Chapter 2: The Woman Everyone Believed Was Dead
Chapter 2: The Woman Everyone Believed Was Dead
Ethan insisted on driving Emma himself.
The little girl gave careful directions through streets that grew older, darker, and more forgotten with every turn.
Finally, the limousine stopped beside an abandoned textile warehouse.
"This is home," Emma said.
Before Ethan could react, she climbed out and ran inside.
He followed.
The smell of mold and damp concrete filled the air.
Sunlight slipped through broken windows.
Then he heard a cough.
A woman slowly stepped from the shadows, shielding her eyes from the light.
She had lost weight.
Her once-beautiful hair had turned dull.
A long scar stretched across one side of her face.
But Ethan would have recognized her anywhere.
"Lily..."
The woman froze.
She stared at him as if she were seeing a ghost.
"No..."
The word escaped her lips before tears overwhelmed her.
"Ethan?"
He rushed toward her.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
They simply held each other, making up for seven years stolen by lies.
Emma wrapped her arms around both of them.
"You know each other?"
Lily finally nodded.
"Sweetheart... this is your father."
Emma looked from one face to the other, confused.
"I have a dad?"
Ethan dropped to one knee.
"I've been looking for you both every single day."
Lily's smile quickly disappeared.
"They told me you stopped searching."
"They lied."
"They said you remarried."
"They lied."
"They said you believed I ran away."
"They lied."
Ethan's voice grew colder with every answer.
"Who?"
Lily lowered her eyes.
"My sister... Vanessa."
The name struck Ethan like lightning.
Vanessa had comforted him after Lily disappeared.
She had handled the investigation.
She had convinced police to declare Lily legally dead after two years.
She had even become a trusted executive inside his company.
Everything suddenly fit together.
Vanessa hadn't helped him.
She had controlled him.
Lily explained everything.
Vanessa had arranged the kidnapping to force Lily to sign documents transferring access to family assets.
When Lily refused, Vanessa abandoned her after a terrible car crash, assuming she would die.
A homeless couple rescued Lily before dawn.
Suffering from severe injuries and partial memory loss, she spent years recovering without remembering who she truly was.
By the time her memory returned, Vanessa's people were already watching every hospital and every official record.
Running was the only way to keep Emma alive.
Ethan clenched his fists.
"No more running."
That evening, he called every attorney, investigator, and federal agent he trusted.
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For the first time in seven years...
The hunt had a new target.
