Chapter 18: The Secret In The Silence

The penthouse was full of family, but I felt all alone. For days, the air smelled like my mother’s tea and the quiet breathing of my brothers and sisters. My father was finally home from the hospital. He was resting in one of the guest rooms, but it did not feel calm. It felt like we were all waiting for something bad to happen.

Edward was like a ghost. He was always on the phone with people in Europe or locked in his study with Michael and Simone. They had piles of papers that looked like a big mess. Every time Edward walked by me, he would hold my hand or kiss my head, but his mind was far away. He was like a general getting ready for war, and I was just... there.

Or so I thought.

Two days after we moved everyone in, I woke up before sunrise. Edward’s side of the bed was already cold. I felt sick. It was so bad I ran to the bathroom. I sat on the cold floor, trying to breathe. My heart was beating fast.

I knew this feeling. I had seen it in my mother five times. I had felt it myself once, years ago, during a summer that ended badly.

I stood up. My legs were shaking. I reached into the back of the bathroom cabinet. I had bought a test strip two days ago when Michael took me to get my father’s medicine. I did not want to believe it.

I waited. The three minutes felt longer than the ten years I’d spent missing Maya.

Two pink lines.

I leaned on the sink and stared at the little stick. I was pregnant. In the middle of a murder case, a fake marriage, and a fight with the worst woman in the country, I was having Edward Vance’s baby.

"Serena? "You okay in there?" Edward’s voice came through the door.

I almost dropped the test. "I'm fine! Just... just a little sick. Too much of Mom’s spicy food."

"Open the door," he said. His voice was soft and worried.

I hid the test in my robe pocket and opened the door. Edward was in a nice grey suit. He looked like a powerful lawyer. But when he saw my face, his eyebrows furrowed.

"You look pale, Serena. I'm calling the doctor."

"No!" I said, a bit too loud. I forced a smile. "Really, Ed. I’m just tired. All this stress... it's a lot. Go. You have that meeting at the Bennet house, remember?"

Edward stopped. He reached out to touch my face. "We’re going to the Bennet house, Serena. Together. I told you, I’m not leaving you behind anymore."

I looked at him. He was the man who gave up his cold life for a family of eight. I wanted to tell him. I wanted to see his face when he knew he wasn't just fighting for his legacy. He was fighting for a baby.

But then I thought of Lily. I thought of the shooter in my father’s house. If I told Edward now, he would be scared. And in this game, being scared could get you killed.

"Okay," I whispered. "Let's go find Louise."

The Bennet house was not like the Vance house. The Vance home was a big stone castle. The Bennet house was made of glass and steel. It felt like a fancy jail.

As we drove up, I felt a little nauseous. I held on to my tummy, trying to get control of the situation so Edward doesn’t start asking questions.

Simone opened the car door for us. He looked at me. His eyes stayed on my face for a second too long. I wondered if the man who kept my Lily’s secrets for thirty years could see a new one growing inside me.

We were taken to a sunny room with glass walls. Louise Bennet was sitting alone. She looked like she had not slept in weeks. Her blonde hair was messy, and her eyes were red.

"Edward," she said, her voice soft. "I heard about Eleanor. I’m so sorry. I didn't know your mother was... that she could do that."

"My mother can do anything, Louise," Edward said, sitting across from her. He did not wait. He pulled a folder from his bag. "I have the fake dates. I have the proof of money from your father’s secret bank account. You're smart. You know what 'helping with murder' looks like in court."

Louise jumped a little. She looked at me, then back at Edward. "My father said it was just a small thing. He said the Vances owed us. He said Lily had a plan to join the companies for good."

"The plan was to kill my father and use Eleanor as insurance for ten years," Edward said, his voice cold. "Louise, look at Serena. She’s the girl whose sister died."

Louise looked at me. For a moment, I saw myself in her. She was a woman trapped by what her parents did.

"My father is scared, Edward," Louise whispered. "He’s at the docks today. He’s meeting with someone from the Sterling company. They’re trying to cover up evidence before the police can stop them."

"Which dock?" I asked, stepping forward.

Louise hesitated. "Pier 42. But you shouldn't go there. Lily’s people... they’re everywhere."

"We’re going," Edward said, standing up.

As we walked back to the car, I felt sick again. I tripped, and Edward caught me. His arm held me tight around my waist.

"That's it. After Pier 42, we’re going to the hospital," he said. His voice was firm. "I don't care if it's just a bug. I can't lose you, Serena. You're all I have left."

I looked at him. My heart hurts for keeping such a big secret from him.

"Edward," I said. The secret was on my tongue. "There's something I have to tell you."

"Can it wait twenty minutes?" Edward asked. His phone was already at his ear as he called Michael. "I need to call the police before we go to the docks."

I looked at his serious face. I looked at the dark sky above Oaktown. The "Sunshine" girl was gone. I was a Vance now. And Vance knew how to keep a secret until the right time.

"Yeah," I whispered, pushing the test deeper into my pocket. "It can wait."

As we got to Pier 42, we saw Gabriel Bennet and a woman who looks just like Lily Vance getting on a private boat. But as Edward gets ready to move, I see a man I know. He is watching us from a building nearby. It’s the shooter from my father’s house, and his gun is pointed right at Edward's chest.