Chapter 13: The Secret Evelyn Carried
I read Diane's message until the words seemed to burn themselves into my eyes.
*Ask Evelyn why she changed her name. Ask her what happened to the baby she gave birth to before she became your aunt.*
Lauren stood beside me, one hand covering her mouth.
“That can't be right,” she whispered.
“Evelyn would have told you.””
“Would she?””
I hated how quickly the question came.
Evelyn had rescued me from Diane's attack. She had found my mother's letter, led me to the storage unit, and helped me locate Richard. She had risked her life to protect me.
But Diane had also once kissed my forehead and called me family.
I had learned that love and lies could exist in the same room.
My phone rang.
Evelyn's name appeared on the screen.
I answered.
“Nia, where are you?””
“At Lauren's.””
“Good. Stay there. Thomas's people have been asking questions about both of you.””
I looked at the laptop.
“Evelyn, I need you to answer something honestly.””
“Of course.””
“Did you ever have a child?””
Silence.
It lasted only three seconds.
But three seconds were enough.
“Who told you that?”” she asked.
“That's not an answer.””
Evelyn exhaled shakily.
“Where did you see the document?””
“Does it matter?””
“Yes, Nia. It matters very much.””
“Then tell me the truth.””
I heard a door close on her end of the call.
When she spoke again, her voice was quieter.
“I had a daughter when I was twenty. Her name was Anna.””
My knees weakened.
“What happened to her?””
“She was taken from me.””
Lauren grabbed my arm.
I closed my eyes.
“By whom?””
“Thomas Whitmore.””
The name seemed to follow us everywhere.
Evelyn continued.
“Before Margaret became pregnant with you and Lauren, I discovered that Thomas was using the family trust to conceal illegal payments. I was working in the Whitmore offices at the time. I confronted him, and he threatened to destroy my life.””
“Did Diane know?””
“She knew about the money. She didn't know everything else.””
“What does that mean?””
Evelyn's voice broke.
“Anna's father was Richard's older brother, Thomas. I had been involved with him for several months. When I became pregnant, he promised he would leave his wife and acknowledge the baby.””
I stared at Lauren.
Thomas had fathered Evelyn's child.
The same man who had arranged my disappearance.
The same man who had apparently tried to kill Richard.
“Why didn't you tell me?”” I asked.
“Because I didn't know whether Anna was alive. I searched for her for years. When I finally discovered that Thomas had arranged her adoption, the records had been sealed. I was told she had died in infancy.””
“And you believed them?””
“I wanted to believe them. I couldn't bear the thought that he had stolen my daughter and given her to someone else.””
I swallowed hard.
“Then why did Diane send me that message?””
“Because Diane knows where Anna is.””
The room went silent.
I looked at Lauren.
Her face had gone pale.
“Where?”” I asked.
Evelyn hesitated.
Then she said, “I don't know her current name. But I found a photograph of her last year. She's an adult now, and she's working for Thomas.””
A cold sensation crept up my spine.
“Working for him doing what?””
“Managing his private affairs. Moving money. Arranging meetings. Keeping records away from investigators.””
I thought of the woman who had pointed a gun at me at Arthur's estate.
Cream-colored coat.
Short blond hair.
A dark stain on her sleeve.
“Celeste Morgan,” I whispered.
Evelyn fell silent.
“Nia, what did you say?””
“Celeste. The woman at Arthur's estate. She knew Margaret.
She knew Diane. She knew everything.””
I heard Evelyn draw a sharp breath.
“Celeste isn't Anna. I checked.””
“Then who is?””
“I don't know.””
A sudden pounding sounded at Lauren's front door.
We both froze.
Another knock followed.
Then a man's voice called from outside.
“Police. Open the door.””
Lauren moved toward the window.
Two uniformed officers stood on the porch.
Behind them was a dark sedan.
A familiar figure stepped out.
Diane.
She wore a tailored gray suit, and her hair was perfectly arranged. She looked nothing like the woman who had stood over me with a baseball bat.
Lauren whispered, “How did she find us?””
I ended the call and moved toward the door.
Before I could open it, Diane's voice came through the wood.
“Nia, sweetheart. We need to talk.””
I felt my blood turn cold.
One of the officers knocked again.
“Ma'am, we need you to open the door.””
I looked at Lauren.
“Don't let her inside.””
But the officer had already reached for the handle.
The door opened.
Diane stepped across the threshold with a thin folder tucked under her arm.
“Thank goodness,” she said, looking at me.
“I've been worried sick.””
I stared at her.
“You tried to hit me with a baseball bat.””
Her expression softened into practiced sorrow.
“I lost control. I've apologized for that.””
“No, you haven't.””
She looked at the officers.
“I understand why she's upset. She's pregnant, frightened, and surrounded by people who have been feeding her lies.””
One officer glanced at me.
“Ma'am, Mrs. Whitmore has filed a complaint alleging that you and Ms. Bennett are in possession of confidential documents belonging to the Whitmore estate.””
I almost laughed.
“She stole my identity, and now she's complaining about paperwork?””
Diane opened the folder.
“These records are private property. They were obtained illegally.””
Lauren stepped forward.
“The original birth report proves what you did.””
Diane's eyes flashed.
“You have no idea what that report contains.””
“I know you paid people to hide my sister's identity.””
Diane turned toward me.
“Your sister?””
The surprise in her voice was so genuine that I realized something important.
She hadn't known we'd discovered the original records.
For once, she was reacting instead of controlling the conversation.
I lifted my phone.
“Evelyn told me about Anna.””
Diane went still.
Then she closed the folder.
“Where is she?””
I stared at her.
“You tell me.””
Diane's eyes moved toward the officers.
“I'm afraid this conversation has become very dangerous.””
She turned to leave.
But as she reached the door, her phone rang.
She answered without looking at the screen.
“What?””
A man's voice came through loudly enough for us to hear.
“She's asking about Anna.””
Diane stopped breathing.
The voice continued.
“Get the girl out of there. Now.””
Diane slowly lowered the phone.
Then she looked at me.
For the first time, there was no calculation in her eyes.
Only terror.
Because the man on the phone wasn't Thomas.
It was Daniel.
May you like
And when Diane looked back at me, she whispered the words that shattered the last piece of certainty I had left.
“Your husband knows where my daughter is.””
