CHAPTER 7 — THE GIRL WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO DIE
CHAPTER 7 — THE GIRL WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO DIE
Evelyn couldn't move.
The photograph remained on her phone.
A young woman.
Dark hair.
Pale skin.
Eyes that looked strangely familiar.
Standing beside Nathan.
Alive.
Her sister.
But there was something else.
Something worse.
The words beneath the photograph continued to burn into Evelyn's mind.
YOUR SISTER IS ALIVE.
She looked at Marcus.
“Who is she?”
Marcus didn't answer.
“Dad.”
“I don't know.”
“You're looking at your own daughter.”
“I know.”
“Then look at her.”
Marcus slowly raised his eyes.
He stared at the photograph.
His face changed.
Not confusion.
Recognition.
Evelyn saw it immediately.
“You know her.”
Marcus shook his head.
“No.”
“You do.”
“No.”
“Then why do you look afraid?”
Marcus stepped backward.
Celeste noticed too.
“Marcus…”
He turned toward the door.
“We need to leave.”
Evelyn blocked his path.
“No.”
“Evelyn.”
“You've lied to me about my mother.”
“I was trying to protect you.”
“You lied about Amelia.”
“I was trying to protect you.”
“And now there's another sister?”
Marcus closed his eyes.
“I didn't know.”
“You recognized her.”
“I recognized the eyes.”
Evelyn stared at him.
“My eyes?”
Marcus looked back at the photograph.
“Your mother's.”
Silence.
Evelyn looked at the woman again.
She studied every detail.
The eyes.
The shape of the face.
The small scar near her left eyebrow.
Something inside Evelyn twisted.
She had seen that face before.
Not in a photograph.
In a dream.
A memory from childhood.
A little girl sitting beside her.
Two small hands holding the same red wooden horse.
A woman screaming somewhere behind a door.
Smoke.
Fire.
And a voice saying:
Don't let them take her.
Evelyn suddenly grabbed the edge of the desk.
Celeste caught her arm.
“What happened?”
“I remember something.”
Marcus stared at her.
“What?”
“A girl.”
His expression tightened.
“What girl?”
“I don't know.”
Evelyn closed her eyes.
“She was little.”
“How little?”
“Maybe four.”
Marcus went pale.
Evelyn opened her eyes.
“She looked like me.”
Marcus whispered:
“Evelyn…”
“She had the same eyes.”
Marcus looked away.
Evelyn grabbed his arm.
“You knew.”
“No.”
“You knew there was another child.”
“I knew there were two.”
Evelyn froze.
“What?”
Marcus looked at her.
“I knew your mother was pregnant with twins.”
The room became silent.
Evelyn's voice dropped.
“Twins.”
“Yes.”
“Then why did you tell me Amelia was the only other child?”
“Because that's what the records said.”
“Records can be changed.”
“Yes.”
“By Victor?”
Marcus hesitated.
“By people who worked for him.”
Evelyn looked at the computer.
“The third girl was erased.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Marcus shook his head.
“I don't know.”
Evelyn stared at the photograph.
“I think Nathan does.”
Across the city, Nathan sat inside an abandoned warehouse.
His wrists were free.
The federal agents who had transported him were dead.
The men who had helped him escape were standing outside.
Nathan wasn't thinking about them.
He was looking at Amelia.
She sat in a chair across from him.
Her hands were no longer tied.
Nathan had stopped pretending she was a prisoner.
Because she knew something he needed.
And she knew it.
“You're staring at me,” Amelia said.
Nathan smiled.
“You remind me of your mother.”
Amelia's expression hardened.
“You never met my mother.”
“I knew enough about her.”
“You knew enough to destroy her life.”
Nathan leaned back.
“Your sister is coming.”
Amelia laughed bitterly.
“You've been saying that for years.”
“This time is different.”
“Why?”
“Because she opened the room.”
Amelia's face changed.
“She did?”
Nathan nodded.
“She knows about you.”
Amelia looked toward the window.
“What else does she know?”
“Not enough.”
“Then you're afraid.”
Nathan smiled.
“I don't get afraid.”
“You should.”
He stood.
“Your sister thinks I'm the enemy.”
“Aren't you?”
Nathan looked at her.
“You've been alive because of me.”
Amelia stared at him.
“You kept me hidden.”
“Yes.”
“You threatened me.”
“Yes.”
“You lied to me.”
“Yes.”
“And now you want me to believe you saved me?”
Nathan's expression darkened.
“You were supposed to die.”
Amelia went still.
Nathan continued.
“The night of the fire, Victor ordered the house cleared.”
Amelia's voice trembled.
“I remember.”
“You weren't supposed to survive.”
“What happened?”
Nathan walked toward the table.
“Your mother got you out.”
“Both of us?”
Nathan nodded.
“Evelyn was taken by Marcus.”
“And me?”
“Someone else took you.”
“Who?”
Nathan looked at her.
“Adrian Cross.”
Amelia's face went pale.
“The man with the ring.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because he believed you were the key to finding the archive.”
Amelia shook her head.
“No.”
Nathan placed a photograph on the table.
It showed a little girl being carried through the woods.
Smoke filled the background.
Amelia stared.
“That was me.”
“Yes.”
“Who took that picture?”
“Adrian.”
Amelia looked up.
“Where is he?”
Nathan smiled.
“You're asking the wrong question.”
“What's the right one?”
“Why did he let you live?”
Amelia said nothing.
Nathan leaned closer.
“Because he needed you.”
“For what?”
“To get to your mother.”
Amelia's breathing changed.
“My mother survived.”
Nathan nodded.
“Yes.”
“You knew?”
“Yes.”
“Where is she?”
Nathan smiled.
“That's what Evelyn is going to find out.”
At Blackthorn Manor, Evelyn stood in front of the old fireplace.
The photograph Margaret had left behind remained untouched.
One of them lies.
She looked at Celeste.
“Your mother knew about the third girl.”
Celeste shook her head.
“I'm not sure.”
“She worked for my mother.”
“Yes.”
“She had the key.”
“Yes.”
“She received money from Victor.”
“Yes.”
“She lied to Nathan.”
“Yes.”
Evelyn turned.
“Then she knew.”
Celeste looked down.
“My mother knew many things.”
“Then we need to find her.”
Celeste's face tightened.
“My mother disappeared three days ago.”
Evelyn froze.
“What?”
“I tried calling her.”
“And?”
“Nothing.”
Marcus stepped forward.
“She was taken.”
“By Victor?”
“Maybe.”
Evelyn looked toward the staircase.
“Or Adrian.”
Marcus nodded.
“Either way, we're running out of time.”
A phone rang.
Everyone froze.
It was Marcus's.
He answered.
“Who is this?”
A distorted voice replied.
“Do you remember the nursery?”
Marcus's face went white.
Evelyn noticed.
“What nursery?”
The voice continued.
“The night Isabelle left.”
Marcus said nothing.
“Do you remember the red horse?”
Evelyn's heart stopped.
She looked at Marcus.
“What did he say?”
Marcus didn't answer.
The voice spoke again.
“You separated the girls.”
Marcus closed his eyes.
“I didn't have a choice.”
Evelyn grabbed the phone.
“Who are you?”
The caller laughed softly.
“You really don't remember me?”
“Tell me who you are.”
“I was the one who carried your sister out.”
Evelyn's breathing stopped.
“Which sister?”
Silence.
Then:
“The one who was supposed to die.”
The call ended.
Evelyn stared at the phone.
Marcus whispered:
“Adrian.”
Three hours later, they found the nursery.
It was hidden behind a false wall on the third floor.
Dust covered everything.
A small bed.
A broken rocking horse.
A faded children's drawing.
Two little girls holding hands.
Evelyn walked toward it.
Her fingers trembled.
“I remember this.”
Marcus stood behind her.
“I hoped you wouldn't.”
“Why?”
“Because remembering could get you killed.”
Evelyn turned.
“You should have trusted me.”
“I was afraid.”
“You were afraid of the truth.”
Marcus looked down.
“Yes.”
Evelyn picked up the red wooden horse.
A tiny letter had been carved into its side.
A
She turned it over.
Another letter.
M
“A... M.”
Marcus stared.
“Amelia.”
Evelyn shook her head.
“No.”
She looked at the photograph on her phone.
The third girl.
The woman beside Nathan.
Then she looked at the horse.
The letters weren't initials.
They were numbers.
A.
M.
One.
Three.
A hidden code.
Celeste stepped closer.
“There's something underneath.”
Evelyn turned the horse over.
A small compartment opened.
Inside was a folded piece of paper.
Evelyn unfolded it.
One sentence.
WHEN THEY ASK WHICH GIRL SURVIVED, TELL THEM BOTH DID.
She looked at Marcus.
“What does that mean?”
Marcus shook his head.
“I don't know.”
Evelyn's phone vibrated.
Another message.
This time from Amelia.
Don't trust Nathan.
Evelyn stared.
Then another message arrived.
But don't trust Marcus either.
Evelyn's blood ran cold.
A third message.
He never told you what happened to the third baby.
Evelyn slowly turned toward her father.
“Third baby?”
Marcus looked horrified.
“Amelia…”
“No.”
Evelyn stepped backward.
“You said twins.”
“I thought—”
“You thought?”
Marcus couldn't speak.
“You said Mom had twins.”
“I was told she had twins.”
“By whom?”
Marcus looked at the floor.
Evelyn's voice became sharper.
“By whom?”
Finally, Marcus answered.
“Adrian.”
The room went silent.
Evelyn stared at him.
“So Adrian told you there were twins.”
“Yes.”
“And you believed him.”
“Yes.”
“Which means…”
Evelyn looked at the nursery.
“…he may have been lying.”
Marcus's face collapsed.
“If there was a third child…”
“She wasn't supposed to exist.”
Evelyn whispered the words.
“And if Adrian erased her…”
Marcus finished:
“Then Victor may never have known she survived.”
Celeste looked at Evelyn.
“But Nathan does.”
Evelyn nodded.
“He knows where she is.”
Nathan stood beside a black SUV.
The warehouse doors opened.
A woman stepped outside.
Evelyn's photograph was still in Nathan's hand.
The woman looked at it.
“You showed her?”
Nathan nodded.
“She knows about Amelia.”
“And the third?”
“Not yet.”
The woman smiled.
“Good.”
Nathan studied her.
“You're sure she won't remember?”
“She was four.”
“She remembers the fire.”
“She doesn't remember the face.”
Nathan looked toward the dark warehouse.
“And if she does?”
The woman turned toward him.
“Then you kill her.”
Nathan's expression tightened.
“And Evelyn?”
“She is more dangerous.”
“She's only one woman.”
The woman laughed.
“No.”
She looked at him.
“She is Isabelle's daughter.”
Then she leaned closer.
“And she has the archive.”
Nathan looked at the photograph again.
“What does Victor want?”
“The pendant.”
“And Evelyn?”
The woman's eyes hardened.
“Victor doesn't want Evelyn dead.”
Nathan frowned.
“Why?”
“Because she's the only person who can open the final archive.”
Nathan stared at her.
“And what's inside?”
The woman smiled.
“Everything.”
Back at Blackthorn, Evelyn stood alone in the nursery.
Marcus and Celeste had gone downstairs.
The house was silent.
Too silent.
She looked at the red horse.
Then at the old drawing.
Two girls.
No.
Three.
Someone had drawn a third child in the corner.
The face had been scratched out.
Evelyn touched the paper.
Underneath the drawing was another message.
She hadn't noticed it before.
SHE WAS GIVEN A NEW NAME.
Evelyn's heart pounded.
Then her phone rang.
Unknown number.
She answered.
“Hello?”
A girl's voice came through.
Older.
Shaking.
Terrified.
“Evelyn?”
Evelyn stopped breathing.
“Who is this?”
“I don't have much time.”
“Tell me your name.”
Silence.
Then the girl whispered:
“My name isn't the one they gave me.”
Evelyn's heart raced.
“Who gave you your name?”
“My mother.”
“Is your mother Isabelle?”
Another silence.
Then:
“Yes.”
Evelyn closed her eyes.
Tears filled them.
“Where are you?”
“I can't tell you.”
“Why?”
“Because he's here.”
“Who?”
The girl began crying.
“The man with the black ring.”
Evelyn stood frozen.
“Adrian?”
“Yes.”
“Where is my mother?”
The girl's breathing became ragged.
“She tried to save us.”
“Where is she?”
“She failed.”
Evelyn's heart shattered.
“What do you mean?”
The girl whispered:
“Your mother is alive.”
Evelyn's eyes widened.
“But she isn't free.”
A door slammed somewhere downstairs.
The girl gasped.
“He knows I'm talking to you.”
“Who?”
“The man who was supposed to be dead.”
The line went silent.
Evelyn looked toward the doorway.
Marcus appeared.
His face was pale.
“Who were you talking to?”
Evelyn slowly lowered the phone.
“My sister.”
Marcus froze.
“Which one?”
Evelyn looked at him.
“The third.”
A gunshot exploded downstairs.
Marcus immediately drew his weapon.
“Get behind me.”
Evelyn didn't move.
Another gunshot.
Then Celeste screamed.
Marcus ran toward the staircase.
Evelyn followed.
But before she reached the stairs, her phone vibrated one final time.
A photograph appeared.
It showed Isabelle.
Alive.
Standing in a dark room.
Beside her were three little girls.
Evelyn.
Amelia.
And the third daughter.
Underneath the photograph was a message:
NOW YOU KNOW WHY YOUR MOTHER DISAPPEARED.
Evelyn stared at the picture.
Then she noticed something in the background.
A black stone ring.
And beneath it, written in Isabelle's handwriting:
IF THEY FIND ALL THREE OF YOU, THEY WILL KILL ME.
Evelyn looked up.
Her expression changed completely.
For seventeen years, she had believed her mother had abandoned her.
Now she understood.
Her mother hadn't disappeared because she didn't love them.
She had disappeared because she was protecting all three daughters.
And somewhere inside Blackthorn Manor, someone had just entered the house.
Someone who knew exactly where Evelyn was.
Someone who knew the third daughter was alive.
And someone who had just shot one of the people Evelyn trusted.
Evelyn slowly stepped toward the staircase.
Her eyes hardened.
This time, she wasn't running from the truth.
She was going to find it.
Even if the truth destroyed her family.
Even if it destroyed her father.
Even if it led directly to the man everyone believed had died seventeen years ago.
Because now Evelyn knew one thing for certain.
The girl who was supposed to die had survived.
May you like
And she wasn't the only one.
TO BE CONTINUED
