Chapter 8: The Sister Nobody Knew
Nobody moved.
Not immediately.
Sometimes the biggest shocks don’t make noise.
They create silence.
Amara stared at me.
I stared back.
Because both of us were trying to understand the same impossible thing.
Another sibling.
Another secret.
Another piece of Zora’s life hidden from everyone.
“Did you know?”” I asked.
Amara shook her head quickly.
“No.””
Her voice broke.
“I swear I didn’t.””
I believed her.
At least that was what I wanted to believe.
Because watching people you trust become strangers changes something inside you.
You start questioning everything.
Every conversation.
Every memory.
Every smile.
Darius stepped forward.
“We need facts.””
He was right.
Emotion had almost destroyed me before.
I couldn’t let it happen again.
“Find records,” I said.
“Already started.””
I looked at Lena.
“What do you know?””
She looked uncomfortable.
“Not much.””
“That’s not good enough.””
“I know Zora discovered something about her family before she disappeared.””
“What?””
“She found evidence that her parents had another child.””
Amara looked stunned.
“Another child?””
Lena nodded.
“But the records were sealed.””
“By who?””
She didn’t answer.
I didn’t need her to.
Elias.
Everything led back to Elias.
That man had spent years controlling information.
Erasing people.
Changing stories.
Making the world believe whatever benefited him.
But he made one mistake.
He underestimated how far a father would go for his child.
Three hours later, Darius found the records.
Not official records.
The kind of records only someone with power could access.
Birth certificates.
Adoption documents.
Medical files.
And one name.
Nia Ellis.
Born fourteen months after Zora.
Same parents.
Same family.
Same blood.
But unlike Amara and Zora, Nia disappeared before anyone knew she existed.
“She was adopted?”” Amara whispered.
Darius nodded.
“Private adoption.””
“Why?””
“That’s the problem.””
He placed another document on the table.
The adoption agency.
Closed.
The social worker.
Dead.
The doctor who signed the paperwork.
The same doctor who delivered Kai.
I felt anger rise again.
“This man touched every part of this.””
“Yes,” Darius said.
I looked at the file.
“Nia Ellis.””
A name.
A person.
A ghost.
“How do we find her?””
Lena answered quietly.
“We don’t.””
Everyone looked at her.
“She finds us.””
I didn’t like that answer.
“What does that mean?””
Lena looked at the floor.
“It means she has been watching.””
My blood went cold.
“The messages?””
She nodded.
“The break-ins?””
Another nod.
“She wants something.””
“What?””
Lena looked at me.
“Zora.””
I shook my head.
“No.””
“Yes.””
“She wants her own sister?””
“No.””
Lena’s eyes filled with sadness.
“She wants revenge.””
The word stayed in the air.
Not because it explained everything.
Because it explained nothing.
A few hours later, I received another message.
No number.
No trace.
Just a video.
I opened it.
At first, there was only darkness.
Then a room appeared.
A woman sat in a chair.
Her face hidden.
But her voice…
Her voice sounded familiar.
“Malik Graves.””
I froze.
“You took my sister.””
I stood.
“What?””
The woman laughed softly.
“She chose you.””
My hands tightened.
“She chose your life. Your money. Your family.””
“That’s not true.””
“You don’t know anything about her.””
The camera moved closer.
The woman turned slightly.
Enough for me to see her eyes.
Zora’s eyes.
“I watched my family disappear.””
A tear rolled down her cheek.
“I watched my sister forget me.””
Amara covered her mouth.
“No…”
The woman continued.
“And then Zora found a new family.””
I stared at the screen.
“You’re Nia.””
The woman smiled.
Finally.
“Yes.””
The room felt colder.
“Where is Zora?””
Nia leaned closer to the camera.
“That depends.””
“On what?””
“On whether you want the truth.””
My jaw tightened.
“I want my wife.””
“No.””
Her voice sharpened.
“You want the woman you remember.””
A pause.
“You don’t know what Zora became.””
I felt anger.
“You don’t know me.””
Nia smiled.
“Actually, Malik…”
The screen flickered.
“I know you better than you know yourself.””
Then she said the words that made my entire body go still.
“Because I was there the night Zora died.””
The video ended.
May you like
And for the first time since this nightmare began…
I wondered if bringing Zora back was the same thing as saving her.
