CHAPTER 6 — THE SECRET ELENA NEVER KNEW
CHAPTER 6 — THE SECRET ELENA NEVER KNEW
For eight years, Elena had forced herself to stop asking questions.
She had learned how to smile when people mentioned her past.
She had learned how to change the subject when someone brought up her missing sister.
She had learned how to live with an empty space inside her heart.
But now, standing inside a hidden room beneath the Hawthorne mansion, every memory she buried came rushing back.
Her hands started shaking.
“My sister?”
Daniel looked at her carefully.
“Yes.”
Elena stared at him.
“Don’t say her name unless you know the truth.”
Daniel lowered his eyes.
“I know enough.”
“No.”
Elena stepped closer.
“You know nothing about what happened to her.”
The anger in her voice filled the small room.
For years, people had offered sympathy.
They had told her to move on.
They had told her some mysteries never get solved.
But nobody understood what it felt like to lose someone without knowing why.
Without a goodbye.
Without a body.
Without an answer.
Daniel reached into his coat pocket.
Then he pulled out an old photograph.
Elena stopped breathing.
The picture showed two young women standing in front of a small apartment building.
One was her sister, Amelia.
The other was Claire Hawthorne.
Elena slowly took the photograph.
“Where did you get this?”
Daniel hesitated.
“Claire gave it to me.”
Elena looked up sharply.
“When?”
“Three days before she disappeared.”
The room became silent.
“You knew Claire?”
Daniel nodded.
“I knew her before I met you.”
Elena felt betrayed.
“How long were you planning to keep this from me?”
Daniel looked away.
“I was trying to protect you.”
“That excuse is getting old.”
“Elena…”
“No.”
She held up the photograph.
“You don’t get to decide what I can handle.”
Daniel looked at her with sadness.
“You think you wanted the truth.”
“But the truth changes everything.”
Elena’s eyes narrowed.
“Then tell me.”
Daniel took a deep breath.
“Eight years ago, Claire discovered financial records connected to the Hawthorne Foundation.”
“She found evidence of illegal transfers.”
“She was preparing to expose Victor.”
Elena looked at the journal.
“That’s what she wrote about.”
“Yes.”
“But she also discovered something else.”
Daniel paused.
“She discovered that Amelia had been investigating the same people.”
Elena felt the room spinning.
“My sister was investigating Victor Hawthorne?”
Daniel nodded.
“She believed someone inside the family was using the foundation for something much darker.”
Elena looked down.
All those years, she thought Amelia disappeared because of a random tragedy.
But now she was learning Amelia had been searching for the truth.
A truth powerful enough to get people hurt.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
Daniel’s expression changed.
“Because someone made sure you never found out.”
A cold feeling moved through Elena.
“Who?”
Daniel looked toward the hidden doorway.
His voice became quieter.
“The same person who wanted Lily forgotten.”
Before Elena could ask more, a loud alarm suddenly echoed through the mansion.
Red lights flashed in the hallway.
Marcus immediately moved toward the door.
“We have to go.”
Elena grabbed the journal.
“No.”
Marcus looked at her.
“Now.”
“What happened?”
His face was serious.
“Someone found Lily.”
Elena’s heart stopped.
They rushed back up the staircase.
The moment they reached the library, Elena knew something was wrong.
The doctor was unconscious on the floor.
The window was broken.
And Lily was gone.
“Elena…”
Marcus looked around.
“They took her.”
Elena ran toward the window.
Outside, rain poured over the Hawthorne gardens.
On the floor near the broken glass was a small piece of fabric.
Part of Lily’s shirt.
And beside it was another note.
Elena picked it up.
Her blood turned cold.
The handwriting was familiar.
The same handwriting from Claire’s journal.
The message said:
"You wanted the truth."
"Now you will learn the price of knowing it."
Elena crushed the paper in her hand.
Someone had taken Lily.
Someone had entered a heavily guarded mansion.
Someone had predicted every move Elena made.
And then another message appeared on her phone.
A video.
Her finger trembled as she opened it.
The screen showed Lily sitting in a dark room.
The little girl was crying.
But she was not alone.
A person stood behind her.
The camera angle hid the face.
Then the person spoke.
A voice Elena recognized immediately.
“You should have stayed away from the Hawthorne family.”
Elena froze.
Because the voice belonged to someone she trusted.
Someone who had stood beside her all night.
Someone who claimed to want the truth.
Daniel stepped closer.
“Elena, don’t watch that.”
She slowly turned toward him.
Her eyes filled with disbelief.
“Why?”
Daniel said nothing.
“Why shouldn’t I watch it?”
His silence was terrifying.
Because Elena already knew.
The video was going to reveal something Daniel did not want her to see.
She pressed play.
The person behind Lily stepped into the light.
And Elena’s world collapsed.
It wasn’t Victor.
It wasn’t Isabella.
It wasn’t a stranger.
It was someone she had loved.
Someone she thought was on her side.
Someone who had been protecting a secret from the very beginning.
The screen showed the face.
And Elena whispered the name.
“Daniel…”
The man standing beside her closed his eyes.
Because the truth was finally out.
Daniel Cross was not just connected to the mystery.
May you like
He was part of it.
TO BE CONTINUED — CHAPTER 7: THE MAN WHO BETRAYED ELENA
