Chapter 4 - The Woman Who Was Buried Twice
The phone screen remained frozen in Marco’s hand.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Because the name on that message was impossible.
A name that belonged to someone who had been declared dead.
A name that should have disappeared two years ago.
My heart was beating so loudly that I could barely hear anything else.
Damian stared at the phone.
"Read it again."
Marco swallowed.
"I know where Elena and Lily are."
His voice became quieter.
"And it was signed by..."
He stopped.
I looked at him.
"Who?"
Marco looked at me.
Then he said the name.
"Daniel."
My husband.
The man who told me our daughter died.
The man who vanished.
The man whose handwriting was inside that notebook.
The man who was supposed to be gone.
My knees almost gave out.
"No."
The word escaped before I could stop it.
"No, that’s impossible."
Damian caught my arm before I fell.
I immediately pulled away.
Because suddenly I didn’t know who I could trust.
Not Damian.
Not Marco.
Not even the memories I had spent two years protecting.
"My husband is dead."
Nobody answered.
That silence was the worst response.
I looked at Damian.
"Tell me."
His eyes stayed on mine.
"He was reported dead six months ago."
My stomach twisted.
"Reported?"
Damian nodded.
"Not confirmed."
I stared at him.
"What does that mean?"
"It means someone wanted people to believe Daniel was gone."
I looked down at Lily.
She was watching us.
Confused.
Afraid.
I hated that she was hearing all of this.
She should have been playing in a garden.
She should have been learning how to read.
She should have been asking me for bedtime stories.
Not standing in the middle of a room filled with secrets.
I pulled her closer.
"Take her somewhere safe."
Damian looked surprised.
"What?"
"I said take her somewhere safe."
His expression changed.
"You think I’m the danger?"
I didn’t answer.
Because the truth was, I didn’t know.
Two years ago, I trusted my husband.
And that trust destroyed me.
I couldn’t make the same mistake again.
Damian looked at Lily.
Then back at me.
"You’re right."
The answer surprised me.
"I don’t expect you to trust me."
He turned toward his guards.
"Prepare the car."
Marco stepped forward.
"She can’t stay with you."
Damian looked at him.
"Excuse me?"
"Whoever sent that message knows where she is. If they know she’s with you, they know where she’s going."
Damian’s jaw tightened.
"Then where do you suggest?"
Marco looked at me.
"Somewhere nobody would think to look."
I immediately understood.
"No."
Everyone looked at me.
"I’m not running anymore."
The words surprised even me.
For two years, I had lived like someone hiding from a ghost.
I avoided questions.
I avoided memories.
I avoided anything that reminded me of the baby I lost.
But Lily was standing right in front of me.
Alive.
Real.
My daughter.
And someone had taken two years from us.
I wasn’t giving them another minute.
"I want the truth."
Damian studied my face.
Then slowly nodded.
"Okay."
Marco looked uncomfortable.
"Elena, you don’t understand who you’re dealing with."
I stepped closer.
"Neither do you."
He frowned.
I held up the notebook.
"You all decided what I could handle."
My voice shook.
"You all decided what I deserved to know."
I looked at Damian.
"You let me believe my daughter was dead."
His expression darkened.
"I thought she was."
I looked at Marco.
"You knew she was alive."
He lowered his eyes.
"Yes."
I looked between them.
"And my husband?"
Nobody answered.
That was enough.
I turned away.
"Then we find him."
One hour later, we were inside Damian’s private office.
I had imagined a place like this before.
A place where powerful people made decisions.
A place where secrets were stored.
But I never imagined I would be sitting there holding my daughter’s hand.
Lily was asleep beside me on the sofa.
Her head rested against my shoulder.
I kept looking at her.
Because every time I looked away, part of me was afraid she would disappear.
Damian stood near the window.
"You should rest."
I laughed quietly.
"Rest?"
He didn’t respond.
"My daughter was stolen from me."
My voice broke.
"My husband lied to me."
I looked at him.
"And now I find out the man who raised me to believe he was dead might be alive."
Damian looked down.
"I’m sorry."
Those words surprised me.
Because I expected excuses.
Not an apology.
"You knew Daniel before all this?"
He nodded.
"Yes."
"Tell me everything."
Damian was silent for several seconds.
Then he walked to his desk and opened a drawer.
Inside was another file.
He placed it in front of me.
"Daniel came to me two years ago."
I opened the file.
Inside were documents.
Medical records.
Photographs.
Names.
"He told me someone was trying to use Lily to destroy both our families."
I looked up.
"Why would anyone care about a newborn baby?"
Damian’s face hardened.
"Because Lily wasn’t just a child."
I frowned.
"What does that mean?"
He looked at her sleeping face.
"Her birth connected two families."
I felt a chill.
"What families?"
Damian didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he opened another document.
A birth certificate.
I looked at the name.
My hands froze.
Because under the father’s name...
was not Daniel.
It was Damian Caruso.
I stared.
"No."
Damian’s voice was quiet.
"I didn’t know until after."
I pushed the paper away.
"You’re lying."
"I wish I was."
My breathing became uneven.
I looked at Lily.
The little girl who had called me Mama.
The little girl who had my perfume memory.
The little girl everyone had fought to hide.
"Why didn’t Daniel tell me?"
Damian looked away.
"Because he was afraid."
"Of what?"
Before he could answer, Marco suddenly entered the room.
His face was pale.
"We have a problem."
Damian immediately stood.
"What happened?"
Marco held up his phone.
"The security cameras outside the building just went offline."
Damian’s expression changed.
"When?"
"Two minutes ago."
Everyone became still.
Because Damian’s office had some of the strongest security in the city.
Nobody got close.
Nobody disappeared from the cameras.
Unless someone wanted to.
I looked toward the window.
The city lights outside suddenly felt distant.
"Who could do that?"
Marco didn’t answer.
Then Lily woke up.
She sat up slowly.
Her eyes were still half closed.
"Mommy?"
I immediately went to her.
"I’m here."
She looked past me.
Toward the office door.
Her face changed.
Fear appeared instantly.
"That man."
I froze.
"What man?"
Lily pointed.
At the door.
Nobody was there.
But she whispered:
"The man who told me you were gone."
Damian moved quickly.
"Who?"
Lily grabbed my hand.
Her small fingers trembled.
"The man who came to my room last night."
My blood turned cold.
"Last night?"
Damian’s face changed.
"Lily, who came to your room?"
She looked at him.
Then at me.
And whispered:
"The man who said he was my real daddy."
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The office door handle slowly moved.
Someone was standing outside.
