Hospital.

Charlotte was making her usual rounds through the inpatient wing, jotting down notes on her patients, when a nurse approached her and

whispered, “Dr. Sterling, the patient in Room 36 is refusing to listen. He’s insisted on hobbling out with his cane to visit his wife in another department.”

Charlotte paused, pen hovering over the chart. Room 36–that was Stevenson, wasn’t it?

“His wife’s here too?”

“I think so. She’s in orthopedics.”

Charlotte closed her notebook and offered the nurse a reassuring smile. “I’ll bring him back in a bit.”

“Thank you, Dr. Sterling.”

At the nurses‘ station, Charlotte picked up the phone and called the orthopedics department to find out which room Candida was in, then headed across the corridor.

The nurse in orthopedics exined that Candida had fallen down the stairs, suffering a shattered left foot and a dislocated pelvis. She’d been brought in by ambnce–alone.

It was likely Candida herself had contacted Stevenson.

Charlotte reached the room and lifted her hand to knock, but paused when she heard Candida’s muffled sobs from inside. “I carried my daughter for bnine /bmonths–how could she suddenly belong to someone else? How could something like this happen?”

Stevenson’s voice sounded worn, exhausted. “This… this is my fault…”

Charlotte pushed open the door.

Stevenson looked up, startled, then quickly dropped his gaze, lost in

thought.

“Mr. Donovan, you’re still under hospital care. You can’t just leave your room without permission. If administration finds out, your insurance won’t cover the cost,” Charlotte reminded him gently, though her itone /iwas firm.

Candida quickly spoke up, “I was the one who called him over, Dr. Sterling. I’ll send him back right away.”

“My wife has no one else with her. Just give me ten more minutes. I promise I’ll go back afterward. If anything happens, I’ll take responsibility. The hospital won’t be at fault.”

His words caught his wife off guard; her eyes turned red as she tried to

hold back tears.

Charlotte was silent for a moment. “Just this once. Don’t let it happen

again.”

“Thank you, Dr. Sterling!” The Donovans‘ gratitude was in in their eyes.

Charlotte stepped out of the room, but before she could walk away, Candida called after her, “What’s the story with that gold coin bracelet,

anyway?”

Charlotte froze, took two steps back, and lingered by the door.

“That year, we ran into those two kids after the rescue, remember?” Stevenson began. “When the ambnce took them away, that bracelet fell from the girl’s wrist, so I picked it up. It looked valuable–gold coins and all–so I held onto it: Later, I showed it to a friend from the vige, but he said it wasn’t worth much. After that, I just put it away and forgot

about it.”

He sighed heavily. “I never expected Lottie to find it, or that those coins would turn out to be the Rayburn family’s heirloom.”

Charlotte stood still, stunned.

Almost unconsciously, her hand went to her bare wrist. She’d once had a gold coin bracelet, too…

b14-43 /b

But after the kidnapping, it had vanished.

She’d always believed Rachel had made it ifor /iher by hand–she’d worn it for as long as she could remember.

And the two children Stevenson mentioned… Could he have meant her and Evander?

Was the gold coin bracelet hers?

You’re even more like a Rayburn than that girl.

They found my real sister, but it doesn’t seem to make me as happy as I thought. Sometimes, I wonder if she’s really my sister after all.

You’re my daughter. You always have been.

Voices from Charlotte’s memories rushed in, making her go rigid. If what Stevenson said was true, then the true Rayburn heiress–Wesley’s sister–was actually her…

Later, when Stevenson returned to his room, he found Charlotte standing by the window, waiting for him.

He hesitated. “…Dr. Sterling?”

“You’re back.”

“You didn’t wait this whole time, did you?” Xavier gave an awkwardugh.

“I told iyou /iI’de back, and I always keep my word.”

Charlotte lowered her gaze. “I heard everything you said to Mrs.

Donovan.”

b3/2 /b