Chapter 7: The Secret My Mother Took to Her Grave
“DADDY!””
My daughter's scream cut through the darkness.
I lunged toward the sound, knocking over a metal table. Glass crunched beneath my shoes. Someone crashed into the greenhouse shelves, sending flowerpots smashing against the floor.
“Lily! Keep calling me!””
“Daddy! I'm here!””
I reached forward and caught a small arm.
But it wasn't Lily's.
A man grabbed my collar and slammed me against the wall.
I felt his forearm press against my throat.
“Stay down,” he growled.
I drove my knee into his stomach.
He staggered, and I tore myself free.
A flashlight clicked on.
Daniel stood near the entrance, bleeding from a cut above his eyebrow.
“Mr. Hale! They're taking the girl!””
I turned toward the greenhouse doors.
A black vehicle was speeding away across the estate.
My daughter was inside.
I ran after it.
“LILY!””
The vehicle accelerated toward the east gate.
I reached the driveway just as its rear lights disappeared around the bend.
My knees nearly buckled.
Then I heard a weak voice behind me.
“Marcus.””
Elina.
She stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame. Her face was pale, and she was holding her injured leg.
I rushed toward her.
“Where's Lily?””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Richard took her.””
I grabbed her shoulders.
“Why? What does he want with her?””
Elina looked toward the road.
“Because of your mother.””
I stared at her.
“My mother died twenty years ago.””
“I know what your father told you. But he never knew the whole truth.””
I shook my head.
“Not now, Elina. Our daughter is missing.””
“I know. That's why you need to listen.””
She reached into her dress and pulled out a small silver locket.
I recognized it immediately.
It had belonged to my mother, Margaret.
After her death, my father told me it had been lost.
“Where did you get that?””
“Elina,” she whispered.
“Your mother gave it to me.””
I stared at her.
“When?””
“Two weeks before the accident.””
My mind struggled to process her words.
Elina explained that she had discovered an old family recording hidden among my father's legal documents. The recording showed my mother speaking directly to the camera.
She had been frightened.
And she had mentioned a child.
A child she had given birth to in secret.
“Your father told me he had two sons,” Elina continued.
“But your mother actually gave birth to three children.””
I stared at her.
“Three?””
She nodded.
“You, Ethan, and a baby girl.””
I felt the ground shift beneath me.
“What happened to her?””
Elina looked down at the locket.
“Your mother discovered that Richard had arranged for the baby to be taken shortly after birth. He claimed the child had died.””
“Why would he do that?””
“Because your mother had discovered that Richard was stealing from the family. She was going to expose him. He threatened to destroy everything she loved.””
I took the locket from her.
It had a tiny inscription engraved inside.
For my little sunshine. One day, we will find each other.
My hands began to tremble.
“Are you saying Lily is connected to this?””
Elina shook her head.
“No. Lily isn't the missing child. But Richard believes she knows where the original recording is.””
“She's six years old!””
“I know. But your mother used to hide things in places only children could find.””
I looked at the locket again.
A tiny button was hidden beneath the hinge.
I pressed it.
A small compartment opened.
Inside was a folded piece of paper.
Three words were written in my mother's handwriting.
*THE BLUE ROOM.*
I remembered the room immediately.
It was an old nursery in the eastern wing of the mansion. My father had locked it after my mother died.
I looked at Elina.
“Why would Richard think Lily knows about it?””
“Because I told her a bedtime story about your mother. I never imagined she would remember the details.””
My phone suddenly vibrated.
Unknown number.
I answered.
Richard's voice came through.
“Marcus. I hope your family reunion was pleasant.””
“Give me my daughter.””
“She's perfectly safe.””
I heard Lily crying in the background.
“Daddy! Please come!””
My grip tightened around the phone.
“Richard, if you touch her—”
“Save the threats. I want the USB drive your father gave you.””
I looked at the small device in my palm.
“Let me speak to Lily.””
There was a pause.
Then my daughter spoke.
“Daddy, Uncle Richard says Mommy's grandmother is in a secret room.””
I froze.
Richard immediately interrupted.
“Children have wonderful imaginations.””
I closed my eyes.
“Lily, listen to me. Remember the pink rabbit?””
“Yes, Daddy.””
“Hold it tightly. Don't let anyone take it from you.””
Richard laughed.
“Sentimental. Just like your father.””
“Where do you want to meet?””
“The old railway station. Midnight. Bring the drive. Come alone.””
“And Lily?””
“You'll get your daughter when I get what I want.””
The call ended.
Elina grabbed my hand.
“Marcus, you can't go.””
“I don't have a choice.””
“Yes, you do. We need to find the Blue Room first.””
I stared at her.
“Why?””
“Because your mother left something there. Something Richard has spent twenty years trying to find.””
I looked toward the mansion.
For the first time, I wondered whether the entire house had been built around a secret.
I took Elina's hand.
“Can you walk?””
She nodded.
Together, we headed toward the eastern wing.
The Blue Room was exactly as I remembered it.
Pale blue wallpaper. White curtains. A small wooden rocking horse beside the window.
And above the fireplace, a photograph of my mother holding a baby.
I approached it.
There were three children in the picture.
Me.
Ethan.
And a tiny girl wrapped in a yellow blanket.
I turned the photograph over.
A name had been written on the back.
*AMELIA HALE.*
Below it was another sentence.
My daughter. My firstborn.
I stared at the words.
Elina stepped beside me.
“Marcus, look at the fireplace.””
A small wooden panel was slightly loose.
I pulled it open.
Inside was an old cassette recorder, a hospital bracelet, and a sealed envelope.
The bracelet carried the name Amelia Cole.
I looked at Elina.
“Cole?””
She nodded slowly.
“Richard's surname.””
I opened the envelope.
Inside was a handwritten letter.
To the daughter I was forced to surrender: If you ever read this, know that I never stopped looking for you.
I felt tears gather in my eyes.
Then I read the final sentence.
The person who took you was not Richard. It was someone who lived in this house.
Before I could say anything, the cassette recorder clicked.
A woman's voice filled the room.
My mother's voice.
“Marcus, if you've found this recording, then Richard has returned.””
She paused.
May you like
Then she whispered something that made Elina cover her mouth.
“Your sister is alive. And she is much closer than you think.””
