Chapter 6: The Mother Who Took Me Away
“Clara Carter.””
The name left Victoria’s mouth like a weapon.
For several seconds, I couldn’t understand what I had heard.
My mind rejected it.
It had to.
Because Clara was the person who loved me.
Clara was the person who raised me.
Clara was the person whose handwriting was hidden inside my necklace, telling me to trust Eleanor Vale.
“She was there?”” I whispered.
Victoria nodded slowly.
“Yes.””
“No.””
The word came out automatically.
I stood up.
“No, you’re wrong.””
Victoria looked at me with sadness.
“I wish I was.””
I grabbed the necklace around my neck.
“Clara saved me.””
“I know.””
“Then why are you saying this?””
“Because saving someone and telling the truth are not always the same thing.””
Her words hurt because they sounded too reasonable.
I hated that.
I wanted her to be lying.
I wanted her to be the villain.
It would have been easier.
But life had stopped being simple.
“I need proof,” I said.
Victoria looked at me.
“I know someone who has it.””
“Who?””
She hesitated.
“My father’s old assistant.””
An hour later, Victoria and I were sitting in a quiet coffee shop across town.
It felt strange.
Almost impossible.
The woman who had accused me of stealing her family was now sitting across from me, helping me uncover why I had been stolen in the first place.
Neither of us spoke much.
There was too much history between us.
Too much pain.
Finally, Victoria broke the silence.
“I’m sorry.””
I looked up.
“For what?””
“For yesterday.””
She looked down at her coffee.
“I was cruel to you.””
“You thought I was lying.””
“I was afraid.””
I studied her face.
“Afraid of me?””
“No.””
She shook her head.
“Afraid that you were real.””
That answer surprised me.
“Why?””
“Because if you were real, then everything I knew about my family was a lie.””
I didn’t respond.
Because I understood.
My entire life had become a question mark overnight.
Victoria sighed.
“When my father died, I found things in his office.””
“What things?””
“Documents.””
“About me?””
She nodded.
“He kept records.””
“Why?””
“I don’t know.””
Her hands tightened around the cup.
“Maybe guilt. Maybe control. My father liked keeping secrets. They made him feel powerful.””
I looked away.
“Where are those documents now?””
“Some were destroyed.””
“Some?””
“Yes.””
She reached into her bag.
Then placed a small flash drive on the table.
My eyes widened.
“What is that?””
“Something I copied before anyone knew I found it.””
I stared at it.
“You had this the whole time?””
Victoria nodded.
“Why didn’t you show Eleanor?””
“Because I was scared.””
I looked at her.
“You keep saying that.””
“Because it’s true.””
Her eyes filled with frustration.
“You think fear disappears just because someone is old enough to know right from wrong?””
I stayed silent.
She continued.
“My father controlled people. Money. Reputation. Relationships.””
She swallowed.
“I watched him destroy people who stood against him.””
“And Clara?””
Victoria looked at the flash drive.
“That’s what I don’t understand.””
We met Eleanor at her home that afternoon.
The Vale mansion looked exactly like I expected.
Huge.
Beautiful.
Cold.
But as I walked inside, I noticed something different.
There were photographs everywhere.
Not of money.
Not of business.
Of family.
And in almost every photograph, Eleanor was smiling beside a little girl.
Victoria.
Before everything broke.
Eleanor was waiting in the library.
The moment she saw me, she stood.
“Lily.””
There was so much emotion in the way she said my name.
I almost looked away.
Not because I disliked it.
Because I wasn’t ready for it.
“I found something,” I said.
Her expression changed.
“What?””
Victoria stepped forward.
“Grandmother, there’s something you need to know.””
Eleanor looked between us.
The fact that we arrived together seemed to surprise her.
“What happened?””
Victoria placed the flash drive on the table.
“This contains information from my father’s office.””
Eleanor stared at it.
“Richard?””
Victoria nodded.
For a moment, Eleanor looked like she couldn’t breathe.
Then she whispered:
“What did you find?””
Victoria looked at me.
Then back at Eleanor.
“The truth about Lily’s disappearance.””
The files took hours to open.
Old documents.
Scanned photographs.
Private notes.
Emails.
Everything Richard had hidden.
Daniel Brooks arrived halfway through the search.
When he saw the information, his expression changed.
“This is significant.””
Eleanor sat beside me.
Her hand rested near mine.
Not touching.
Waiting.
Like she was afraid I would pull away.
The first document was an internal hospital report.
Date: twenty years ago.
Subject: infant transfer.
My eyes moved across the screen.
Then stopped.
*Patient: Female infant. Temporary identification: Baby A.*
Eleanor covered her mouth.
“That’s you.””
Daniel continued reading.
“The transfer authorization was approved by Richard Vale.””
The room went quiet.
Then another document appeared.
A private note.
Written by Richard.
Daniel read aloud.
“‘The child must be removed before Eleanor discovers the truth.’”
My stomach tightened.
Eleanor looked devastated.
“Why?””
Nobody answered.
The next file opened.
A scanned letter.
From Clara.
I froze.
“No.””
Eleanor looked at me.
“What?””
“That’s her handwriting.””
Daniel opened the file.
The letter was addressed to Richard.
My hands went cold.
*Richard, I agreed to protect the child, but I will not allow you to erase her identity forever. She deserves to know who she is.*
Eleanor closed her eyes.
“She knew.””
The pain in her voice broke something inside me.
“She knew who I was.””
I whispered:
“She loved me.””
Eleanor looked at me.
“I believe she did.””
The answer surprised me.
I expected anger.
Betrayal.
But Eleanor only looked sad.
“She was wrong to keep you from me.””
A tear rolled down her cheek.
“But she loved you.””
That was the hardest part.
Because it was true.
Two mothers.
Two loves.
Two impossible truths.
Then Daniel opened the final file.
A video.
Recorded from an old security system.
Everyone became silent.
The screen showed a hospital hallway.
The quality was poor.
Black and white.
But the date was clear.
The night I disappeared.
A younger Richard Vale appeared.
Carrying a baby.
My baby self.
Behind him was Clara.
Young.
Terrified.
Eleanor gasped.
“That’s her.””
The video continued.
Richard spoke.
The audio was damaged, but some words were clear.
“...no choice…”
Clara shook her head.
“No, Richard. This wasn’t what we agreed.””
My heart stopped.
“What we agreed?””
Victoria looked sick.
The video continued.
Richard handed Clara the baby.
Then said something that changed everything.
Daniel increased the volume.
A broken voice came through.
“Take her.””
Clara looked horrified.
“Richard, Eleanor will find out.””
He stepped closer.
“She won’t if you do exactly what I told you.””
The video ended.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
Then Eleanor whispered:
“She wasn’t the one who took you.””
I looked at the frozen screen.
At Clara’s frightened face.
At Richard’s cold expression.
Eleanor reached for my hand.
This time, I didn’t move away.
“She was forced.””
The room blurred.
Because the person I had spent my whole life loving had not betrayed me.
She had been trapped too.
But then Daniel noticed something.
Something on the final frame.
He zoomed in.
A reflection in the hospital window.
Another person standing nearby.
Someone watching Richard and Clara.
Someone who had never appeared in the documents.
Victoria stepped closer.
“Who is that?””
Daniel stared at the screen.
His face turned pale.
“I don’t know.””
Eleanor looked at the image.
Then suddenly whispered:
“Yes, you do.””
Everyone turned.
“What?””
Her hand trembled.
“That’s impossible.””
She walked closer to the screen.
The person in the reflection was only a shadow.
But Eleanor recognized them.
After twenty years, she recognized them.
“My sister.””
The room froze.
“Your sister?”” I asked.
Eleanor nodded slowly.
“My sister died before the fire.””
She stared at the screen.
“But that’s not possible.””
Daniel looked at her.
“Mrs. Vale… are you sure?””
Eleanor’s voice became barely audible.
“Because I buried her.””
A long silence followed.
Then the computer screen flickered.
A new file appeared.
A file hidden inside the hidden files.
Created the same night I disappeared.
The title was simple.
*Operation: Return Baby A.*
And beneath it was the name of the person who created the file.
Not Richard.
Not Clara.
Not Victoria.
May you like
Someone else.
Someone who had been controlling everything from the beginning.
