CHAPTER 10 — THE SISTER WHO CAME BACK FROM THE DEAD
CHAPTER 10 — THE SISTER WHO CAME BACK FROM THE DEAD
Elena stood completely frozen.
The phone was still pressed against her ear.
But the call had already ended.
The voice she had spent eight years trying to forget was gone.
Her sister.
Amelia.
Alive.
After all those years of grief.
After all those unanswered questions.
After every night Elena wondered what happened.
Amelia was alive.
But instead of giving Elena peace…
Her return created a new nightmare.
Because Amelia had left her with one warning.
"Do not trust Claire."
Elena slowly lowered the phone.
Nobody spoke.
Everyone could see something had changed.
Daniel stepped closer.
“Elena.”
She looked at him.
“My sister called me.”
The words shocked everyone.
Marcus immediately stepped forward.
“Amelia?”
Elena nodded.
“She’s alive.”
Victor sat down heavily in a nearby chair.
For the first time, the billionaire looked completely broken.
“No.”
Elena looked at him.
“You knew something.”
Victor shook his head.
“I thought she was dead.”
“You thought?”
His silence was uncomfortable.
Elena’s eyes narrowed.
“You never knew.”
“No.”
“Because someone wanted you to believe that.”
Victor looked away.
That answer told her enough.
The Hawthorne mansion was filled with people who had been lied to.
Even the powerful ones.
Even the ones who thought they controlled everything.
Daniel moved closer.
“What exactly did Amelia say?”
Elena looked at him.
“She said Claire is not the victim.”
Marcus immediately shook his head.
“That can’t be true.”
“Why?”
“Because Claire spent years trying to expose the person behind all this.”
Elena stared at him.
“How do you know?”
Marcus froze.
A small detail.
A tiny hesitation.
But Elena noticed.
“You talked to Claire recently.”
Marcus didn’t answer.
“Marcus.”
His face changed.
“Yes.”
The room went silent.
Victor stood up.
“When?”
Marcus looked at him.
“Before tonight.”
Victor’s voice became angry.
“You told me she was gone.”
“She wanted everyone to believe that.”
“Why?”
Marcus looked at Elena.
“Because she was afraid.”
Elena crossed her arms.
“Afraid of who?”
Marcus didn’t answer.
And once again, silence became the answer.
Daniel stepped forward.
“Someone is controlling information.”
Everyone looked at him.
“Think about it.”
“The person behind this wants Elena confused.”
“They want her to question everyone.”
“They want her divided.”
Elena looked at the two sides of the mystery.
Claire.
Amelia.
Two women connected to the truth.
Two women telling opposite stories.
Then she noticed something.
The photograph.
The one showing Claire holding baby Lily.
Elena picked it up.
On the back was a date.
The same date Claire disappeared.
But underneath the date was a handwritten note.
A sentence she had not noticed before.
"The first betrayal happened before Lily was born."
Elena stared at it.
“Lily wasn’t the beginning.”
Daniel looked at the photograph.
“What do you mean?”
“This started before Lily disappeared.”
She looked at everyone.
“Before Claire vanished.”
“Before Amelia disappeared.”
The room became silent.
Because they all realized the same thing.
The conspiracy was older than they thought.
Suddenly, a loud noise came from downstairs.
A door slammed.
Security alarms activated.
Marcus looked toward the hallway.
“We’re not alone.”
They rushed down the stairs.
The grand entrance was empty.
But the front doors were wide open.
Rain poured inside.
And standing outside in the storm was a woman.
Elena stopped breathing.
The woman looked older.
Tired.
Broken.
But Elena knew that face.
Even after eight years.
Even after everything.
“Amelia.”
Her sister looked at her.
Tears filled her eyes.
“Elena.”
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then Elena ran forward.
The sisters held each other.
A moment Elena had dreamed about for years.
But the happiness lasted only seconds.
Because Amelia pulled away.
Her expression was serious.
“We don’t have much time.”
Elena looked confused.
“What happened to you?”
Amelia looked toward the mansion.
“I was investigating Victor.”
Victor looked shocked.
“You?”
Amelia ignored him.
“But I was wrong about one thing.”
Elena waited.
“What?”
Amelia took a deep breath.
“I thought Victor was the person controlling everything.”
“But I was wrong.”
Everyone became silent.
“Then who?”
Amelia looked directly at Daniel.
Everyone turned.
Daniel stepped back.
“What?”
Amelia’s voice was quiet.
“The person who started this entire nightmare…”
“…is someone who has been protecting Elena from the beginning.”
Elena felt her stomach drop.
Because that description could only mean one thing.
Daniel.
But before anyone could react, Amelia continued.
“Not because he wanted to hurt her.”
“Because he knew what would happen if she discovered the truth.”
Elena looked confused.
“What truth?”
Amelia reached into her bag.
She pulled out an old file.
Then placed it in Elena’s hands.
“This is why Claire disappeared.”
Elena opened the file.
Inside was a document with her own name.
Not Lily’s.
Not Amelia’s.
Hers.
The first page contained one sentence.
"Elena Vale was never chosen by accident."
Her hands started shaking.
“What is this?”
Amelia looked at her.
“The reason everyone has been watching you.”
A cold silence filled the mansion.
Elena turned the page.
And the next line destroyed everything she believed about her own life.
"Subject Elena Vale: The final witness."
She looked up.
“What does this mean?”
Amelia whispered:
“It means your life has been part of their plan since the beginning.”
The storm outside grew louder.
The mansion lights flickered again.
And Elena finally understood.
She wasn’t investigating the mystery.
May you like
She was the mystery.
TO BE CONTINUED — CHAPTER 11: THE FINAL WITNESS
