Chapter 1: The Lullaby in the Hallway
The crystal chandeliers of Hawthorne Manor trembled faintly under the vibration of the grandfather clock striking midnight. In the corridor outside the nursery, time seemed to stand still.
Andrew Hawthorne stood frozen in the doorway, his black velvet tuxedo collar loosened, his chest rising and falling with ragged breaths. Beside him, Evelyn, clad in a sleek cobalt blue satin evening gown, clutched his arm with manicured nails that dug into his sleeve.
""Andrew, please!"" Evelyn’s voice shrilled with defensive hysteria. ""She’s been filling their heads with nonsense! She’s just a seasonal maid from the agency! Have security throw her out into the rain!""
On the polished oak floor, kneeling in her simple black-and-white uniform, Claire held the seven-year-old twin boys, Liam and Lucas. The boys were in matching white silk pajamas with black piping, their arms wrapped around Claire’s neck with desperate, white-knuckled ferocity.
""Why are my sons calling you Mommy?"" Andrew demanded again, though the initial explosive thunder of his voice had fractured into a stunned whisper.
Liam buried his face deeper into Claire’s apron, sobbing uncontrollably. ""No! She sings us the same song! The one about the paper boat in the summer rain!""
""She knows the song..."" Lucas choked out, his small shoulders shuddering. ""Mommy’s song!""
Claire lifted her head. Her face was pale, tears running down her cheeks, catching the soft amber light of the corridor sconces. Her lips trembled as she pressed a shaking hand to the collar of her uniform.
""I shouldn't have come inside,"" Claire whispered, her voice carrying the unmistakable, haunting timbre that Andrew had not heard in seven agonizing years. ""I only wanted to see them once on their birthday. Just from afar... I didn't mean to wake them.""
Andrew took half a step forward, the breath knocked entirely from his lungs. ""Claire...?""
""Andrew, don't listen to this!"" Evelyn cried, trying to pull him back. ""Claire died in the clinic fire in Geneva! You saw the dental records! You signed the death certificate!""
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Claire slowly rose to her feet, keeping a protective hand on each boy's head. ""The fire wasn't an accident, Andrew. And the woman who locked me in that ward... was your stepmother, with Evelyn’s father holding the key.""
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