Chapter 5 - The Woman They Blamed
The following week became a war of secrets.
Vincent moved Claire and the twins into a secure estate outside Greenwich.
Claire objected.
“I don't want to live behind walls.”
“You don't have to stay forever.”
“You said we needed security.”
“We do.”
“Then I want a voice in how it works.”
Vincent nodded.
“You have one.”
The estate was larger than Molly's townhouse by an absurd margin.
Claire hated it.
The twins loved it.
There was a garden.
A nursery filled with sunlight.
A kitchen large enough for a restaurant.
And, to Vincent's surprise, a baby monitor that became the single most important device in his life.
He woke whenever one of the twins cried.
At first Claire found it ridiculous.
Then she noticed he actually got up.
One night she found him walking around the nursery at 3:00 a.m. with Noah against his shoulder.
“You can go back to bed.”
“I can't.”
“Why?”
“He won't stop crying.”
“Try singing.”
Vincent looked horrified.
“I don't sing.”
Noah screamed louder.
Claire covered her mouth to hide her laughter.
“You have to improvise.”
Vincent sighed.
Then he started humming.
Claire stood in the doorway.
It was terrible.
But Noah became quiet.
Vincent looked at her.
“Don't say anything.”
She smiled.
“I wasn't going to.”
“Yes, you were.”
A month ago, Claire would have walked away.
Now she stayed.
They were rebuilding something.
Not the old marriage.
Something new.
But Richard Vane had not stopped.
A forged document appeared online accusing Vincent of financial crimes.
Then a second appeared.
Then a third.
The media descended.
Claire became part of the story.
Headlines called her Vincent's abandoned wife.
Some described her as an opportunistic mother suddenly returning for money.
Others mocked her appearance.
One viral post showed an old photograph of Claire beside Celeste.
The caption read:
THE WIFE WHO COULDN'T COMPETE.
Claire read the comments.
She regretted it immediately.
Vincent found her sitting alone.
He took the phone from her hand.
“Don't read that.”
“They're calling me fat.”
“You're my wife.”
“That doesn't make me thin.”
“No.”
She looked at him.
“But?”
“But it makes their opinion irrelevant.”
Claire smiled weakly.
He sat beside her.
“You carried two children.”
“I also carried too much of your marriage.”
He looked at her.
“That one hurts.”
“It should.”
“I know.”
The next morning, Vincent held a press conference.
Everyone expected him to discuss the fraud allegations.
Instead he spoke about Claire.
“My wife has been targeted.”
Cameras flashed.
“Not because she committed a crime. Not because she owes anyone an explanation. She has been targeted because someone believes harming her will weaken me.”
He paused.
“That person is wrong.”
Claire watched from home.
Vincent continued.
“Claire Moretti is the mother of my children. She is a registered emergency nurse. She supported herself before, during, and after our separation. She owes this public no apology for how she looks, what she wears, or how she chose to protect her family.”
Claire's eyes filled.
Then he said something nobody expected.
“I am responsible for part of the damage done to her.”
Reporters became silent.
“I betrayed my marriage. I hurt my wife. I do not blame another man or woman for that choice.”
Claire covered her mouth.
Vincent looked directly into the camera.
“I cannot undo what I did. I can only spend the rest of my life proving that I understand its cost.”
The statement changed public opinion.
Not because everyone forgave him.
Because for once, he had told the truth.
But Richard Vane panicked.
That same evening, Thomas Reed arrived at Vincent's estate claiming he wanted to help with the investigation.
Claire recognized the man from the photograph.
Vincent noticed her reaction.
“You know him?”
“No.”
“But you recognize him.”
“Yes.”
Thomas smiled.
“I've seen Mrs. Moretti at the hospital.”
Claire's stomach tightened.
The twins were upstairs.
Vincent stepped between them.
“Why are you here?”
Reed handed him a folder.
“Evidence that Vane is planning something bigger.”
Vincent took it.
That night, he opened the folder.
It contained photographs of Richard Vane.
Bank records.
Shipping manifests.
And a handwritten note.
ASK WHO SIGNED THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE.
Vincent stared.
Claire's face went pale.
“What does that mean?”
“I'm not sure.”
Then Marcus entered.
“We found a second birth certificate.”
Vincent looked up.
“What?”
“The original one is valid.”
Marcus put another document on the desk.
“But someone filed an amended version.”
Claire took it.
The father's name had been changed.
Not removed.
Changed.
To a man named Daniel Mercer.
Claire stared.
“I've never heard of him.”
Marcus shook his head.
“Neither have we.”
Vincent's voice became cold.
“Find him.”
Three hours later, they did.
Daniel Mercer had worked at Harbor Saint's neonatal unit.
He had died six months earlier.
The cause of death was listed as an overdose.
But Vincent knew something was wrong.
Because Mercer had left behind one envelope.
It had been addressed to Claire.
May you like
And inside was a message.
I KNOW WHY THEY WANTED YOUR TWINS.
