He twisted the hem of his shirt between his fingers before answering.

The iron gates of the Mercer estate loomed dark against the midnight sky. Rain slicked the asphalt of the long gravel drive as Elena cut the engine of her car two blocks away.

Dressed in dark clothes, she moved quietly along the perimeter wall, dodging the golden glow of the estate lights. She slipped the old brass key into the lock of the side service door. It turned with a faint click.

The air inside the main house smelled of stale polish, old money, and Margaret’s expensive lavender perfume. Elena moved silently through the kitchen, avoiding the squeaky floorboards she had learned to dodge during her years visiting as David’s wife.

She reached the back staircase leading up to the third-floor attic—a dusty, cavernous room filled with antique furniture, framed oil portraits of dead Mercers, and forgotten trunks.

Using a small penlight, Elena navigated through the maze of covered sofas until she found David’s iron lockbox tucked inside a hollowed-out wooden wardrobe.

She pulled out a small hairclip, working the lock the way David had once shown her when he lost his key years ago. With a dull snap, the latch gave way.

Inside lay three thick leather journals, a bundle of letters tied with ribbon, and a yellowed birth certificate from a hospital in Chittenden County, Vermont.

Elena shined her penlight on the birth certificate:

Child’s Name: Maya Rose Lin Mother: Sarah Lin Father: David Alexander Mercer Date of Birth: August 14, 2017

Elena’s heart pounded against her ribs. David had a daughter. Noah had a half-sister.

Tucked beneath the birth certificate was a legal agreement signed by Margaret Mercer, granting Sarah Lin a monthly stipend in exchange for absolute secrecy and a surrender of custody rights.