The Song in the Dark

""How did you survive?"" Andrew breathed, his voice cracking as he reached out, finally touching the scar with trembling fingers.

""A nurse named Helen,"" Claire said, tears welling in her eyes again. ""She knew what Dr. Vance was planning. She pulled me through the cellar coal chute before the main roof collapsed. But I had inhaled smoke, suffered severe burns on my shoulder, and when I woke up in a public hospital in Lyon three months later... my memories were shattered.""

""A convenient case of amnesia!"" Evelyn scoffed bitterly. ""What a breathtaking fairy tale!""

""It took me six years to piece my mind back together,"" Claire continued, never breaking eye contact with Andrew. ""Every time I tried to search for you, articles in international journals claimed that Andrew Hawthorne had moved on, engaged to Evelyn Vance, the daughter of the esteemed Dr. Vance. I thought you were complicit, Andrew. I thought you wanted me gone so you could secure the Vance patents.""

""I searched for you for three years, Claire!"" Andrew’s voice broke into a raw shout. ""I nearly drank myself to death! I built a memorial foundation in your name in Geneva! I only agreed to this engagement six months ago because my father’s will required a stable home for the twins to inherit the shipping lines!""

""I didn't know that,"" Claire said softly. ""Until two weeks ago, when Helen contacted me on her deathbed and gave me the safety deposit box key in Zurich. Inside were Dr. Vance’s original wire transfers to the sanatorium staff, signed by Evelyn’s trust fund.""

Evelyn’s face drained of all color. She took a step back toward the door. ""This is absurd. I am leaving.""

""You are not leaving this room,"" Andrew said, his voice dropping into a register of cold, absolute authority. ""Marcus! Guard the west wing.""