I opened the conversation.

The first message was from six months ago.

A: I can’t acknowledge him yet. My father controls every move. Chloe: You said you would talk to him. A: I will when he’s born. If he finds out about the pregnancy now, he’ll try to buy you off. Chloe: My parents already accepted money. A: How much? Chloe: Twenty million as an advance.

I froze.

I kept reading.

The man under the letter A was Adrian Astor. He was the only son of Oliver Astor, owner of a pharmaceutical group, private hospitals, and laboratories in four countries.

I knew the last name. The whole country knew it.

Adrian appeared in business magazines, equestrian events, and photographs alongside cabinet members. He was twenty-seven years old and engaged to a senator’s daughter.

Chloe had worked for a summer at their family foundation. That was where they met.

The messages revealed a clandestine relationship, promises of marriage, and increasingly desperate arguments. Adrian wanted to acknowledge the baby, but he claimed his father would never allow a child outside his official engagement to inherit shares in the group.

Then came messages sent from an unknown number.

Unknown: We know who the father is. Chloe: Leave me alone. Unknown: Your son is worth more than you will earn in your entire lifetime. Chloe: I am not going to sell him. Unknown: Your parents think differently.

There were photographs of my mother walking into a hotel with an Astor family lawyer. Another showed Lawrence signing a receipt.

Chloe’s last message had been sent at 2:51 that morning.

Chloe: Natalie, if you find this phone, do not trust Mom or Dad. They want to hand Julian over for money. I tried to get him out of the country, but they followed us. I couldn’t take him with me. Forgive me. Find Adrian before they do.

Below it was an audio file.

I pressed play.

My sister’s voice sounded weak, out of breath.

“Natalie, I didn’t go to Switzerland. They forced me out of the clinic. Dad said they were taking the baby to a safe place, but I heard him negotiating with someone. The Astors offered two billion dollars to make any proof that Adrian has a son disappear. Mom wants to pass you off as the mother so you’ll sign a private adoption agreement. Then they’ll say you gave him up voluntarily. If anything happens to me, protect Julian. The birthmark behind his ear matches Adrian’s. There’s a DNA test on the phone. Don’t give it to anyone.”

The audio ended with a thud and Chloe’s frightened breathing.

My hands were shaking. My parents didn’t want to protect my sister. They wanted to sell her son.

Julian cried from my bedroom. I ran to him.

The front door was open. I was sure I had locked it. I heard movement in the kitchen.

I grabbed the baby and the red phone. Then I climbed out the window that led to the backyard. I wasn’t wearing shoes.

I crossed the lawn and hopped the low fence that separated our house from the neighbor’s. Mrs. Higgins opened the door when I knocked.

“I need to use your phone,” I said. “And please don’t tell my parents you saw me.”

I must have looked terrified, because she didn’t ask any questions.

I dialed the number saved as Adrian on the cell phone. A man answered. “Chloe?” “I’m Natalie, her sister.”

There was a silence. “Where is she?” “I don’t know. She left the baby with me.” “Is Julian with you?” “Yes.” “Don’t say his name over the phone.” “My parents want to sell him to your family.” “It’s not my whole family. It’s my father.” “He offered two billion.”

Adrian took a deep breath. “My father wouldn’t pay that amount to find him. He would pay to ensure he never turns up.”

I looked at the boy. “What does that mean?” “It means you need to get out of that house right now.” “I’m already out.” “Don’t go to your local police. My father has connections.” “And I should trust you?” “No. But I can give you the name of someone Chloe chose.”

He gave me an address in Oak Park and the name of a lawyer: Amanda Rivers.

Mrs. Higgins lent me some sandals, cash, and a blanket. I left through the back alley with Julian pressed against my chest.

A black SUV was parked in front of our house. I saw my father talking to two men. My mother appeared in the doorway and pointed toward the corner.

They had spotted me.

I ran. One of the men yelled my name.

I managed to jump into a taxi before they could reach me. I gave the driver a different address and, during the ride, asked him to change the route three times.

Amanda Rivers lived above her law office. She was a woman with short hair and gray eyes who didn’t seem surprised to see me with a newborn.

“Chloe told me you might come,” she said. “Where is my sister?”

Her expression answered before her words did. “We don’t know.”

She showed me a recording made two weeks prior. Chloe was sitting in front of a camera.

“My parents agreed to represent the Astors,” she said. “They promised me the baby would live with another family, but I discovered they want to erase his identity. They signed a nondisclosure agreement and received twenty million. The remaining payment will be handed over when they secure the relinquishment of maternal rights and a statement denying Adrian’s paternity.”

“Why did they put my name on the birth certificate?” I asked. “Because they needed to legally sever Chloe from the child. If you appeared as the mother, they could force you to sign through threats or accuse you of abandonment.” “And then?” “Julian would vanish in a fake adoption. No one would ever be able to tie him to the Astors.”

Amanda checked the clinic’s wristband. “We should take him to a hospital. He might be dehydrated.” “The nurse from the clinic disappeared.” “I know. Her name is Celeste Barnes. She’s the one who helped Chloe sneak the baby out of the nursery before Oliver’s men arrived.” “Is she dead?” “We hope not.”

The red cell phone vibrated. It was a message from my mother.

Olivia: Come back. Your sister is with us.

Below it, she attached a photograph. Chloe was sitting in our dining room. She was wearing the hospital gown and had a bandage on her arm. She was holding today’s newspaper.

“It’s a trap,” Amanda said. “But she’s alive.”

Olivia texted again.

Olivia: Bring the boy before noon or Chloe is going to prison for kidnapping.

Amanda zoomed in on the photograph. “Look at the mirror.”

In the reflection, you could see a man pointing something at Chloe from outside the frame. He wasn’t holding a gun. He was holding a camera.

“They want to film the exchange,” she explained. “They need to prove that you willingly handed over the baby.” “Then we’ll give them a different recording.”

Adrian arrived twenty minutes later. He had the exact same reddish mark behind his ear.

When he saw Julian, he was speechless. He didn’t try to touch him. He just dropped to his knees in front of me.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I should have stood up to my father from the beginning.” “Your regret is useless if my sister dies.” “I won’t let that happen.”

Amanda orchestrated everything. Adrian called Oliver and pretended to accept the deal. He told him he had convinced me to hand over the child and that he wanted to be present.

Oliver ordered the meeting moved to an abandoned estate in Winnetka.

Before leaving, Amanda pinned a tiny camera to my jacket. The District Attorney’s task force was already informed, but they needed direct evidence to intervene without Oliver’s connections blocking the operation.

Adrian drove. I held Julian in my arms.

“Do you love Chloe?” I asked. “Yes.” “Then why were you going to marry another woman?” “Because I was a coward.” “The cowardice of rich men always ends up costing someone else’s life.”

He didn’t answer.

The estate was surrounded by SUVs. My father opened the door. “I knew you’d come to your senses.” “Where is Chloe?” “Hand over the boy first.”

We walked in. My sister was in a chair. She didn’t look seriously injured, but her lips were split. My mother stood beside her with a folder in her hands. Oliver Astor was waiting for us by the fireplace. He was a tall, gray-haired, impeccably dressed man.