He explained that Caroline had run away at nineteen after a terrible argument. He had tried to control her life and was too proud to follow her. He thought she would come back.
“I searched for her for years,” he said. “When investigators finally found her, she was already gone. A car accident. They said she’d had a baby — but the child was missing. I’ve been searching for my granddaughter for ten years.”
Eleanor felt dizzy. “You think I’m…? But my father was James Novak.”
He nodded slowly. “Caroline married James Novak. Your grandmother, Ruth Hayes, was actually Ruth Novak — James’s mother. After the accident, she took you and changed her name so I wouldn’t find you.”
“You’re saying… you’re my grandfather?”
“I believe I am. That birthmark runs in my family. The odds of two unrelated people having identical marks in the exact same place are almost impossible.”
“My mom had it too?”
“Yes. And she was beautiful — just like you.”
William then revealed he was the CEO of Hartley Pharmaceuticals. Business rivals had kidnapped him, planning to force him to sell the company.
“You saved my life, Eleanor,” he said.