Chapter 1 - THE BLUE BOX
During Vincent Romano’s engagement party in his New York mansion, housemaid Hannah Brooks discovers nine-year-old Lily Romano locked inside a pantry after Vincent’s fiancée, Caroline Whitaker, falsely tells the child that her father is ashamed of her. Caroline threatens and strikes Hannah when she tries to help Lily, only for Vincent to appear and realize something is terribly wrong.
After freeing his daughter, Vincent notices Caroline possesses the pantry key and begins questioning why Hannah seemed afraid to identify her. Hannah eventually reveals that Caroline had been targeting her for weeks after Hannah and Lily discovered an old blue music box hidden in the room of Vincent’s late mother, Sophia Romano.
When Caroline tries to flee the mansion, security finds the stolen blue box in her luggage. Inside are a cassette recording and a hospital bracelet marked “BABY GIRL ROMANO,” dated on Lily’s birthday, with the name “EMMA” written beneath it.
Sophia’s recording reveals there were two baby girls born the night Lily arrived, but the tape has been deliberately cut before Sophia can explain who the second child belonged to.
Then Lily produces an envelope Sophia secretly gave her years earlier. Inside is a photograph showing two newborn girls, Sophia Romano—and Hannah’s mother.
Hannah finally admits that at nineteen, she gave birth to a daughter at St. Matthew’s Hospital. She was told the baby died.
That happened exactly nine years ago.
Before anyone can understand what it means, former maternity doctor Rebecca Shaw calls Vincent and reveals that the babies were not accidentally switched. Someone paid hospital staff to alter the records.
But Dr. Shaw adds an even more disturbing detail.
The girl Vincent has raised as Lily Romano is not the baby who disappeared from Hannah’s hospital room.
Then the mansion loses power.
Lily screams.
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Hannah reaches for her.
And in the darkness, another hand takes the child.
