Chapter 9: The Daughter My Father Never Mentioned
I refused to take another step.
“What does that message mean?””
Eleanor looked toward the passage behind us.
“We need to get out first.””
“No. You have been telling me pieces of my family's history for hours. Every time I ask a question, someone gives me another secret.””
“Nia—”
“Did my mother have another child?””
Eleanor closed her eyes.
“Yes.””
The answer seemed to drain the air from the room.
I stared at her.
“When?””
“Before you were born.””
“Was the baby alive?””
Eleanor hesitated.
Then she nodded.
I felt my knees weaken.
“Where is that child?””
Eleanor looked away.
“I don't know.””
I stepped closer.
“You don't know, or you won't tell me?””
“I genuinely don't know where she is now.””
“She?””
Eleanor nodded.
“Your mother gave birth to a little girl four years before you were born.””
My mind struggled to process the information.
I had never heard of a sister.
Not once.
Not from my father.
Not from my mother.
Not from anyone.
“Why did they give her away?””
“They didn't.””
“Then what happened?””
Eleanor glanced down the passage.
“Your mother became pregnant at twenty-three. She and Richard were married at the time, but their relationship was going through a difficult period. Your father was traveling constantly, building the company. Your mother felt alone.””
I listened without speaking.
“When the baby was born, she was healthy. Your parents named her Grace.””
Grace.
The name felt strangely familiar.
I repeated it quietly.
“Grace Carter.””
Eleanor nodded.
“Your mother kept her for several months. Then something happened.””
“What?””
“Someone entered the hospital where she was receiving treatment after the birth. The baby disappeared.””
My hand flew to my mouth.
“Kidnapped?””
“Yes.””
“Did they find her?””
“Your father searched for years. He hired investigators, questioned hospital staff, and offered rewards. But no one could establish what happened.””
I shook my head.
“Why didn't he tell me?””
“Because he didn't want you growing up believing your sister had died.””
“That's not his decision to make!””
My voice echoed through the passage.
Olivia stepped closer.
“Nia, breathe.””
I pressed my palms against my temples.
My entire childhood was suddenly filled with empty spaces.
Family photographs.
Birthday parties.
Christmas mornings.
My parents had known there was another daughter somewhere in the world, and I had grown up without even knowing her name.
“Was Diane involved?”” I asked.
Eleanor nodded slowly.
“We believe she arranged the kidnapping.””
My stomach twisted.
“Why?””
“Because your mother had discovered that Diane and Thomas were stealing money from the company. Diane believed the baby could be used to force Richard into cooperating.””
I stared at her.
“So they took my sister to control my father?””
“Yes.””
“And what did he do?””
“He refused.””
I thought of the man in the photograph.
My father standing beside a hospital bed, trying to help Marcus.
I thought of his final letter.
Money doesn't reveal a person's character. It gives that character an opportunity to show itself.
He had known what betrayal looked like.
He had experienced it from his own family.
And he had spent years trying to protect his daughters.
“Did my mother ever recover from losing Grace?””
Eleanor's eyes filled.
“Never completely.””
I turned away.
A memory surfaced.
I was seven, sitting on the floor of my mother's bedroom. She was holding a small pink blanket and crying.
When I asked what was wrong, she told me it belonged to an old friend.
I had forgotten about it.
Now I wondered if it had belonged to Grace.
“Where is the evidence?”” I asked.
Eleanor pointed toward a small metal cabinet at the end of the passage.
“Your father kept a separate file.””
She unlocked it.
Inside were photographs, medical documents, and a collection of letters.
I picked up the first photograph.
A baby with dark hair and round cheeks.
On the back was written:
*Grace. Six weeks old.*
I sat down on the stone floor.
Olivia knelt beside me.
“She's beautiful.””
I traced the edge of the photograph.
“She's my sister.””
Eleanor placed another document in my hand.
It was a hospital discharge record.
The baby's name was listed as Grace Carter.
But beneath it was a handwritten note.
Released to authorized guardian.
I stared at the line.
“Who authorized it?””
Eleanor pointed to the signature.
Thomas Carter.
My uncle.
The man who had just stood outside the basement door.
I looked up.
“He took her?””
“We believe he arranged it.””
“Where did he send her?””
Eleanor shook her head.
“Your father never found out.””
I gripped the document.
“Then we're going to find her.””
Eleanor nodded.
“There's a possibility she was placed under a different identity. The investigator your father hired believed she might have been adopted privately.””
“Who was the investigator?””
Eleanor handed me another photograph.
A man in his forties stood beside my father outside the family home.
I recognized him from the photograph in the garden.
The stranger I had originally mistaken for someone else.
“That's the man from the oak tree photograph,” I said.
“Yes. His name was Samuel Price.””
“What happened to him?””
“He disappeared two months after Richard's death.””
I looked at the photograph again.
There was something written on the back.
A phone number.
I immediately pulled out my phone and called it.
The number rang.
Once.
Twice.
Then someone answered.
“Hello?””
My heart began pounding.
“Is this Samuel Price?””
A long silence.
“Who is asking?””
“My name is Nia Carter.””
Another silence.
Then the man exhaled.
“Richard's daughter.””
“Yes. I need to talk to you about my sister.””
I heard movement on the other end.
Then his voice became urgent.
“Where did you get this number?””
“My father left it.””
“Listen carefully. You need to stop looking for Grace.””
“Why?””
“Because she's already been found.””
My throat tightened.
“By whom?””
“Your uncle.””
I gripped the phone.
“Where is she?””
Samuel lowered his voice.
“She's been living under another name for almost twenty years.””
“Tell me her name.””
He hesitated.
Then he said something that made Olivia cover her mouth.
“Her name is Grace Reed.””
I froze.
“Reed?””
“Yes.””
“Is she related to Marcus Reed?””
Samuel didn't answer immediately.
Then he spoke.
“She's not just related to Marcus.””
I felt cold all over.
“What do you mean?””
Samuel took a shaky breath.
“Grace is the woman Marcus has been planning to marry.””
I stared at the phone.
“That doesn't make sense.””
“I'm afraid it does.””
My mind raced.
Marcus had been planning to marry me for my inheritance.
But apparently, he had also been preparing to marry another woman connected to my family.
“Who is she to him?””
Samuel's answer came quietly.
“His fiancée.””
I couldn't speak.
Olivia held my arm.
Then Samuel added one final detail.
“There's something else, Nia. Grace doesn't know she's your sister. And according to the records I found, Marcus has been telling her that your father stole her inheritance.””
I felt my stomach drop.
“He's using her too?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because Grace is the only person who can challenge your ownership of the family trust.””
I looked at Eleanor.
She had gone completely still.
Samuel continued.
“Your father left a provision in his original will. If Grace is ever located and her identity is legally confirmed, she becomes entitled to a substantial share of the estate.””
My fingers tightened around the phone.
“How much?””
“Forty percent.””
The silence that followed was deafening.
Marcus hadn't simply wanted to marry me.
He had been searching for both daughters of Richard Carter.
One for control of the company.
The other for access to the inheritance.
And now I understood why Thomas had looked so confident when he left the property.
He didn't need to steal my father's estate if he could make both his daughters fight over it.
I looked at the photograph of baby Grace.
Then at the old family portrait hanging in the basement.
My father had lost one daughter.
He had nearly lost the other.
And the people responsible were still making plans.
I spoke into the phone.
“Samuel, I need you to tell me where my sister is.””
He hesitated.
Then he whispered:
“She is scheduled to marry Marcus Reed tomorrow morning.””
My blood ran cold.
“Where?””
Samuel gave me the name of a private country club outside Boston.
I looked at Eleanor.
“Get the car.””
Olivia stood immediately.
“I'm coming with you.””
Eleanor shook her head.
“Not yet. If Marcus has Grace under his influence, walking into that wedding without proof could put both of you in danger.””
I looked at the photograph again.
My sister had spent her entire life believing she was someone else's daughter.
And tomorrow, she was about to marry the man who had tried to steal everything from me.
I slipped the photograph into my clutch.
“Then we won't walk into that wedding empty-handed.””
My phone vibrated again.
This time, the message came from Marcus.
*I know you found Grace. Don't ruin her life the way your father ruined mine.*
A second message appeared.
*And if you want to know who really killed your mother, ask your sister what she remembers about the woman who raised her.*
I looked up at Eleanor.
She had gone completely white.
May you like
Because apparently, my sister's adoptive mother wasn't a stranger.
It was Diane Reed.
