Chapter 5: The Daughter Who Had Been Living Next Door
Madeline arrived at the cemetery twenty minutes later.
I recognized her immediately.
She was twenty-seven, with Elena's dark eyes and the same small dimple that appeared whenever she was nervous.
She wore a gray coat over a white blouse. Her hair was tied back, and she carried a brown leather bag.
For a moment, she stood beside the entrance, looking at the coffin.
Then she looked at me.
“Mr. Hayes?””
The word hurt.
I was her mother's husband.
Her mother's family.
The man who had helped raise her without knowing she was his wife's daughter.
And she was addressing me like a stranger.
“Please,” I said.
“Call me Daniel.””
She nodded.
“I'm sorry.””
“Don't apologize.””
She glanced at Noah.
“You must be Noah.””
He looked at her carefully.
“Apparently, we're brother and sister.””
Her lips trembled.
“I know.””
“Did you know about me?””
Madeline nodded.
“I found out everything two months ago.””
“Everything?””
“Not everything.””
She looked toward Vanessa.
“I knew Elena was my birth mother. I didn't know what happened the night she died.””
Vanessa hurried toward her.
“Madeline, sweetheart, we need to go home.””
Madeline stepped away.
“Don't call me that.””
Vanessa stopped.
“I'm your mother.””
“You raised me. That doesn't mean you own me.””
The words seemed to cut through Vanessa.
Richard approached.
“Madeline, this is not the place.””
She looked at him.
“You knew?””
He didn't answer.
“You knew Elena was my mother?””
Richard glanced at me.
“Your mother and I had an arrangement.””
Madeline laughed without humor.
“An arrangement?””
She opened her bag and pulled out a thick envelope.
“This is what I found in your study.””
Richard's expression changed.
“What did you take?””
“Copies of the account statements. The adoption papers. And the letter Elena sent you six months ago.””
Vanessa went pale.
I looked at Madeline.
“What letter?””
She handed me a photocopy.
The first line was written in Elena's handwriting.
Richard, I know you have been using the account established for Madeline's education and future.
I continued reading.
Elena explained that she had discovered several transfers from the account into Richard's property company.
She had contacted him privately, hoping he would return the money before Madeline found out.
But the final paragraph was different.
If you refuse to correct this, I will tell Madeline the truth. I will also tell Daniel that you have been keeping my daughter from me.
I looked up.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
Madeline's eyes filled.
“Because I didn't know how.””
She took a shaky breath.
“Vanessa told me Elena had abandoned me. She said Elena never wanted to see me again. She showed me adoption papers and told me my birth mother had signed everything willingly.””
She looked toward the coffin.
“But when I found Elena's letter, I realized something wasn't right.””
“What did you do?””
“I contacted her.””
My heart tightened.
“You spoke to Elena?””
Madeline nodded.
“Once.””
“When?””
“Two weeks before she died.””
She pulled a folded sheet of paper from her bag.
It was a handwritten note.
Elena's handwriting.
Madeline,
I don't expect you to call me Mom. I know that word belongs to someone else in your life. But I want you to know that I never stopped loving you.
I have watched you grow into a beautiful, brave woman. I have celebrated every birthday from a distance. I have kept every photograph.
If you ever want to know the truth, I will tell you everything.
All my love,
Elena.
I pressed the paper against my chest.
My wife had written those words while I slept beside her.
She had carried a secret for twenty-seven years.
And she had finally found the courage to reach for the daughter she had lost.
“Did you answer her?”” I asked.
Madeline nodded.
“I told her I wanted to meet.””
“When?””
“The evening she died.””
My eyes closed.
“Did you go to the house?””
“Yes.””
Vanessa made a sudden movement.
“No. You didn't.””
Madeline turned toward her.
“Yes, I did.””
“Why are you lying?””
“I have the message.””
She unlocked her phone and showed me.
The message was sent at 8:14 p.m.
I'm outside. Can we talk?
Elena had replied three minutes later.
Come in, sweetheart. I've been waiting twenty-seven years.
I stared at the screen.
“What time did you leave?””
Madeline swallowed.
“I never went inside.””
“Why?””
“Because someone came out.””
She looked at Richard.
“He told me to leave.””
Richard's face became rigid.
“What?””
“You opened the front door. You said Elena wasn't feeling well and that I should come back another day.””
I felt my blood turn cold.
Richard had told me he left before the argument between Elena and Vanessa.
But he had been there when Madeline arrived.
“What happened after that?”” I asked.
Madeline's voice trembled.
“I waited in my car. About ten minutes later, I saw Vanessa come outside.””
Vanessa shook her head.
“Stop.””
Madeline continued.
“She was holding something wrapped in a towel.””
I stepped closer.
“What was it?””
“A glass object. I couldn't see clearly.””
Vanessa began crying.
“I was taking out broken glass!””
Madeline stared at her.
“You told me not to contact Elena again. You said she was dangerous.””
“Because she was upsetting you!””
“She was my mother!””
Madeline's voice broke.
She looked toward Elena's coffin.
“I waited in that car for nearly an hour. I wanted to go back inside. But I was afraid you would call the police and accuse me of trespassing.””
Noah approached her.
“You were there that night?””
Madeline nodded.
“I heard shouting.””
“What did you hear?””
She closed her eyes.
“Vanessa said, 'You should have stayed out of our lives.''”
The cemetery fell silent.
Then Madeline added:
“And Elena said something back.””
I held my breath.
“What?””
“She said, 'She's my daughter, Vanessa. You can't steal her from me twice.''”
Vanessa covered her mouth.
I turned toward her.
“What happened after that?””
Madeline looked down.
“I heard a crash. Then someone screamed.””
Richard stepped forward.
“This is enough.””
“No,” Madeline said.
“It's not.””
She pulled another object from her bag.
A small silver key.
“I found this in Elena's letter.””
I looked at it.
“What does it open?””
Madeline pointed toward the road.
“The storage unit she rented under my name.””
I stared at her.
“Why would she rent a storage unit?””
“Because she told me there was something inside that would prove what happened to her.””
Richard suddenly reached for the key.
Madeline stepped back.
“Don't.””
His hand remained suspended in the air.
She looked at me.
“Daniel, she told me that if she couldn't meet me, I should give you this key.””
I took it carefully.
“Where is the unit?””
Madeline gave me an address.
It was only fifteen minutes from our house.
Noah looked at his phone.
“Dad, we should go now.””
I nodded.
But before we could move, Richard spoke.
“If you open that unit, you're going to destroy more than one family.””
I turned toward him.
“You already destroyed mine.””
He looked at Vanessa.
For the first time, I noticed that neither of them seemed interested in defending the other.
They were afraid of what was inside that storage unit.
And suddenly, I understood something.
May you like
Elena hadn't left us a secret.
She had left us evidence.
