Chapter 12 - THE BLACKOUT IN ETHAN’S NURSERY
“Ethan!”
I ran upstairs.
His crying came through the nursery door.
The electronic lock flashed red.
Victor entered a code.
Nothing.
Again.
Nothing.
The manual key was downstairs.
I hit the door with my palm.
“Ethan, Caya’s here!”
His crying became louder.
“Caya!”
Victor disappeared.
Thirty seconds later he returned with a heavy brass key from the emergency cabinet.
It worked.
The door opened.
I reached Ethan first.
He stood inside his crib, injured arm supported, face wet with tears.
I lifted him carefully.
“I’ve got you.”
He wrapped his good arm around my neck.
Victor checked the windows.
Closet.
Bathroom.
Nobody inside.
Then the lights returned.
Security system restarted.
Victor looked around.
“What changed?”
At first, nothing.
Then I saw the dresser.
A drawer was open.
I had closed it earlier.
Victor followed my eyes.
Inside the drawer we kept Ethan’s basic documents for travel.
Insurance copies.
Medical card.
Emergency consent.
His passport was gone.
Victor froze.
“Who knew it was here?”
“Me.”
“Serena?”
“Probably.”
“Staff?”
“Maybe.”
We checked the nursery camera.
Offline during blackout.
Of course.
Hallway camera too.
Then one unit at the end of the corridor came back first.
Its recording showed a figure in dark clothing entering from the service stairs during the outage.
Face hidden by shadow.
The person approached Ethan’s room.
Used a physical key.
Entered.
Stayed twenty-three seconds.
Left.
We couldn’t identify them.
But they knew the service route.
Knew the nursery.
Knew where Ethan’s passport was.
This wasn’t an outside intruder exploring.
Someone came for a specific item.
Victor immediately checked Serena’s room.
She was gone.
Closet half empty.
Suitcase missing.
Her phone went directly to voicemail.
I felt cold.
“She took it.”
“Maybe.”
Victor looked at me.
“Yes. Evidence first.”
But we both believed Serena had left.
Then we found a note on Victor’s bed.
Not handwritten.
Printed.
You should have signed Monday’s documents without asking questions.
Victor crumpled it.
I took it from him.
“Don’t.”
He stared.
I flattened it.
“Evidence.”
He laughed bitterly.
“You’re turning into Rebecca.”
Maybe that was the best compliment anyone had given me.
We returned to Ethan’s room.
Under his pillow was something that had not been there earlier.
A business card.
Mercer Advisory Holdings.
Graham Mercer.
On the back:
10:00 P.M. — EAST GATE.
Victor checked the time.
8:36.
“A meeting?”
“Or bait.”
Victor looked at Ethan.
“I’m not leaving him.”
“I’ll stay.”
“No.”
“What?”
“You’ve been kicked, framed, had your phone copied, and almost locked away from Ethan.”
“That’s my job.”
“No.”
Victor’s voice softened.
“That stopped being a job hours ago.”
I didn’t know what to say.
He continued.
“You protect him because you love him.”
I looked at Ethan.
“Of course I do.”
“And that’s exactly what they’re using against you.”
True.
Then the mansion intercom clicked.
A voice.
Serena.
“Victor.”
He looked upward.
She wasn’t gone.
Her voice came from the security speakers.
“I need you to listen.”
Victor pressed the intercom control.
“Where are you?”
“No.”
“Where is Ethan’s passport?”
“Safe.”
“You took it.”
“Yes.”
My stomach tightened.
“Why?”
Serena’s voice trembled.
“Because Graham told me to get Ethan out tonight.”
Victor looked at me.
“Where?”
“He said there’s a car coming at ten.”
“East gate?”
Silence.
“Yes.”
“Why should I believe you?”
“You shouldn’t.”
That answer surprised all of us.
Serena continued.
“But I’m done.”
“Done with what?”
“With Graham.”
Victor laughed coldly.
“You helped him hurt my son.”
“I know.”
“Don’t say that like confession cleans anything.”
“I’m not asking forgiveness.”
Her voice cracked.
“I’m asking you not to go to the east gate.”
“Why?”
“Because Graham isn’t coming for Ethan.”
Pause.
“He’s coming for you.”
Victor stared at the speaker.
“What does that mean?”
“The staircase plan changed.”
My skin prickled.
“To what?”
Serena whispered:
“He knows you found Rebecca’s ledger.”
Victor’s face changed.
“How?”
“Mason.”
There.
Security chief.
“Where is Mason?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did he steal Rebecca’s USB?”
“Yes.”
Victor closed his eyes.
Evidence.
Finally.
“How do you know?”
“I watched Graham open the copy Mason sent.”
Copy.
Not original?
Victor looked at me.
Then the ledger remained hidden in sunroom.
Mason had taken the USB, but the physical ledger survived.
Serena continued.
“Graham knows the ledger connects him to transfers from before Rebecca died.”
“Then why east gate?”
“He thinks you made another copy.”
“We did.”
Silence.
Serena exhaled.
“Then he will not stop.”
“Where are you?”
She didn’t answer.
Instead:
“Claire.”
My body stiffened.
“What?”
“I’m sorry.”
I nearly laughed.
“For which part?”
“Ethan’s arm.”
My eyes filled with anger.
“You don’t get to reduce it to an apology.”
“I know.”
“How did it happen?”
Silence.
“Serena.”
“He tried to pull out of the restraint.”
My stomach twisted.
“You kept going.”
“I panicked.”
“You hid it for days.”
“Graham told me if Victor found out before Monday, everything was finished.”
“And that mattered more than Ethan.”
She started crying.
I felt nothing.
Then she said:
“Not anymore.”
A sound came through the intercom.
A door opening.
Serena gasped.
Then a man’s voice.
“Mistake.”
Graham.
The intercom cut.
Victor stared at the silent speaker.
Serena had been somewhere inside Blackwood Manor.
May you like
And Graham Mercer had just found her.
📖 Find out where Serena had been hiding inside the mansion—and what Graham did when he realized she had warned us about the east-gate trap in CHAPTER 13. 👇
