Chapter 7: The Betrayal Inside the Family
Eleanor didn’t deny it.
That was the part that frightened me most.
When Daniel confronted her, she didn’t scream.
She didn’t run.
She simply sat in the library and stared at the old documents.
Like she had been waiting twenty-four years for this moment.
“You signed this.””
Daniel placed the medical record on the table.
Eleanor looked at it.
“Yes.””
The answer shocked him.
“You admit it?””
“Yes.””
My chest tightened.
“Why?””
Eleanor looked at me.
And tears filled her eyes.
“Because I was trying to save your life.””
Daniel’s voice turned cold.
“You keep saying that.””
“Because it’s true.””
“No.””
He shook his head.
“You took my sister away.””
Eleanor closed her eyes.
“I took Lily away from someone who was going to kill her.””
The room went silent.
I stared at her.
“Who?””
She didn’t answer.
Daniel stepped closer.
“Who wanted my sister dead?””
Eleanor whispered:
“Your father.””
The accusation was heavier this time.
Because now there was proof.
But my mind refused to accept it.
“Why?””
Eleanor looked at me.
“Because he found out something.””
“What?””
“That Lily wasn’t his only secret.””
Daniel frowned.
“What does that mean?””
Eleanor reached into her purse.
She pulled out a small envelope.
“I kept this all these years.””
Inside was a letter.
Not from my mother.
From my father.
Daniel read it.
His face slowly changed.
“What is this?””
Eleanor looked down.
“Your father discovered that Lily’s birth was connected to a mistake he made years earlier.””
I felt confused.
“A mistake?””
Daniel kept reading.
Then suddenly stopped.
“What?””
I looked at him.
“What does it say?””
He couldn’t speak.
Eleanor answered.
“Lily was the only child your father had with your mother.””
I frowned.
“That doesn’t make sense.””
Daniel looked at me.
“It means…”
His voice broke.
“Someone tried to convince him you weren’t his daughter.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“Who?””
Eleanor looked toward the window.
“Victoria’s mother.””
Daniel stared.
“Why?””
“Because she wanted control of Sterling Industries.””
The pieces started connecting.
The missing child.
The fake records.
The lies.
But one question remained.
“Why did Victoria know about me?””
Nobody answered.
Then Marcus entered quickly.
“Mr. Sterling.””
Daniel turned.
“What?””
“We found Victoria.””
My heart jumped.
“Where?””
Marcus hesitated.
“She went to the old Sterling cemetery.””
Daniel grabbed his coat.
We followed him.
The cemetery was covered in fog.
Victoria stood beside an old family grave.
When she saw us, she didn’t run.
She looked exhausted.
“I knew you would find me.””
Daniel walked toward her.
“Why did you frame Lily?””
Victoria looked at me.
“I didn’t know if it was really you.””
“You searched for me.””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Because my mother spent her whole life terrified of your family.””
Daniel’s expression hardened.
“Your mother was the reason Lily disappeared.””
Victoria shook her head.
“No.””
Everyone froze.
“She wasn’t.””
She looked at me.
“My mother helped hide the truth.””
Daniel stepped closer.
“Then who did?””
Victoria looked at the grave.
“The person who benefited most.””
A pause.
Then she said:
“Your father.””
Daniel’s anger returned.
“You’re lying.””
Victoria pulled out a small key.
“I knew you wouldn’t believe me.””
She handed it to him.
“This opens the last box your father hid.””
Daniel stared at the key.
“Where?””
Victoria looked directly at me.
“Under this cemetery.””
A hidden chamber.
Another secret.
Another piece of a family history built on deception.
As Daniel took the key, Victoria whispered something that made my blood run cold.
“Your father didn’t lose Lily.””
May you like
She looked at me.
“He traded her.””
