Chapter 11 - The Daughter Who Was Never Lost
The gun was pointed directly at my chest.
I couldn't move.
Emma's hands were trembling.
So were mine.
“Emma,” I whispered.
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Don't call me that.”
“But that's your name.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“That was the name they gave me.”
My father stood behind her.
Calm.
Almost satisfied.
I looked at him.
“You did this.”
He didn't deny it.
“I gave her the truth.”
“You gave her a lie.”
Emma's finger tightened around the trigger.
“You left me.”
“No.”
“You never came.”
“I didn't know where you were.”
“You didn't look hard enough.”
My heart broke.
“I looked for you every day.”
She laughed bitterly.
“Every day?”
“Yes.”
“For twenty years?”
“Yes.”
“Then why did you never find me?”
I couldn't answer.
Because there was no answer that could repair twenty years.
Emma's eyes moved to Julian.
“He knew.”
Julian stepped forward.
“I tried to find you.”
“You found me.”
“Yes.”
“And then you disappeared.”
“I was trying to protect you.”
“You always say that.”
I flinched.
She sounded exactly like me.
My daughter.
My own words coming from her mouth.
I took one slow breath.
“Emma, please put the gun down.”
“No.”
“You don't have to be afraid of me.”
“I'm not afraid of you.”
“Then why are you holding a gun?”
Her eyes hardened.
“Because he told me what you did.”
I looked at my father.
“What did you tell her?”
He smiled.
“That you chose Amelia.”
Emma's face tightened.
“He told me you knew one of us would be taken.”
“That isn't true.”
“He said you gave me away.”
“I didn't.”
“He said you wanted Amelia.”
“I didn't even know there were two babies.”
Emma's eyes flickered.
For the first time, doubt appeared.
I took one careful step toward her.
“I didn't know.”
My voice broke.
“When I woke up, they told me my baby had died.”
Emma's eyes filled with tears.
“They told me the same thing.”
“What?”
“They told me my mother had died.”
I stopped.
My father watched us.
Emma lowered the gun slightly.
“They told me I was an orphan.”
I stared at her.
“Who raised you?”
“Vanessa.”
“Did she love you?”
Emma's expression changed.
“She did.”
I swallowed.
“Did she tell you about me?”
“She told me you abandoned me.”
My heart shattered.
“I never did.”
“She showed me pictures.”
“Pictures of what?”
“You.”
I froze.
“She kept photographs of you.”
“Why?”
“She said she wanted me to remember the woman who gave me away.”
I shook my head.
“That wasn't the truth.”
Emma looked at me.
“How do you know?”
“Because I never gave you away.”
Silence.
My father stepped forward.
“Enough.”
Emma turned toward him.
“No.”
He stopped.
She looked at him.
“You said she would deny it.”
“She is manipulating you.”
“You said she would lie.”
“She is lying.”
“You said she didn't love me.”
My father remained silent.
Emma's hands began shaking.
“You said my mother chose Amelia.”
“She did.”
“No.”
Emma looked at me.
“She wouldn't be crying like that if she didn't love me.”
I felt tears running down my face.
“I love you.”
The words came out before I could stop them.
Emma stared at me.
“I have loved you since the moment I knew you existed.”
Her lower lip trembled.
“I don't remember you.”
“You don't have to.”
I took another step.
“You don't have to remember being held by me.”
Another step.
“You don't have to remember my voice.”
She didn't move.
“You don't have to forgive me.”
My voice broke.
“But please don't let him make you hate yourself.”
Emma's eyes filled completely.
The gun lowered another inch.
My father suddenly moved.
“Emma.”
She looked at him.
He reached for her shoulder.
She stepped away.
“Don't touch me.”
His expression hardened.
“Give me the gun.”
“No.”
“Now.”
Emma shook her head.
“You lied to me.”
He looked at her coldly.
“I protected you.”
“You stole my life.”
“I gave you one.”
“You gave me a prison.”
My father looked toward Julian.
“This is what happens when you allow emotions to interfere.”
Julian stepped forward.
“You're done.”
My father laughed.
“You think you can stop me?”
“Yes.”
“You couldn't even save your wife.”
Julian's face tightened.
“You won't touch her again.”
My father reached into his coat.
I froze.
“Julian!”
Julian moved instantly.
He grabbed my arm and pulled me behind him.
But my father didn't draw a gun.
He pulled out a small remote.
He pressed one button.
The room changed.
A hidden screen descended from the wall.
A video began playing.
It showed a hospital room.
Twenty years earlier.
I stared at the screen.
A younger version of myself lay unconscious in a hospital bed.
My pregnant stomach was visible beneath the sheets.
Evelyn stood beside me.
Then Julian entered.
Young.
Terrified.
He spoke to Evelyn.
I couldn't hear the first words.
The audio suddenly became clear.
“You promised she wouldn't know.”
Evelyn answered:
“She can't know.”
“Why?”
“Because your father will kill her.”
Julian looked toward my sleeping body.
“What about the babies?”
Evelyn's face hardened.
“I'll take one.”
“And the other?”
“I'll save her.”
Julian shook his head.
“You can't save both.”
Evelyn whispered:
“I know.”
The video changed.
The nursery.
Two newborn babies.
One had the silver necklace.
The other had the scarlet bracelet.
I stared.
My daughters.
My hands covered my mouth.
Then Evelyn entered.
She lifted the baby with the silver necklace.
Emma.
A nurse handed her the other baby.
Amelia.
Evelyn looked at both.
Then she whispered:
“I'm sorry.”
The screen went black.
Emma stared at it.
“You knew.”
I looked at her.
“No.”
She looked at Julian.
“You knew.”
Julian couldn't answer.
Emma turned toward my father.
“You knew too.”
“Yes.”
“Why show me this?”
“To prove that your mother knew.”
Emma looked at me.
I stepped closer.
“She made a terrible choice.”
Emma's eyes filled with tears.
“But she made it because she thought she was saving you.”
“Why did she choose me?”
“She didn't.”
Emma frowned.
“She chose both of you.”
“But she took Amelia.”
“She hid Amelia.”
“And me?”
“You were taken.”
Emma's breathing became uneven.
“By whom?”
My father answered.
“By me.”
She stared at him.
“You took me.”
“Yes.”
“You told me my mother abandoned me.”
“Yes.”
“You told me she wanted Amelia.”
“Yes.”
“You made me hate her.”
“Yes.”
Emma's face collapsed.
She lowered the gun.
“You ruined my life.”
My father stepped toward her.
“I gave you purpose.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“You gave me pain.”
I moved toward her.
“Emma.”
She looked at me.
For the first time, she didn't look angry.
She looked like a frightened child.
I opened my arms.
She hesitated.
Then she stepped forward.
I held my daughter.
For one second, she remained rigid.
Then she broke.
She cried against my shoulder.
I closed my eyes.
Twenty years of grief came pouring out.
“I thought you were dead,” I whispered.
“I thought you hated me.”
“I never hated you.”
“I wanted to find you.”
“I wanted to find you too.”
Behind us, Julian lowered his head.
Amelia entered the room.
She stopped when she saw us.
Emma looked up.
Their eyes met.
Neither moved.
Then Amelia whispered:
“Sister.”
Emma's face crumpled.
She stepped away from me.
Amelia crossed the room.
They stared at each other.
Then they embraced.
I covered my mouth.
Two daughters.
Together.
After twenty years.
My father watched them.
His expression remained cold.
“You're wasting time.”
Julian turned.
“What?”
“The vault.”
I looked at him.
He smiled.
“The two girls are finally together.”
I felt something wrong in his voice.
“What does that mean?”
“The vault can be opened now.”
I stepped away from Emma.
“You said it required two keys.”
My father nodded.
“Amelia has one.”
Emma touched the silver necklace.
“And Emma has the other.”
I looked at the girls.
“What happens when the vault opens?”
My father smiled.
“You'll find out.”
Julian stepped toward him.
“No.”
My father looked at him.
“You don't understand.”
“I understand enough.”
“You're going to open the vault.”
“No.”
My father pressed another button.
A screen showed a live image.
A woman was tied to a chair.
Her face was bruised.
I froze.
“Nora.”
Emma gasped.
My father looked at me.
“She helped Evelyn.”
I stared at the screen.
“Nora!”
Her eyes lifted.
She saw the camera.
Then she shook her head desperately.
My father smiled.
“She has been waiting for you.”
Julian stepped forward.
“What do you want?”
“The account.”
“You can have it.”
“No.”
He looked at me.
“I want Clarissa to open it.”
I shook my head.
“And if I refuse?”
My father's expression became cold.
He pressed the button again.
Nora's chair moved closer to a dark doorway.
I understood immediately.
“You won't.”
He smiled.
“I will.”
Emma stepped forward.
“Stop.”
My father looked at her.
“You know what happens next.”
Emma's face went pale.
I turned toward her.
“What does he mean?”
She didn't answer.
“What happens next?”
She looked at the floor.
“He told me there was another room.”
“What room?”
“The room where they kept the children.”
My stomach turned.
My father nodded.
“Exactly.”
Emma looked at him.
“You said no one was there anymore.”
“I lied.”
I felt my blood run cold.
“You still have children here?”
He didn't answer.
Julian moved toward him.
“You're insane.”
My father smiled.
“You've always been sentimental.”
Then the lights suddenly went out.
A metallic alarm screamed through the building.
The floor beneath us trembled.
Emma grabbed my hand.
Amelia grabbed Emma's.
Julian shouted for everyone to stay together.
Then somewhere beneath the mansion, a heavy steel door unlocked.
One click.
Then another.
Then another.
My father looked toward the floor.
For the first time, genuine fear appeared in his eyes.
He whispered one word.
“Impossible.”
I stared at him.
“What?”
He didn't answer.
The steel door beneath us began to open.
A child's voice floated up from the darkness.
“Mom?”
I froze.
It was a little girl's voice.
Then another voice followed.
Older.
Female.
Terrified.
“Please…”
Emma tightened her grip on my hand.
Amelia stared at the floor.
Julian whispered, “That can't be…”
Then a third voice called my name.
Not Emma.
Not Amelia.
My name.
May you like
And from somewhere beneath us, someone whispered the words that made my entire body go cold—
“Clarissa, your mother left you one final message...”
