Chapter 8: The Child Who Was Erased
Emily stared at the name written beneath her father’s final message.
Her hands became cold.
The room suddenly felt smaller.
The walls.
The air.
Even the silence.
Everything seemed to close around her.
Because the name written there was impossible.
It was not Vanessa.
It was not Marcus.
It was not Richard.
It was her mother.
Sarah Carter.
Emily looked at Daniel.
His expression had changed.
He looked as shocked as she felt.
“What does this mean?” Emily whispered.
Nobody answered.
Her mother stood several feet away, frozen.
For the first time since she appeared in the mansion, Sarah looked completely powerless.
Not afraid of Vanessa.
Not afraid of Marcus.
Afraid of her own daughter discovering the truth.
“Mom…”
Emily’s voice trembled.
“Why is your name here?”
Sarah closed her eyes.
A long silence followed.
Then she said the words Emily never expected to hear.
“Because I made a choice that destroyed everything.”
Emily felt her heart sink.
“What choice?”
Sarah looked at the photograph.
“The night your father died, I had the chance to save him.”
Emily stared at her.
“But you didn’t.”
A tear moved down Sarah’s cheek.
“No.”
The answer hurt more than any lie.
Emily turned away.
All her life, she had believed her mother was a victim.
Someone who disappeared because she was forced to.
Someone who suffered just like Emily.
But now…
There was another story.
A darker one.
“What happened that night?”
Sarah sat down slowly.
“I need to tell you everything.”
Daniel remained quiet.
He knew this was the moment Sarah had been avoiding for fifteen years.
“Your father discovered something about Richard Blackwood.”
Sarah began.
“Something bigger than the stolen money.”
Emily listened carefully.
“Richard had another child.”
Emily looked at Daniel.
“The child from the message?”
Sarah nodded.
“Yes.”
“Who was it?”
Sarah hesitated.
“Your father never knew the full truth.”
Emily frowned.
“Then how did he know?”
“Because Richard told him.”
Sarah looked at the old photograph.
“Years before you were born, Richard had a relationship with a woman named Eleanor.”
Daniel interrupted.
“Eleanor Blackwood?”
Sarah nodded.
“She was Richard’s first love.”
Emily waited.
“And their child?”
Sarah looked at her.
“The child was born before Vanessa.”
Emily’s eyes widened.
“Then Vanessa wasn’t the oldest?”
“No.”
“Who was?”
Sarah took a deep breath.
“Alexander Blackwood.”
The name meant nothing to Emily.
But Daniel reacted immediately.
“Alexander?”
Sarah looked at him.
“You know that name?”
Daniel nodded slowly.
“My father mentioned him.”
Emily looked confused.
“Why?”
Daniel’s face became serious.
“Because Alexander disappeared.”
“When?”
“Years ago.”
Sarah nodded.
“He was erased.”
Emily frowned.
“Erased?”
“Yes.”
Sarah explained.
“Richard was building his empire. He believed Vanessa was the perfect heir because her mother came from a powerful family.”
She paused.
“But Alexander was different.”
“How?”
“Alexander knew too much.”
Emily felt a chill.
“About what?”
“About Richard’s mistakes.”
The room became silent.
“Richard hid Alexander because he feared the truth would destroy everything.”
Emily looked at the message.
"The child who was taken away."
“So my father was trying to find him?”
“Yes.”
“And Vanessa knew?”
Sarah nodded.
“Vanessa knew Alexander existed.”
“Then why didn’t she tell anyone?”
“Because if Alexander returned, Vanessa would lose everything.”
Emily finally understood.
The inheritance.
The company.
The power.
Everything.
Vanessa was not only fighting Emily.
She was fighting anyone who could threaten her position.
Including her own brother.
“But why is your name on the message?”
Emily asked.
Sarah looked down.
“Because I knew where Alexander was.”
The answer shocked everyone.
Daniel stepped forward.
“You knew?”
Sarah nodded.
“Richard asked me to help hide him.”
Emily stared.
“Why would Richard trust you?”
“Because your father and I were the only people who knew the truth.”
She looked at Emily.
“Richard wanted to protect Alexander.”
“But Vanessa?”
“Vanessa wanted him gone.”
Emily’s stomach tightened.
“So you helped Richard hide him?”
“Yes.”
“Then why did my father die?”
Sarah’s face changed.
“Because Marcus found out.”
The memory returned.
The storm.
The shouting.
The fear.
“Marcus wanted Alexander’s location.”
Emily whispered:
“And you knew.”
Sarah nodded.
“I knew.”
“Then why didn’t you tell my father?”
Sarah looked broken.
“Because I was afraid.”
Emily stared.
“Afraid of Marcus?”
“No.”
“Then who?”
Sarah looked at her daughter.
“Afraid of you losing your father.”
The answer confused Emily.
“What?”
Sarah’s voice cracked.
“I believed if I told him, he would confront Marcus immediately.”
“And?”
“He would die.”
Emily felt tears forming.
“So you kept silent.”
“Yes.”
“And he died anyway.”
Sarah lowered her head.
The truth was painful.
“I thought I was protecting him.”
Emily looked away.
“But you weren’t.”
“No.”
Sarah whispered.
“I was protecting myself.”
The honesty hurt more than an excuse.
That evening, Emily walked alone through the mansion.
She needed space.
Too many secrets had entered her life in only a few days.
Her father was connected to the Blackwoods.
Her mother had hidden the truth.
Vanessa had tried to destroy her.
And somewhere out there was a missing heir who could change everything.
She reached the old library.
A place nobody used anymore.
She opened a random book from the shelf.
Something fell out.
A letter.
Emily picked it up.
The handwriting was unfamiliar.
But the name on the envelope was hers.
Emily.
She opened it carefully.
Inside was a message.
"Emily,
If you are reading this, then Sarah finally told you the truth.
I know you will have questions.
You deserve answers.
But before you search for Alexander, you must understand one thing.
He did not disappear.
He was taken.
And the person who took him is still alive."
Emily stopped breathing.
A second page followed.
There was only one sentence.
"The person who raised Vanessa is not the person who created her."
Emily frowned.
What did that mean?
Then she heard a sound behind her.
A voice.
“You really should stop looking for things that were buried.”
Emily turned.
A man stood at the library entrance.
Marcus Vale.
The same man connected to the night her father died.
The same man who had been watching her.
He stepped into the room.
“You look just like your father.”
Emily stood frozen.
“How did you get in?”
Marcus smiled.
“This mansion was never as secure as people believed.”
Daniel suddenly appeared behind Emily.
“Stay away from her.”
Marcus looked at him.
“Still trying to fix your father’s mistakes?”
Daniel’s expression hardened.
Marcus laughed softly.
“You don’t know the truth about your own family.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“Leave.”
Marcus ignored him.
His eyes remained on Emily.
“You want answers?”
Emily said nothing.
Marcus smiled.
“Then ask your mother why she wasn’t the only person hiding Alexander.”
A cold feeling moved through the room.
“What are you talking about?”
Marcus reached into his coat.
He pulled out an old photograph.
He placed it on the table.
Emily looked down.
And her entire world stopped.
The picture showed Alexander Blackwood.
Standing beside someone.
Someone she recognized.
Someone who should have had nothing to do with him.
Someone who had been protecting her for years.
Daniel.
Emily slowly looked at him.
Daniel’s face turned pale.
Because he knew exactly what this meant.
The truth was no longer only about Vanessa.
It was about everyone around Emily.
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And now she had to ask herself the most painful question yet.
Who could she trust?
