Chapter 5

From the moment Holly woke up, a heaviness pressed in her chest, the kind that told her something bad was about to happen. She had to leave Havenport with Aaron and Hayley before things spiraled further out of control. Right then, her phone rang sharply, slicing through the uneasy quiet. She picked up the phone, every nerve on edge. "Hello, Wren." "Holly, I've erased all your and your mother's records, but there's an issue. Aaron's information isn't registered under your name, so I can't process it." Her stomach dropped. After giving birth, Shane had been the one to handle Aaron's birth registration. A thought struck her like ice. "I need Aaron's birth registration to cancel it. Holly, is he registered under your ex-husband's name?" Wren asked. Holly's heart sank. If Aaron really was registered under Shane's name, things were going to get complicated. "So, you need Aaron's birth certificate to cancel it?" she asked, trying to steady her voice. "Exactly. But hurry. I've already expedited the immigration paperwork. If the old identities aren't deleted in time, it'll get messy." "Got it." She hung up and paced the living room, her mind racing. Just then, her eyes landed on the locked study door. Without hesitating, she called a locksmith. Claiming her child had lost the key, she easily convinced him to open it. The study was decorated in the same sterile gray tones as the rest of the house. Beneath the massive rosewood desk sat a matte black titanium safe. Holly took a deep breath, knelt, and stared at the combination lock. She had a phenomenal memory—she'd passed every section of the bar exam in one sitting. The date of Tess' birthday, which she had seen on the divorce file during the trial, flashed in her mind. 9-6-0-5-1-3. The next second, the safe swung open. She skipped over company documents and went straight for the personal files, where she found a marriage certificate and a birth certificate. The marriage certificate came with a photo of Shane and Tess, both smiling blissfully. It was nothing like the one she had—Shane's face had been stiff in their wedding photo. He said he hated taking photos. In fact, he hadn't hated taking photos at all. He had only hated being in one with her. Holly opened the birth certificate and saw Aaron's name printed clearly on it. Shane was so heartless. He had registered Aaron under his and Tess' names. Holly's chest ached so sharply she almost couldn't breathe. There was no time to think. She quickly snapped a photo and sent it to Wren, then carefully returned every document to its original place. Minutes later, her phone rang again. Thinking it was Wren, she said when she picked up, "Wren, do you need anything else..." "Ms. Stanwick," a doctor said, his voice urgent. "Your mother's been in an accident. It's serious. You need to come to the hospital right away!" "What? What happened?" "She fell down a slope and has internal bleeding, along with complications from hypertension." A slope? Holly didn't have time to think. She grabbed Aaron and rushed out the door. When Holly saw Hayley lying in the hospital bed, the room seemed to spin around her. She burst into uncontrollable sobs. She covered Aaron's eyes. He asked innocently, "Did Grandma forget to take her medicine again?" The doctor stepped out of the operating room with a heavy sigh. "We did our best." Holly's knees buckled. She collapsed to the floor, tears streaming down her face. Her father had died when she was a child, and her mother had singlehandedly raised her through years of hardship. Before she could finally live for herself, she was gone—dead in a foreign city. If only Holly hadn't chased Shane to Havenport, none of this would have happened. Hayley would still be alive. Holly hit her chest with her fists, her heart already shattered beyond repair. Aaron gently wiped away her tears with his small hands, then wrapped his little arms around her neck. "Don't cry, Mom. Grandma will get better soon!" The poor child didn't understand that Hayley would never wake up again. ... When Holly sorted through Hayley's belongings, she realized the phone was missing. Doubt crept in. Hayley never liked climbing hills. How had she fallen from a slope? The neighborhood was flat. The only slope nearby was the hill leading to Tessmont Manor. The chill drained every drop of warmth from her body. Without hesitating, she called the police. "Hello? I want to report a crime!" ... The police quickly took over the case. The coroner began the autopsy and soon gave a preliminary report. The injuries didn't match a fall from a slope but looked like those from a staircase. Surveillance footage confirmed Hayley had been heading toward the hillside villa. Holly knew the answer already, but she needed proof. Just as the investigation began to close in, it was abruptly shut down. The police ruled it an accident and brushed her off, saying there was no further evidence. A kind female officer pulled her aside and whispered, "Ms. Stanwick, you've offended someone you shouldn't have. Let it go. Let your mother rest. Don't bring more trouble on yourself." Holly understood what she meant. In Havenport, the only man with enough power to silence the police was Shane. Wiping her tears, Holly took a cab straight to the villa. She needed the truth. Otherwise, she'd never forgive herself. She screamed Tess' name outside Tessmont Manor until her voice broke, but Tess never came out. Instead, two bodyguards shoved her to the ground. Just then, her phone rang. She answered it, only to hear Shane's furious voice on the other end. "Holly, what are you doing? Your mother's death has nothing to do with Tess!" Holly had nothing to fear. "Shane, I regret ever meeting you! Have you forgotten what you said when you knelt in front of my mother? You swore you'd love me and cherish me for life! "Look at you now! My mother is dead, and you didn't show up! Now, you're even trying to hide the truth!" His tone hardened. "My patience is running out. Keep this up, and you'll never see Aaron again!" Her last sliver of strength left her, and she fell to her knees. "Mom, I'm sorry," she muttered to herself. Aaron was all she had left to live for. Without him, she had nothing. As she stumbled down the hill, a middle-aged woman in a housekeeper's uniform stopped her. "I only worked with your mother for a day, but she was very kind." She pressed something into Holly's hand. "Take care of yourself. This is all I can do." With that, she hurried off. Holly slowly opened her hand. It was Hayley's phone.