Chapter 9 - The Truth Beneath the House
"Roman, turn around."
I turned.
My mother was standing behind me.
But she wasn't alone.
Daniel stood beside her.
And between them was a woman I had never seen before.
She was older, perhaps in her late fifties, with silver-blonde hair and tired blue eyes.
Elena made a sound I had never heard from her before.
"Mom?"
The woman looked at her.
"Elena."
Everything stopped.
Elena took one step forward.
Then another.
Her face crumpled.
"You're alive."
The woman nodded.
"I've been alive all these years."
Elena covered her mouth.
"Why didn't you come for me?"
Rebecca looked at my mother.
"Because I wasn't allowed to."
My mother closed her eyes.
I felt anger rising again.
"Allowed by whom?"
Rebecca looked at me.
"Your grandfather."
I shook my head.
"He's dead."
"Yes."
"Then why are we still following his rules?"
Rebecca's expression changed.
"Because his rules were never meant to end with his death."
Daniel stepped forward.
"Roman, we need to leave this basement."
"No."
I pointed toward the monitor.
"Lily is still in that room."
Rebecca looked at the screen.
"No."
"What?"
"That isn't Lily."
Elena stared at her.
"You know her?"
Rebecca shook her head.
"I know what they want you to believe."
I felt my pulse rise.
"Then tell me who that little girl is."
Rebecca looked at Sophie.
"She is a decoy."
Elena stepped closer.
"Where is my daughter?"
Rebecca's eyes filled with tears.
"I don't know."
Elena shook her head.
"No."
"I tried to find her."
"You knew she existed."
"Yes."
"You knew she was alive."
"Yes."
"And you still didn't find her?"
Rebecca lowered her head.
"I failed."
Elena turned away.
I put my hand on her shoulder.
"Elena."
She stepped away from me.
"No."
Her voice broke.
"Everyone knew."
She looked around the room.
"My mother knew."
She pointed at Catherine.
"Your mother knew."
She looked at Daniel.
"You knew."
Then she looked at Marcus.
"You knew."
Marcus lowered his eyes.
"I knew there was another child."
Elena stared at him.
"But you didn't know where."
"No."
"How convenient."
Marcus didn't answer.
I walked toward him.
"You said you were ordered to take Sophie."
"Yes."
"Who gave the order?"
Marcus hesitated.
"Catherine."
My mother immediately said:
"That's not true."
Marcus looked at her.
"You gave me the instructions."
"I told you to protect Sophie."
"You told me to separate her from Elena."
My mother looked away.
"Because Elena was being watched."
"By whom?"
Marcus pointed toward the monitor.
"The trust."
I frowned.
"The trust isn't a person."
"No."
He shook his head.
"It's a network."
Daniel stepped forward.
"Your grandfather built it."
"Why?"
"Because he knew someone in the family would eventually try to take control."
I looked at my mother.
"Was it you?"
She didn't answer.
Rebecca did.
"No."
I turned.
"Then who?"
Rebecca stared at the dark screen.
"Your father."
The words hit me again.
"My father?"
"He wasn't the victim."
I couldn't speak.
Rebecca continued.
"He was the architect."
Elena shook her head.
"No."
"He created the network."
"No."
"He created the hidden rooms."
"No."
"He created the false records."
Elena stepped toward her mother.
"Why would he do that?"
"Because he believed the family was becoming dangerous."
Daniel nodded.
"Your father discovered what your grandfather had been doing."
"What had he been doing?"
Rebecca looked at me.
"Buying children."
Silence.
I stared at her.
"What?"
"Your grandfather believed bloodline was everything."
She swallowed.
"He wanted heirs who could be controlled."
Elena's face went pale.
"You're saying Sophie..."
"Was part of a plan."
I looked at my daughter.
She was holding the red flannel against her chest.
"No."
Rebecca shook her head.
"Your father tried to stop it."
"Then why did he take Elena?"
"He didn't."
I looked at her.
"What?"
"Your father never took Elena."
Rebecca pointed toward my mother.
"She did."
My mother looked at her.
"You don't know what I had to do."
"I know exactly what you did."
"You were gone."
"I was hiding."
"You abandoned Elena."
"I was trying to protect her."
"You left me alone."
Rebecca's voice softened.
"I thought you had chosen him."
My mother began crying.
"Your grandfather threatened to kill Elena."
Rebecca stared at her.
"He threatened everyone."
"He had people everywhere."
"So did your husband."
"My husband was trying to save Roman."
Rebecca looked at me.
"That's what he told himself."
I felt sick.
"What happened to my father?"
Rebecca hesitated.
"After you were born, he discovered the second child had survived."
"The twin."
"Yes."
"He tried to hide her."
"Yes."
"From my grandfather?"
"From everyone."
I looked at Sophie.
"Then where was Lily?"
Rebecca's face changed.
"With me."
Elena froze.
"You had her?"
Rebecca nodded.
"I took her from the clinic."
"Where did you go?"
"To Canada."
"When?"
"The night you disappeared."
Elena stared at her.
"Then why didn't you take me?"
"I tried."
"You didn't."
"I was stopped."
"By whom?"
Rebecca looked toward Catherine.
"Your mother."
Elena turned toward my mother.
"You stopped her?"
My mother whispered:
"I couldn't let both of you disappear."
"Why?"
"Because your grandfather would have killed Roman."
I stared at her.
"What did I have to do with it?"
She looked at me.
"Everything."
My mother stepped closer.
"Your grandfather believed Roman would inherit the family empire."
"He was wrong."
"No."
She shook her head.
"He was right."
Daniel interrupted.
"The trust says Roman controls the estate."
My mother nodded.
"But there was a condition."
I waited.
"He had to have a child."
I looked at Sophie.
"That's why..."
My mother nodded.
"That's why Sophie mattered."
Elena's voice trembled.
"And Lily?"
My mother looked away.
"Lily was the insurance."
I felt anger flood through me.
"You treated children like pieces on a board."
My mother began crying.
"I was trying to keep them alive."
"You hid my daughter."
"Yes."
"You lied to Elena."
"Yes."
"You lied to me."
"Yes."
I stared at her.
"And you expect me to forgive you?"
"No."
Her answer surprised me.
"I just want you to understand."
"I understand enough."
I turned toward the monitor.
"I want Lily."
Rebecca stepped forward.
"Roman."
"What?"
"There's something you need to know."
She took a small envelope from inside her coat.
"The original trust."
I stared at it.
She handed it to me.
The paper was old.
Yellowed.
The seal was broken.
I opened it.
The first page contained my grandfather's signature.
The second contained my father's.
The third contained a handwritten amendment.
I read it twice.
Then a third time.
My heart stopped.
"What's wrong?" Elena asked.
I handed her the page.
She read it.
Her face went pale.
"What does it say?"
I couldn't answer.
Rebecca did.
"It says the D'Angelo inheritance does not belong to Roman."
Elena looked at me.
"It belongs to..."
She stopped.
Her eyes moved toward Sophie.
"No."
I looked at the final line.
The heir was not Sophie.
It wasn't Lily.
It wasn't me.
It wasn't even a D'Angelo.
I looked at Rebecca.
"Who is this?"
Rebecca whispered:
"Elena."
My wife stared at her.
"What?"
"Your mother changed the trust before you disappeared."
Rebecca nodded.
"Your grandfather never knew."
Elena shook her head.
"Why would I inherit it?"
"Because you were the only person he couldn't control."
I looked at my mother.
She was staring at the document.
"Is this why you wanted Elena gone?"
She nodded.
"Yes."
I felt something inside me break.
"Because if she lived, she controlled everything."
"Yes."
"And if she disappeared..."
"Sophie would become the heir."
I looked at the document.
Then at Elena.
Then at Sophie.
The entire story suddenly made sense.
But one question remained.
"Where is Lily?"
Rebecca looked toward the basement wall.
"There is another room."
I followed her gaze.
A section of stone looked different.
A seam ran vertically through it.
Daniel stepped toward the wall.
"That wasn't there before."
Rebecca nodded.
"It was."
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small brass key.
I recognized it.
The same symbol was engraved on it.
A D.
She inserted it into the wall.
Nothing happened.
Then Sophie spoke.
"That's not the key."
Everyone turned.
She pointed toward the red flannel.
I looked down.
There was a tiny metal clasp hidden inside the fabric.
I pulled it open.
A miniature key fell into my palm.
Rebecca's eyes widened.
"Where did she get that?"
Elena looked at Sophie.
"Mommy gave it to me."
"Which mommy?"
Sophie pointed at Elena.
"No."
She shook her head.
"The other Mommy."
Elena froze.
"What other mommy?"
Sophie looked toward the wall.
"The one who told me to find Daddy."
I stared at the hidden door.
Rebecca whispered:
"That isn't possible."
"Why?"
"Because Lily was the one who gave me that key."
My blood ran cold.
"Then Lily is alive."
Rebecca nodded.
"Yes."
I inserted the tiny key into the hidden lock.
Click.
The wall moved.
A narrow door opened inward.
Cold air rushed out.
A child's voice came from inside.
"Daddy?"
I stepped forward.
Then I heard another voice.
A woman's voice.
Soft.
Familiar.
The voice of someone I had not heard in three years.
Elena grabbed my arm.
"Roman."
I looked at her.
Her face was white.
"That's my voice."
The woman inside whispered again.
"Roman, don't come any closer."
May you like
The door opened another inch.
And standing behind it was a woman who looked exactly like Elena.
