Chapter 13: The Woman Who Wanted My Life
The words echoed through the house.
Once she knows what her aunt did…
She’ll finally understand why Elena was never supposed to come back.
I held the letter against my chest.
My hands were shaking.
Not because of Daniel.
Not because of the door.
Because every answer we found created another question.
My mother had a sister.
Her sister had betrayed her.
And somehow, after eleven years, that betrayal had followed us back home.
Marcus looked at the front door.
Then at me.
“Maya, go upstairs.””
I shook my head.
“No.””
“Maya.””
“I’m tired of hiding.””
My father stopped.
Because he knew I was right.
Everyone had spent years trying to keep me away from the truth.
But the truth had found me anyway.
The door handle moved again.
Marcus stepped forward.
“You need to leave.””
Daniel laughed softly.
“You still think this is about me.””
My father frowned.
“What does that mean?””
A pause.
Then Daniel said:
“Ask Elena why her sister hated her so much.””
My mother went silent.
That silence terrified me.
“Mom?””
She whispered:
“Clara was my older sister.””
The voice from the phone sounded distant.
Like she was remembering something painful.
“She was always smarter than me.””
I looked at the letter.
“Then why would she hurt you?””
My mother took a breath.
“Because she believed I stole everything from her.””
“Everything?””
“My parents’ attention. My opportunities. My happiness.””
Marcus shook his head.
“That’s not a reason to destroy someone.””
“No.””
My mother’s voice cracked.
“But jealousy doesn’t always need a reason.””
Vanessa sat at the kitchen table, staring at nothing.
I noticed.
“Vanessa.””
She looked up.
“You knew Clara.””
Her eyes filled.
“Yes.””
“How?””
She looked embarrassed.
“Because she contacted me.””
Marcus immediately turned.
“When?””
“After Elena disappeared.””
My father’s expression hardened.
“What did she want?””
Vanessa swallowed.
“She wanted information.””
“About Elena?””
“No.””
She looked at me.
“About Maya.””
The room went silent.
I felt cold.
“About me?””
Vanessa nodded.
“She wanted to know where you were. Who was taking care of you. What your life looked like.””
“Why?””
Vanessa looked down.
“Because she said she had a right to know.””
My mother laughed bitterly.
“A right.””
The pain in her voice was obvious.
“She never wanted to know Maya.””
“Then what did she want?””
My mother didn’t answer.
The front door suddenly shook.
Marcus moved closer.
Daniel’s voice came through.
“She wanted what Elena had.””
My father stared at the door.
“Stop talking.””
But Daniel continued.
“She wanted the company. The money. The family.””
My mother whispered:
“She wanted my daughter.””
The words made my stomach turn.
I looked at the letter.
The person who helped him.
The person who had access.
The person who knew everything.
Clara.
My aunt.
Someone I had never met.
Someone who had still shaped my entire life.
Marcus unlocked the door.
I grabbed his arm.
“Dad.””
He looked at me.
“I need answers.””
Then he opened it.
Daniel stood on the porch.
Calm.
Perfectly dressed.
Like he belonged there.
Marcus stepped outside.
“Why are you here?””
Daniel looked past him.
At me.
“I came to finish what Clara started.””
My mother gasped.
“Where is she?””
Daniel smiled.
For the first time, it wasn’t confident.
It was cruel.
“She’s closer than you think.””
My father grabbed his shirt collar.
“You’re going to tell us where she is.””
Daniel didn’t fight.
He just looked at me.
“Maya, there’s something your mother never told you.””
I stared.
“What?””
Daniel smiled.
“Clara wasn’t just jealous.””
My mother shouted:
“Don’t.””
But Daniel continued.
“She blamed Elena for something that happened years before you were born.””
I stepped closer.
“What happened?””
Daniel looked at my mother.
Then back at me.
“She blamed Elena for her own daughter’s death.””
Nobody moved.
The words were impossible.
A daughter.
Clara had a daughter.
My mother whispered:
“No.””
Daniel smiled.
“Yes.””
My father looked confused.
“What does this have to do with Maya?””
Daniel answered:
“Everything.””
The porch became silent.
Then my phone buzzed.
I looked down.
A message from an unknown number.
One picture.
A woman standing outside our house.
Watching.
I knew her face instantly.
Because I had seen her before.
Not in real life.
In old family photos.
The woman in the picture was older now.
But I recognized her eyes.
My aunt.
Clara.
May you like
The message underneath said:
*Ask your mother why she never told you about me.*
