Chapter 3 - The Woman Who Stole A FamilyMargaret invited us inside.
The house was small.
Simple.
Nothing like the mansion where Evelyn ruled.
But there was something different here.
Peace.
The kind of peace money couldn’t buy.
Daniel sat across from his mother.
He looked like a child again.
Not a billionaire.
Not a businessman.
Just a son.
A son sitting in front of the mother he thought he lost forever.
“Tell me everything.”
Margaret looked down.
“I wanted to.”
Her voice trembled.
“Every year.”
Daniel clenched his hands.
“Then why didn’t you?”
She looked at him.
“Because Evelyn threatened me.”
The room became silent.
“She came to me after you were born.”
Margaret wiped her eyes.
“She told me Daniel had a future.”
Daniel looked confused.
“She said?”
“She said I was holding you back.”
His face changed.
“She told me if I loved you, I would leave.”
I felt sick.
Because Evelyn had used the same weapon against everyone.
Making people believe disappearing was an act of love.
“She showed me fake documents.”
Margaret continued.
“She told me Daniel would never forgive me.”
Daniel whispered:
“You believed her?”
Margaret nodded.
“I was young.”
She looked broken.
“I had just given birth.”
A tear fell.
“I was scared.”
Daniel looked away.
All his life, he thought his mother abandoned him.
But she had been manipulated too.
“What about the money?”
Margaret looked confused.
“What money?”
Daniel showed her the account records.
Her face changed.
“I never received this.”
Everyone froze.
Daniel frowned.
“Then where did it go?”
Margaret looked at the documents.
Then whispered:
“Someone else was using my name.”
A terrible silence followed.
Because that meant Evelyn wasn’t just hiding Margaret.
She was using her identity.
But why?
When we returned to the mansion, Daniel confronted Evelyn again.
This time…
He brought Margaret.
The moment Evelyn saw her…
She stepped backward.
For the first time, she looked afraid.
“Impossible.”
Margaret stared at her.
“You thought I was dead?”
Evelyn said nothing.
Daniel walked forward.
“You lied to me.”
Evelyn tried to speak.
But Daniel stopped her.
“No more.”
He held up documents.
“You stole my mother’s identity.”
Evelyn’s face changed.
Anna looked confused.
“Mom?”
Daniel turned.
“Ask your mother why she opened accounts under Margaret’s name.”
Anna became pale.
“I didn’t know.”
Daniel laughed bitterly.
“You didn’t know anything.”
He looked at his sister.
“Just like I didn’t.”
Evelyn finally lost control.
“You ungrateful child!”
Everyone froze.
She pointed at Daniel.
“I raised you!”
Daniel stared.
“No.”
His voice was calm.
“You controlled me.”
Later that night, Daniel found another file hidden in Evelyn’s office.
Inside were years of documents.
Photos.
Letters.
Records.
And one folder with my name.
Emily Carter.
My heart stopped.
“She was watching you too.”
Daniel opened it.
Inside were records of my family.
My childhood.
My parents.
My financial situation.
Everything.
Evelyn had researched me before I even met Daniel.
Daniel looked at me.
“She didn’t hate you because you were poor.”
I looked at him.
“Then why?”
He held the file.
“Because you were the first person she couldn’t control.”
I felt a chill.
Then something fell out of the folder.
An old photograph.
Daniel picked it up.
His face changed.
“What?”
He handed it to me.
The picture showed Evelyn.
Thirty years younger.
Standing beside another woman.
Margaret.
And between them…
A baby.
Daniel.
But written on the back of the photo were four words.
May you like
Words that made everyone freeze.
“Daniel was never yours.”
