same night, at 11:14 p.m.," Roman continued, his voice dropping to a dangerously low pitch, "a woman named Pamela Hayes gave birth to premature triplets—two boys and one girl—at Lakeview Memorial. The attending physician was Dr. Silas Vance. The records state that all three infants suffered from acute respiratory distress and passed away within twenty minutes of delivery."
Pamela’s breath hitched, a sob catching in her throat. "Yes. That’s... that’s what they told me. They said they couldn't save them."
"Look at the second page, Pamela," Roman commanded softly.
With shaking hands, Pamela turned the page. It was a genomic summary report, a routine blood panel taken from the infants immediately after birth for hospital records. At the bottom of the page were the blood types and genetic markers of the babies.
Roman reached into his desk and pulled out another document—the official DNA profiles of Leo, Arthur, and Mia, conducted by his own private physicians months ago to verify their identity for his estate planning.
"The genetic markers match perfectly," Roman said, his jaw tightening so hard a vein throbbed in his temple. "The blood types match perfectly. The babies upstairs did not come from a surrogate in Switzerland, Pamela. They were stolen from your womb at Lakeview Memorial Hospital, and my late wife paid Dr. Silas Vance five million dollars to declare them dead so she could present them to me as my heirs."
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Pamela stared at the papers, the words blurring as a torrent of tears spilled from her eyes. The grief that had consumed her for fourteen months suddenly transformed into a brilliant, blinding white rage.
"They're alive," she whispered, her hands shaking so hard the papers rattled. "My babies are alive. He stole them from me... that monster stole my children!"
