The Bride Who Buried My Wife's Secret

For several seconds, Daniel couldn't move.

Brielle's words echoed through the basement.

You've been sleeping under the same roof as her for the past three years.

He stared at the locked door, waiting for her to explain, waiting for her to laugh and admit that this was another cruel trick.

But Brielle said nothing.

“Open the door,” Daniel demanded.

“I will, but you have to promise you won't attack me.””

“You have thirty seconds before I stop caring about promises.””

A key scraped against the lock.

The door swung inward, revealing Brielle in a torn wedding dress, her blonde hair hanging loose around her face. A streak of dirt marked one cheek. Her left hand was wrapped in a bloodstained handkerchief.

She looked nothing like the woman who had stood beside Daniel at the altar.

She looked like someone who had spent years running from a nightmare and had finally realized it was catching up.

Elisa immediately moved between Brielle and Lily.

“Stay away from my daughter.””

Brielle stopped on the stairs.

Her eyes settled on Lily.

For one fleeting moment, something like tenderness crossed her face.

Then she looked at Daniel.

“You need to come with me.””

“Tell me who my daughter is.””

Brielle swallowed.

“Her name is Sophie.””

“Where is she?””

“At your house.””

Daniel's chest tightened.

He had two bedrooms prepared for Lily at the estate: one she slept in, painted lavender and decorated with stars, and a second smaller room that held her old toys and clothes. There were photographs throughout the house, birthday pictures, drawings, and framed memories of a childhood he had spent every day trying to make happy.

Who had Sophie been?

A child who had visited Lily's school?

A little girl at a birthday party?

Someone he had passed in the hallway without knowing she was his own?

“Three years,” Daniel whispered.

“You've known where your daughter was for three years?””

Brielle nodded.

“And you said nothing.””

“I wasn't allowed to.””

Daniel stared at her.

“Not allowed?””

“Richard controls everything. He knows where Sophie goes, who she talks to, what she eats. When I tried to take her away, he threatened to destroy her.””

“Why didn't you come to me?””

“Because I was the one who gave her to him.””

The admission silenced the room.

Brielle lowered her eyes.

“After I gave birth, Richard told me the baby had died. He showed me a death certificate. He arranged a funeral I wasn't permitted to attend. I was twenty-one, terrified, and completely dependent on my family.””

Elisa's expression hardened.

“So you believed him.””

“For years, yes.””

“And then?””

“Three years ago, I received a photograph of Sophie. She was alive, living under another name. Richard had arranged for her to be placed with a family who owed him money. When that arrangement fell apart, he brought her into the Hayes household.””

Daniel felt sick.

“What do you mean, into my household?””

“She came to your estate as the daughter of one of the housekeepers. Her mother was supposedly ill, so Sophie needed a place to stay. You approved it yourself.””

Daniel searched his memory.

Three years earlier, his longtime housekeeper had asked permission to let her niece stay temporarily while her family dealt with a medical emergency. Daniel remembered a quiet little girl with dark curls who had barely spoken during dinner.

He remembered Lily bringing her toys into the guest room.

He remembered telling the housekeeper that the child could stay as long as she needed.

“Her name was Sophie Miller,” he said.

Brielle nodded.

Daniel gripped the railing.

“She was here. Every day.””

“Yes.””

“And you knew?””

“I recognized her the first time I saw her.””

His voice dropped.

“Then why did you let me believe she was somebody else's child?””

“Because Richard told me that if I exposed him, he would have her taken away again. He said he'd make sure I never saw her.””

Daniel looked at Elisa.

“Did you know?””

Elisa shook her head slowly.

“No. I knew there had been two babies, but I never found out what happened to Brielle's daughter.””

Brielle laughed bitterly.

“Richard made certain of that. He kept us all separated. He made you believe Elisa was dead, Elisa believe the evidence was destroyed, and me believe my daughter would disappear if I spoke.””

“You still agreed to marry me,” Daniel said.

“I thought marriage would give me access to your trust. Richard told me I could use the money to escape with Sophie.””

“You were going to marry me for money?””

Brielle flinched.

“I was going to marry you because I was desperate.””

“That doesn't make it better.””

“I know.””

Daniel looked at her wedding ring.

“You stood at that altar and promised to love me.””

“I was going to tell you the truth after the wedding.””

“When? After you signed the marriage certificate? After you gained access to my estate?””

Brielle's eyes filled with tears.

“I had planned to leave the next morning. I thought I could get Sophie out before Richard realized what I was doing.””

“Instead, you nearly got my daughter killed.””

“I didn't know he would send Victor.””

“You knew enough to be afraid of him.””

She had no answer.

Lily stepped out from behind Elisa.

“Are you Sophie's mommy?””

Brielle looked at her.

“Yes, sweetheart.””

“Why didn't Sophie know?””

Brielle's mouth trembled.

“Because I made a terrible mistake.””

Lily thought about that.

“Did you love her?””

Brielle began to cry.

“More than anything.””

“Then why did you leave her?””

Brielle sank onto the bottom step.

“Because I was young and scared, and I let a bad man convince me that I had no choice.””

Lily looked at Daniel.

“Daddy, is that why you were going to marry her?””

Daniel knelt beside his daughter.

“I thought Brielle was someone I could trust.””

“Can we still trust her?””

He looked at Brielle.

He couldn't give Lily the easy answer she wanted.

“Not yet, sweetheart.””

Brielle wiped her face.

“I don't expect you to.””

She reached into the torn lining of her wedding dress and removed a small envelope.

“Daniel, this is why I came here.””

He took it.

Inside was a photograph of Sophie standing in the library at his estate. She looked about seven years old, with dark curls, a small dimple in her left cheek, and a silver heart-shaped locket around her neck.

Lily leaned closer.

“I know her!””

Daniel looked at her.

“You do?””

“She came to my birthday party last year. We played hide-and-seek. She said she wished she could live here forever.””

Daniel's throat tightened.

He remembered that party. Sophie had sat at the edge of the garden, watching the other children. Lily had insisted on sharing her cake with her.

He had thought Sophie was shy.

He hadn't understood that she was his daughter's sister.

“Where is she now?”” he asked.

Brielle pointed to the photograph.

“Richard moved her into the east wing two weeks ago. He told the staff she was a distant relative. He said she was sick and needed privacy.””

Daniel's stomach turned.

The east wing had been closed for renovations. Only a handful of people had access.

Including Richard.

“Why would he keep her there?””

“Because she has something he needs.””

“What?””

Brielle looked toward Elisa.

“The second key.””

Elisa's eyes widened.

“Sophie has it?””

Brielle nodded.

“The silver locket isn't just jewelry. It opens. Inside is a tiny compartment, and Richard believes the second key is hidden there.””

Daniel stared at the photograph.

His father had written that the key was with the child everyone believed was dead.

Sophie.

“Why didn't Richard take it from her?””

“Because she doesn't know what it is. He tried to remove the locket once, but she screamed and fought him. She believes it belonged to her mother.””

Brielle's voice cracked.

“I gave it to her when I first found her. I told her to keep it safe.””

“You knew it contained the key?””

“No. I only learned that last week.””

Daniel folded the photograph.

“Then we're going to get her.””

Brielle stood quickly.

“Wait. You don't understand what you're walking into. Richard has people at the estate.

Victor is there. The security system is under his control.””

“Then we'll take it back.””

“You can't fight him with a handful of documents.””

Daniel looked at her.

“Watch me.””

He turned toward Margaret.

“Can you get us out of here?””

Margaret nodded and led them through a narrow service corridor that opened into the overgrown garden behind the house. At the far end stood an old shed, where she kept a battered pickup truck.

Within minutes, they were driving toward Daniel's estate.

No one spoke for the first ten miles.

Then Lily leaned against Daniel's shoulder.

“Daddy?””

“Yeah?””

“If Sophie is Brielle's daughter and I'm Vanessa's daughter, does that mean we're not sisters?””

Daniel looked at her.

“No. It means we have different birth mothers.””

“But we're still sisters?””

He kissed her forehead.

“Absolutely.””

Lily considered this.