Chapter 45 Chapter 45
Iris stared at the photograph, an eerie sensation washing over her. The infant in the picture was a stranger to her, yet biologically, it was her own face. The woman holding her, younger, less careworn, but unmistakably Dianne, gazed at her with such profound love that it made Iris's chest tighten.
"You have the same expression in your designs," Richard observed gently. "That focused, analytical look. It was there from your first moments."
Tony watched Iris study the photographs, understanding the profound dissonance she must be feeling. These images represented a life she should have lived but never knew, a parallel existence that had been stolen from her before she could form any conscious memories of it.
Dianne turned the page, revealing more photographs from that first precious day. Richard is holding his newborn daughter with evident pride. Theodore, Victor, and Bryce, much younger, but still recognisable, peering at their tiny sister with expressions ranging from awe to bewilderment.
"The boys were so excited to have a sister," Dianne explained, her finger tracing the outline of the family group. "Theodore had just turned 12, Victor was eight, and Bryce wasn’t born yet, so only Theodore and Victor were in the photo. They had both been asking for a sister…”
“…for years," Richard continued, a wistful smile crossing his weathered face. "They made all these plans for what they would teach you."
Iris felt her throat tighten as she absorbed this new piece of her history, brothers who had wanted her, planned for her, before she was even born. The Maxwell boys had always treated her with a mixture of awe and protectiveness as the only girl among them, but this was different. These men had spent twenty years searching for the sister they'd barely known.
"What did they want to teach me?" she asked softly, her gaze moving to Theodore and Victor, who watched with carefully controlled emotion.
Theodore cleared his throat. "I had planned to teach you to read. Had all the books picked out." His normally composed voice wavered slightly. "Victor was determined you would learn self-defence before you could walk."
Victor nodded, his military bearing momentarily softening. "Some things don't change. The offer still stands."
Dianne turned another page in the album, revealing a photograph that made her catch her breath. It showed her in the nursery, rocking a sleeping Roxanne while Richard sat nearby, his expression one of pure contentment as he watched his wife and daughter.
"This was taken the night before..." Dianne stopped, unable to complete the sentence. The photograph captured their last moment of perfect happiness, hours before their world shattered.
Richard's hand tightened on his wife's shoulder, offering silent support as she confronted the memory that had haunted them for two decades.
Iris studied the peaceful scene in the photograph, trying to reconcile it with the trauma that had followed. These people had loved her, planned for her, celebrated her, and then lost her in the most devastating way possible. Meanwhile, hours later, Leo Maxwell had found an abandoned infant at his fire station, bringing her home to Carol with no idea of the heartbreak behind her arrival at their old home near the Canadian Border after the social services had given the green light.
"I'd like to have a copy of these," Iris said quietly. "To show my parents, the Maxwells. I think it would help them understand."
Dianne nodded, gratitude shining in her eyes at this small but significant request. "Of course. I'll have copies made of anything you'd like."
Tony watched the interaction with a deepening respect for both Iris and the Lawsons. Despite the emotional complexity of the situation, they were all striving to find a path forward that honoured both families' places in Iris's life.
In the Maxwell household, Leo sat at the kitchen table reviewing the draft statement Theodore had sent. Carol read over his shoulder, her teacher's eye catching nuances in the carefully crafted language.
"It's respectful," she noted with relief. "They're acknowledging our role in her life."
Leo nodded, though concern still creased his brow. "But once this goes public, everything changes. The media will be all over this story, the missing Lawson heiress found after twenty years. Our privacy, Iris's normal life at university..."
Carol squeezed her husband's shoulder, understanding his concerns. "We've raised a strong, level-headed young woman. She'll navigate this, and we'll be right beside her."
Leo covered her hand with his own, drawing strength from her steady presence as he had for over twenty years of marriage. "I just wish we had more time to prepare. Everything's happening so fast."
Back at the Lawson estate, Victor had received a security alert on his phone and stepped away to take a call. When he returned to the library, his expression had shifted to one of professional concern.
"We have activity at the perimeter," he reported, addressing his father directly. "Two vehicles are parked just outside the property line. Press, most likely, though they haven't approached the gates yet."
Richard's face hardened with resolve. "We should get Iris back to campus before they gather in force. Once the statement is released tomorrow, the media presence will intensify."
Iris closed the photo album carefully, her mind processing everything she had seen. The images had filled a void she hadn't even recognised existed, the missing beginning of her story. Yet they also underscored the enormity of what had been stolen from both her and the Lawsons.
"I think you're right," she agreed, suddenly feeling the full weight of the day's revelations. "I should get back before curfew anyway."
Dianne struggled to mask her disappointment at Iris's imminent departure. For twenty years, she had imagined having her daughter under their roof again, and now that brief reunion was ending too soon. But she recognised the wisdom in not overwhelming Iris further.
"Of course," she said, her voice steady despite her emotions. "We'll arrange for the security team to escort you."
Theodore was already coordinating with the estate's security detail, his efficiency a reflection of years spent managing the family's public image. "We'll use the service entrance. Less visible if there are photographers watching the main gates."