Chapter 3 - THE MAN BEHIND THE FAMILY
Victor Hale stood beneath the rain as if he owned the house.
He was older than I remembered.
Much older.
But there was something about him that had never changed.
The posture.
The eyes.
The confidence.
The expression of a man who believed everyone around him existed to serve his plans.
I hadn't seen him in years.
Not since Richard's funeral.
At the time, Victor had stood beside me.
He had held my shoulder.
He had told me:
“Richard loved you.”
Now I wondered whether he had been comforting me or making sure I stayed quiet.
Thomas stood behind me.
“Don't open the door.”
I turned.
“You're afraid of him.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because Victor doesn't come somewhere unless he wants something.”
The doorbell rang.
Lily stood behind us.
I motioned for her to stay back.
The bell rang again.
Then Victor's voice came through the door.
“Eleanor.”
My heart tightened.
“How does he know I'm here?”
Thomas stared at me.
“He's always known.”
I opened the door only a few inches.
Victor smiled.
“Eleanor.”
“Victor.”
“I heard you had a visitor.”
I didn't answer.
His eyes moved past me.
Then they stopped.
Thomas stepped into view.
Victor's smile disappeared.
For the first time, I saw fear.
Real fear.
“Thomas.”
Thomas didn't move.
“You should have stayed away.”
Victor laughed nervously.
“You should have stayed dead.”
Lily gasped.
I turned.
“Lily, go upstairs.”
“But—”
“Now.”
She ran.
Victor watched her.
“She's grown.”
My blood went cold.
“You know her.”
Victor looked at me.
“Of course.”
“How?”
He smiled.
“You've forgotten how much your family knows.”
Thomas stepped forward.
“Leave.”
Victor ignored him.
He looked at me.
“Do you know what you've opened?”
“The chest.”
His face hardened.
“Then you know.”
“I know about the twins.”
Victor's expression became unreadable.
“You don't understand.”
“I had two children.”
“Yes.”
“And you took them.”
“No.”
“You helped Richard.”
Victor sighed.
“Richard was weak.”
“You're admitting it?”
“I am admitting nothing.”
Thomas laughed bitterly.
“You're still hiding behind words.”
Victor looked at him.
“You ruined everything.”
“No.”
“You came back.”
“Yes.”
“You should have stayed gone.”
“You stole Eleanor's children.”
Victor's face tightened.
“We protected the family.”
“From what?”
“From collapse.”
I stepped between them.
“Enough.”
Both men looked at me.
I held up the birth certificate.
“Tell me the truth.”
Victor stared at the paper.
Then he sighed.
“The truth is more complicated than you think.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“It's actually very simple.”
I pointed at the document.
“You stole my children.”
Victor's eyes became cold.
“You never knew how dangerous your bloodline was.”
“My bloodline?”
“The Carter inheritance.”
“I don't care about the money.”
Victor laughed.
“You say that now.”
“I never knew about it.”
“Exactly.”
He looked toward the staircase.
“Your daughter did.”
I froze.
“What?”
“Lily knows more than you think.”
Thomas stepped forward.
“Don't lie.”
Victor smiled.
“She found the box years ago.”
I looked at him.
“What box?”
“The second one.”
Thomas's face went pale.
“Victor…”
Victor continued.
“The child has already seen the documents.”
I shook my head.
“Lily has never told me anything.”
“She was told not to.”
“By whom?”
Victor smiled.
“Her father.”
My heart stopped.
“Daniel?”
Victor nodded.
“Your son.”
“But he doesn't know.”
“He knows enough.”
I couldn't believe it.
Thomas looked at me.
“Victor is trying to turn you against your own children.”
Victor laughed.
“Why would I need to?”
Then he pulled out a photograph.
He handed it to me.
It showed Lily standing beside an old man.
I recognized the location.
The Carter estate.
The date was printed on the back.
Two years earlier.
Lily had been there.
With Victor.
I stared.
“Why?”
Victor looked at me.
“Because she came looking for her family.”
My heart broke.
“She knew?”
“She suspected.”
“And you told her?”
“I told her just enough.”
Thomas took the photograph.
“You manipulated a child.”
Victor shrugged.
“She was already searching.”
I looked at him.
“What do you want?”
“The chest.”
“No.”
“The documents.”
“No.”
“The trust.”
“No.”
Victor's smile vanished.
“You don't understand what happens if you keep those papers.”
“What?”
“You become a target.”
Thomas stepped forward.
“She already is.”
Victor looked at him.
“Not from me.”
Thomas's eyes narrowed.
“Then who?”
Victor didn't answer.
Instead, he looked toward the hallway.
“The real danger is the person who has been waiting for Daniel to discover who he is.”
I felt cold.
“Who?”
Victor smiled.
“You'll find out.”
Then he turned toward the gate.
Thomas grabbed his arm.
Victor pulled away.
“You're not leaving.”
Victor looked at him.
“You can't stop me.”
Thomas stepped closer.
“I've already survived you once.”
Victor whispered:
“You survived because I allowed you to.”
Thomas froze.
Victor walked away.
The black sedan disappeared into the storm.
I closed the door.
My hands were shaking.
Then footsteps came from upstairs.
Lily.
She slowly descended the stairs.
Her face was pale.
She was holding something.
“Grandma…”
I looked at her.
“What is it?”
She held out an old envelope.
“I found this in my room.”
I took it.
My name was written across the front.
But I recognized the handwriting.
Richard.
My dead husband.
The letter was dated twenty-five years earlier.
I opened it.
There were only three sentences.
Eleanor,
If you ever discover the truth about the twins, do not trust Daniel.
He is not who you think he is.
I stared at the page.
Lily looked frightened.
“Grandma…”
I looked at Thomas.
He was staring at the letter.
His face had gone completely white.
“Thomas?”
He whispered:
“Richard knew.”
“Knew what?”
Thomas looked toward the window.
“He knew one of the twins wasn't his.”
“Which one?”
Thomas slowly looked at Lily.
Then at me.
“Neither of them.”
The room fell silent.
“What?”
Thomas took the letter.
He read the final line.
Then he whispered:
“Eleanor…”
I waited.
“The twins weren't born from Richard's blood.”
I felt my knees weaken.
“Then whose blood?”
Thomas looked at me.
“Mine.”
I stared at him.
“But that means…”
He nodded.
May you like
“Daniel is my son too.”
And suddenly, the entire family history I had believed for fifty years began to collapse.
