“It’s a physical custody contingency,” Ryker said, his voice flat and hard.

Sarah nodded, her finger still resting on the page.

“Marissa only retains control of the family fortune if she has continuous, physical custody of the twins,” Sarah explained.

“If they are removed from her care, or if she abandons them, the entire estate freezes.”

“The money goes into a locked trust,” Ryker added.

“And she loses every single dollar,” Sarah said.

The silence in the room was absolute, save for the ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner.

I thought of Lily and Owen upstairs, asleep under the heavy blankets.

I pictured Owen clinging to his worn teddy bear, and Lily watching the shadows on the wall.

“That’s why she left them at Gate Seventeen,” I whispered.

“No,” Ryker said, shaking his head. “If she abandoned them, she would lose the money.”

“Unless she was trying to stage a disappearance,” Marco suggested from the doorway.

“If they are legally missing, she can claim she still has custody until they are declared dead,” Sarah said.

“She could argue they wandered off at the airport while she wasn’t looking.”