Chapter 8: The Brother I Never Knew
Nobody spoke.
The phone continued ringing in Richard's hand.
A small sound.
A simple sound.
But it felt louder than anything I had heard all night.
Because every person in that room understood the same thing.
Victor Hale was calling because he knew.
He knew Richard had found out.
He knew I had found out.
And somehow, he still believed he had control.
Richard stared at the screen.
His face had lost all color.
I had seen him angry.
I had seen him arrogant.
I had seen him cruel.
But I had never seen him afraid like this.
"Answer it," I said.
Everyone looked at me.
Richard shook his head.
"No.""
"Why?""
His eyes met mine.
And for a second, I saw something I had never seen before.
Not my husband.
Not my enemy.
A scared man who had spent his entire life trapped inside someone else's plan.
"Because if I answer, he knows where we are.""
Daniel stepped forward.
"He already knows.""
The ringing stopped.
A second later, Richard's phone buzzed.
A message.
He looked at it.
Then slowly handed the phone to Daniel.
Daniel read it.
His expression hardened.
"What?""
He turned the screen toward me.
A photograph.
My heart stopped.
It was Lily.
Again.
But this time, it wasn't from preschool.
It was taken tonight.
Outside our house.
She was standing near the window, looking at the birthday decorations.
Someone had been close enough to take the picture.
Close enough to see her.
Close enough to hurt her.
My hand flew to my mouth.
"No.""
Richard immediately moved.
"I swear, Maya...""
I stepped back.
"Don't.""
He stopped.
The pain on his face was obvious.
But I couldn't forget.
Not now.
Not when my daughter was being used as a weapon.
Daniel looked at Richard.
"Tell us everything.""
Richard looked away.
"I don't know everything.""
"Then tell us what you do know.""
Silence.
Finally, he sat down.
For the first time since I met him, Richard Vance looked small.
"I was eighteen when my father died.""
Nobody moved.
"He left me a box.""
His voice was quiet.
"Inside were documents. Old letters. Photos.""
He looked at me.
"And one picture of you.""
My chest tightened.
"You.""
He nodded.
"Sixteen years old.""
The same picture.
The one he had shown me.
"I didn't know why he had it.""
"Then?""
"Then I found a letter.""
His hands tightened.
"My father wrote that there was a girl who could destroy everything.""
I felt sick.
"Me.""
Richard nodded.
"He didn't say your name.""
"Then how did you know?""
"Victor.""
The room went silent.
Richard continued.
"Victor contacted me after my father died.""
Daniel's expression changed.
"What did he say?""
Richard laughed bitterly.
"He said he could tell me who I really was.""
I looked at him.
"You believed him?""
"I was eighteen.""
His voice cracked.
"I had just lost my father. I had spent my entire life thinking I was Thomas Vance's son.""
He looked down.
"Then Victor told me I was Alexander Laurent's child.""
The room became quiet.
"Did you believe him?""
"No.""
Richard shook his head.
"Not at first.""
"Then why investigate me?""
"Because Victor showed me proof.""
"What proof?""
Richard looked at Olivia.
His mother looked away.
"DNA records.""
I froze.
Daniel immediately said:
"Where are they?""
Richard hesitated.
"Hidden.""
"Where?""
"With Victor.""
Of course.
Everything came back to him.
Every road.
Every secret.
Victor Hale.
I walked away from everyone.
Toward the kitchen.
I needed air.
I needed a moment where nobody was explaining my life to me.
But Richard followed.
"Maya.""
I stopped.
"Why?""
He went quiet.
"Why what?""
"Why did you keep me close?""
He looked devastated.
"I told you.""
"No.""
I turned around.
"You told me you loved me.""
He swallowed.
"I did.""
"Then why didn't you tell me?""
He had no answer.
And that hurt more than a lie.
Finally, he whispered:
"Because every time I looked at you, I saw the person who could finally answer who I was.""
I stared at him.
"I was never a person to you.""
His eyes filled.
"That's not true.""
"Wasn't it?""
I stepped closer.
"You didn't see Maya.""
I pointed at myself.
"You saw a door.""
The words hit him.
Because they were true.
"I was wrong.""
I looked away.
"Yes.""
"I know I don't deserve forgiveness.""
I said nothing.
"But I need you to know something.""
I looked back.
"What?""
Richard took a breath.
"I never sent anyone after you.""
"Your grandfather did.""
"Yes.""
"And you still protected his secret.""
He closed his eyes.
"Yes.""
That was the answer.
The honest one.
The worst one.
Before I could respond, Daniel entered.
"We have to move.""
I looked at him.
"Where?""
"Nowhere predictable.""
He looked at Richard.
"Victor knows too much.""
Richard stood.
"I can help.""
Daniel stared at him.
"No.""
"I know him.""
"You are the reason we are exposed.""
Richard accepted the accusation.
Because he couldn't deny it.
Then Lily walked into the room.
Everyone froze.
She was holding her rabbit.
"Mommy?""
I immediately went to her.
"Why are you awake?""
She looked at Richard.
Then at me.
"Is Uncle Richard coming with us?""
The question made everyone silent.
I looked at her.
"Why did you call him that?""
She shrugged.
"He said I could call him Uncle if I wanted.""
I turned toward Richard.
He looked away.
Something about that hurt.
Because despite everything...
He loved her.
Maybe imperfectly.
Maybe selfishly.
But he did.
Lily looked at me.
"Is Richard bad?""
The question crushed me.
Because I didn't know how to answer.
Adults lived in gray.
Children wanted black and white.
I knelt beside her.
"I think Richard made some very bad choices.""
She thought about that.
"Can people stop being bad?""
Nobody answered.
Then Richard spoke.
"I don't know.""
His voice was quiet.
"But I want to try.""
Lily looked at him.
Then nodded.
"Okay.""
Four years old.
And somehow kinder than everyone else in the room.
Daniel arranged our departure.
Two vehicles.
Different routes.
No phones except secure ones.
No messages.
No social media.
No trace.
As we prepared to leave, Olivia approached me.
I almost ignored her.
Almost.
But she looked different.
Not powerful.
Not cruel.
Just tired.
"I owe you an apology.""
I looked at her.
"More than one.""
She nodded.
"You're right.""
That surprised me.
Olivia Vance admitting she was wrong was something I never thought I would see.
"I hated you.""
The honesty caught me off guard.
"Why?""
She looked at Richard.
"Because when I found out who you were, I thought you would take my son away from me.""
I frowned.
"Your son?""
She smiled sadly.
"Richard spent his whole life searching for a family he never knew he lost.""
She looked back at me.
"And then he found you.""
I didn't respond.
She continued.
"I thought you were the reason he changed.""
A pause.
"I didn't realize you were the reason he still had a chance.""
I looked at Richard.
He heard every word.
For once, he didn't defend himself.
He just looked ashamed.
Then Daniel's phone rang.
Everyone froze.
He answered.
His face changed instantly.
"What happened?""
A pause.
Then:
"How?""
He looked at me.
"Maya.""
I knew from his voice.
Something had happened.
"What?""
Daniel lowered the phone.
"The Laurent Foundation archives were hacked.""
My stomach tightened.
"Can they trace it?""
He nodded.
"They already did.""
"To who?""
Daniel looked at Richard.
Then me.
"The person who accessed the files used an old Laurent family authorization code.""
My heart sank.
"Whose?""
Daniel swallowed.
"Your mother's.""
Nobody moved.
"That's impossible.""
Daniel shook his head.
"No.""
He looked at me.
"It means she wasn't hiding from Victor.""
A pause.
"She was hiding from us.""
My phone buzzed.
A new message.
Unknown number.
But this time there was no threat.
No warning.
Just a photo.
My mother.
Standing beside someone.
Someone I recognized.
Someone who should have been dead.
Underneath the photo were six words:
*YOUR FATHER IS STILL ALIVE, MAYA.*
I stared at the screen.
May you like
Because after fifteen years of mourning him...
I realized I might have been mourning a lie.
