CHAPTER 4 The Mother Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
CHAPTER 4 The Mother Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
Theodore Vale could not speak.
For several seconds, the only sound inside Rosalie’s bedroom was the rain hitting the broken window.
His entire life had been built around one simple truth.
His mother was gone.
That was what everyone had told him.
That was what the family records said.
That was what Sebastian had repeated every time Theodore asked questions about the past.
But now Sebastian was standing in front of him, holding a damaged photograph, saying something impossible.
The woman in the picture was his mother.
Theodore looked at the photograph again.
The edges were torn.
The face of the woman had been cut away.
Someone had deliberately removed her identity.
“Why?”
Theodore’s voice was barely a whisper.
“Why would everyone lie to me?”
Sebastian placed the photograph on the desk.
“Because the truth destroyed people.”
“That is not an answer.”
“It is the only answer I have.”
Theodore stepped closer.
“No.”
His eyes filled with anger.
“You knew.”
Sebastian stayed silent.
“You knew something about her.”
Sebastian looked down.
“I knew pieces.”
“Pieces?”
Theodore laughed bitterly.
“My entire life is a lie, and you knew pieces?”
Sebastian’s jaw tightened.
“I was trying to protect you.”
“From what?”
Sebastian looked toward the broken window.
“From the same people who tried to bury Rosalie alive.”
The room became silent.
The next morning, the Vale estate was surrounded by investigators.
The news cameras were still outside.
But now the story had changed.
The world was no longer interested only in the miracle of Rosalie’s survival.
They wanted answers.
The Vale family had become a mystery.
Inside the mansion, Detective Clara Bennett walked through the library.
She was in her early forties.
Sharp eyes.
Calm expression.
The kind of person who noticed details everyone else ignored.
She stopped beside the coffin transportation records.
“You had the funeral arrangements completed within hours?”
Sebastian nodded.
“Yes.”
“That was fast.”
“It was a tragedy.”
Detective Bennett looked at him.
“Sometimes tragedies happen quickly.”
She paused.
“But sometimes people make them happen quickly.”
Sebastian’s expression did not change.
“You think my family had something to do with this?”
“I think someone did.”
Her eyes moved toward Theodore.
“And I think your brother found something.”
Theodore looked away.
He didn’t trust the detective.
Not yet.
Too many people had already lied to him.
At the hospital, Rosalie finally became strong enough to speak.
Theodore sat beside her.
He held her hand carefully.
“You scared me.”
A weak smile appeared on Rosalie’s face.
“I know.”
“No.”
Theodore shook his head.
“You don’t.”
She looked at him.
“I thought I lost you.”
Rosalie’s eyes filled with tears.
“I thought I lost myself.”
Theodore leaned forward.
“What happened?”
Rosalie became quiet.
The fear returned.
“The night before I collapsed…”
She stopped.
“Rosalie.”
“I met someone.”
“Who?”
She looked toward the door.
Making sure they were alone.
“Mother.”
Theodore froze.
The word felt impossible.
“Don’t.”
“I saw her.”
“No.”
“Theo, listen to me.”
He pulled his hand away.
“Our mother is dead.”
Rosalie shook her head.
“That’s what they wanted us to believe.”
Theodore stood.
“Who is they?”
Rosalie’s breathing became uneven.
“I don’t know.”
She looked terrified.
“But she told me something.”
“What?”
Rosalie whispered.
“She said Father didn’t die in an accident.”
Theodore felt the room spinning.
“What?”
“She said he was killed.”
That evening, Sebastian received a package.
No return address.
No name.
Just his initials written on the front.
Inside was a single object.
A small silver locket.
The same locket Theodore remembered seeing around Rosalie’s neck inside the coffin.
Sebastian opened it slowly.
Inside was a tiny photograph.
His face immediately changed.
Because the photograph showed three people.
His father.
His mother.
And a baby.
A baby Sebastian recognized.
Not Rosalie.
Not Theodore.
Someone else.
Attached to the photograph was a note.
YOU FAILED TO PROTECT THEM BEFORE.
YOU WILL FAIL AGAIN.
Sebastian’s hands tightened around the paper.
A sound came from behind him.
“You found it.”
Sebastian turned.
Eleanor stood in the doorway.
Her expression was unreadable.
“You knew about the locket.”
Sebastian stared at her.
“You knew she was alive.”
Eleanor remained silent.
That was enough.
Sebastian stepped closer.
“How long?”
She looked away.
“How long did you know Rosalie wasn’t dead?”
Eleanor’s voice was quiet.
“Since the beginning.”
Sebastian’s face hardened.
“You watched her get buried.”
“I tried to stop it.”
“You tried?”
His voice rose.
“You knew.”
Eleanor looked at him.
“You don’t understand what we are dealing with.”
Sebastian held up the locket.
“Then explain.”
For the first time, Eleanor looked afraid.
“Your father left behind enemies.”
Sebastian shook his head.
“No.”
He stared at her.
“You are afraid of someone.”
Eleanor said nothing.
Then her phone rang.
She looked at the screen.
Her face changed instantly.
Sebastian noticed.
“Who is it?”
She slowly answered.
A distorted voice came through the speaker.
Everyone in the room could hear it.
“Tell Sebastian the truth.”
Eleanor froze.
The voice continued.
“Tell him why Rosalie was chosen.”
Sebastian stepped forward.
“Who is this?”
A pause.
Then the voice whispered:
“Ask your mother.”
The call ended.
Sebastian looked at Eleanor.
Theodore, standing in the doorway behind him, heard everything.
His voice was cold.
“My mother is alive.”
Nobody answered.
Because deep down…
Everyone knew.
The biggest secret of the Vale family had never been buried.
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It had been waiting.
TO BE CONTINUED…
