Maya's POV
The van stops in a warehouse district. Empty buildings. No witnesses. The perfect place for people to disappear.
"Out," Daniel orders, dragging us from the vehicle.
My hands are still zip-tied behind my back. My shoulders ache. The bulletproof vest digs into my ribs. But I'm more worried about my baby than my own discomfort.
Please let my baby be okay. Please.
Daniel's men push us into an abandoned warehouse. Inside, a single light illuminates a table where Marcus Webb sits waiting, looking nothing like the concerned detective I met at the café.
"Maya, Ethan, Derek." Marcus stands and smiles. "So good of you to join me."
"You killed my mother," I say, my voice shaking with rage.
"I did." Marcus says it so casually, like admitting to breaking a glass. "Linda Chen was a problem that needed solving. James Walsh paid me well to solve it."
"You're a murderer," Ethan spits.
"I'm a businessman. I provide services for the right price." Marcus walks toward us slowly. "But enough about the past. Let's talk about the future. Specifically, your futures."
"What do you want?" I demand.
"What I've always wanted. Control." Marcus gestures to the files Daniel gave us. "James Walsh has built an empire over thirty years. But empires need maintenance. James is getting old, sloppy, emotional. It's time for new management."
"You want to take over his operation," Ethan realizes.
"I want to eliminate James and absorb his assets. With your help, of course." Marcus's smile widens. "You've already done the hard part—gathering evidence, turning Derek against his father, creating public scandals. All I need to do is swoop in once James falls and claim the throne."
"We'll never help you," I say.
"You already have." Marcus nods to Daniel, who pulls out his phone and shows us recordings. Videos of me and Ethan discussing our plans. Audio of Derek revealing his father's crimes. Every private conversation we thought was secret.
"Daniel has been recording you for months," Marcus explains. "Every word. Every plan. Every weakness."
The Derek beside me—or Daniel, I still can't tell—struggles against his restraints. "This isn't what we agreed! You said we'd just scare them!"
"Plans change, Derek." Marcus looks at him coldly. "Or should I say, Daniel? It's so hard to keep track of which cousin is which."
"I'm Derek!" the man beside me shouts. "I'm the real Derek! Daniel is the one who's been impersonating me!"
"Are you?" Marcus laughs. "Or are you Daniel pretending to be Derek pretending to be Daniel? Even I've lost track at this point."
My head spins. Which one is telling the truth?
"Here's what's going to happen," Marcus continues. "You're all going to sign confessions stating that you fabricated evidence against James Walsh. You'll admit to harassment, defamation, and conspiracy. Then you'll quietly disappear, and I'll comfort poor James in his hour of need, slowly taking control of his businesses."
"And if we refuse?" Ethan asks.
"Then I kill you all. Starting with Maya's unborn baby." Marcus pulls out a gun. "A bullet to the stomach. Very tragic. Pregnant woman caught in crossfire."
"You're insane," I whisper.
"I'm practical." Marcus aims the gun at my stomach. "Sign the confessions or watch your child die before it's born."
"Stop!" The Derek beside me lurches forward. "Don't hurt her! I'll sign anything!"
"Derek, no—" I start.
"I don't care what happens to me, Maya. But I won't let him hurt you or our baby." Derek—or Daniel, I still don't know—looks at me with desperate eyes. "I love you. I never stopped loving you. And if dying means you and our child live, then I'll die."
Something about his voice, his eyes, convinces me. This is the real Derek. I'm sure of it.
But then Daniel steps forward from the shadows where he's been watching. "Nice performance, cousin. But I'm the one who's actually been protecting her."
Two Dereks. Standing side by side. Both looking at me with identical faces, identical expressions.
"Maya, it's me," the Derek who was zip-tied says. "The real me. Daniel drugged me and took my place at the safe house this morning."
"No, Maya, it's me," the other Derek insists. "Daniel has been impersonating me for months. Don't believe him."
"Enough!" Marcus fires his gun into the ceiling. Everyone flinches. "It doesn't matter which one is which. You're all going to die anyway."
Suddenly, the warehouse doors explode inward. Police swarm inside, guns drawn, shouting commands.
"Police! Drop your weapons!"
Marcus spins toward the officers, his gun still drawn. They shoot first.
Marcus falls, blood spreading across his chest.
In the chaos, Daniel's men scatter. Some surrender, some run. Ethan breaks free from his zip-ties—apparently they were looser than they looked—and grabs Marcus's gun.
One Derek rushes to me, cutting my restraints. "Are you okay? Is the baby okay?"
"I don't know," I gasp. "How did the police find us?"
"I called them," Sophie says, running into the warehouse. "I recorded everything at the library and sent it to the real police. Not Marcus. Actual cops."
Marcus groans on the floor, still alive but badly wounded. "This isn't over," he coughs. "James... James knows everything... he's coming..."
"Shut up," Ethan says, standing over him. "You're done."
Paramedics rush in, loading Marcus onto a stretcher. Police officers take statements from everyone.
"We need to know which one of you is Derek Walsh and which is Daniel Walsh," an officer says to the identical men.
"I'm Derek," both say simultaneously.
The officer looks at me. "Can you tell them apart?"
I study both men carefully. They're exactly the same. Same height. Same face. Same voice. But one has a tiny scar above his left eyebrow. The scar Derek got when he was twelve.
"That's Derek," I point to the one with the scar. "The real Derek."
"No!" the other one—Daniel—lunges at me.
Officers tackle him to the ground. He screams and fights, but they handcuff him efficiently.
"You ruined everything!" Daniel shouts at me. "I was supposed to take over! I was supposed to win!"
They drag him away still screaming.
Derek wraps me in his arms. "Thank god you're okay. When Daniel switched places with me, I thought I'd never see you again."
"How did he drug you?" I ask.
"Coffee this morning. He must have slipped something in it. I woke up in a basement three hours later." Derek pulls back to look at me. "I tried to warn you. I sent that text. Did you get it?"
"I got it. But I didn't know if I could trust it."
"I know. I'm sorry. For everything." Derek touches my stomach gently. "Is the baby really okay?"
"I think so. But I should see a doctor."
"I'll take you right now—"
"No," Ethan interrupts. "We need to finish this. Marcus is captured, but James Walsh is still free. And according to Marcus, James knows everything."
As if summoning him, my phone rings. Derek's name appears on the screen.
But Derek is standing right here beside me.
"Don't answer it," Ethan warns.
I answer anyway. "Hello?"
"Maya." James Walsh's voice is cold, controlled. "I know what happened at the warehouse. I know Marcus betrayed me. I know Daniel betrayed me. I know my own son betrayed me."
"What do you want?" I ask.
"Justice. Meet me at my house in one hour. Bring Derek and Ethan. Come alone or I start releasing the information I have about all of you. Starting with the truth about your baby."
"What truth?"
"That it's Derek's. That you've been lying about your relationship with Ethan. That your whole engagement is fake." James's voice is triumphant. "I have proof, Maya. Photos, recordings, medical records. I'll destroy your reputation and take custody of my grandchild unless you meet with me. One hour."
He hangs up.
"What did he say?" Derek demands.
"He wants us to meet him at his house. He says he has proof the engagement is fake and he'll use it to take the baby."
"He's bluffing," Ethan says.
"Is he?" I look at both men. "James Walsh always has a backup plan. If he says he has proof, he probably does."
"Then we don't go," Derek says. "We call the police again. We let them handle it."
"Police can't arrest him without charges," Ethan points out. "Marcus is captured, but James can claim he knew nothing about Marcus's plans. He'll say he's a victim too."
"So what do we do?" I ask.
"We go to his house," Ethan decides. "We confront him. We end this tonight."
"That's exactly what he wants," Derek argues. "He's setting a trap."
"Then we walk into it with our eyes open." Ethan checks his gun. "We've come too far to back down now."
Against my better judgment, I agree. We drive to James Walsh's mansion—a huge estate on the edge of the city. Guards stand at the gate but let us through without question.
James is expecting us.
We park in the circular driveway. The house looms above us, dark and threatening.
"Last chance to turn back," Derek says.
"I'm not turning back," I reply. "I'm done running from him."
We walk to the front door together. It opens before we can knock.
James Walsh stands in the entrance, looking older and more tired than the last time I saw him. But his eyes are still sharp, calculating.
"Come in," he says pleasantly, like he's inviting us for tea.
We enter cautiously. The house is empty except for James. No guards. No staff. Just him.
"Where is everyone?" Ethan asks suspiciously.
"I sent them away. This conversation is private." James leads us into his study. "Please, sit."
"We'll stand," I say.
"Suit yourself." James pours himself a drink. "I want to make a deal."
"We're not making deals with you," Derek says.
"Even if it means saving Maya's baby?" James turns to face his son. "Even if it means keeping you out of prison for the rest of your life?"
"What are you talking about?" Derek's voice wavers.
"I'm talking about the evidence I have against all of you. Ethan Stone, illegally hacking my systems. Maya Chen, conspiracy to commit fraud. And you, Derek, theft of confidential documents." James drinks calmly. "I can send all of you to prison for decades. Or I can make it all disappear."
"In exchange for what?" Ethan demands.
"In exchange for my grandchild." James looks at my stomach. "I know the baby is Derek's. I want custody. Full, legal custody. You give me the child when it's born, and I destroy all evidence against you."
"Never," I say immediately.
"Then you go to prison pregnant and give birth in a cell." James's smile is cruel. "Do you really want your child's first memory to be bars and guards?"
"You can't prove any of this," I argue.
"Can't I?" James opens a folder on his desk. "I have video of Ethan planting devices on my phone. I have bank records showing money transfers between you three that look suspiciously like conspiracy payments. I have testimony from witnesses saying you planned to frame me for crimes I didn't commit."
"You killed my mother," I say, my voice shaking.
"Prove it." James spreads his hands. "You have no witnesses. No physical evidence. Just accusations from my mentally unstable son who's trying to destroy me out of jealousy."
"I'm not mentally unstable!" Derek shouts.
"Aren't you? You married a woman claiming to be dying, then accused her of lying when she improved. You attacked your own father publicly. You're working with a woman who's clearly using you to get revenge on our family." James shakes his head sadly. "Any judge will see you're having a breakdown."
"This is insane," I whisper.
"This is reality." James finishes his drink. "You have twenty-four hours to decide. Give me the baby, or go to prison. Choose wisely."
"We're leaving," Ethan says, grabbing my arm.
We turn to go, but James's voice stops us.
"One more thing, Maya. I know the engagement to Ethan is fake. I know you've been using each other for revenge. And soon, the whole world will know it too."
"Let them know," I say defiantly. "I don't care anymore."
"You will when I release the medical records showing exact conception dates." James pulls out another file. "The dates prove you got pregnant while you were still with Derek. Which means you cheated on him. Which means you're an adulterer carrying a child you tried to pass off as someone else's."
My stomach drops. He's right. The timeline proves I was still with Derek when I got pregnant.
"I never said the baby was Ethan's," I argue weakly.
"You implied it. The whole world assumes it. And when they find out you lied, your reputation is destroyed. No court will grant custody to an unfit mother who lies about paternity." James's smile is triumphant. "Give me the child willingly, or I'll take it by force. Your choice."
We leave quickly, my hands shaking with rage and fear.
In the car, Derek explodes. "He can't do this! He can't take our baby!"
"He can if he has the evidence he claims," Ethan says grimly.
My phone rings. Derek again. But the real Derek is sitting right here.
"Don't answer it," Derek warns.
I answer anyway. I'm tired of being afraid.
"Maya?" Derek's voice sounds strange, panicked. "It's me. The real me. I need help. My father knows I took the files from his office. He just showed up at my apartment with men. They're breaking down the door. He's going to kill me. Please, you have to—"
The line goes dead.
Gunshots echo through the phone before it cuts off completely.
"That was Derek," I whisper, looking at the Derek beside me. "He's in trouble."
"I'm right here," Derek says.
"Then who was on the phone?" Ethan demands.
We all realize it at the same time. Daniel. Daniel escapaed police custody and went to Derek's apartment. And James Walsh thinks Daniel is Derek.
James is about to kill his own son by mistake