Chapter 3: The Daughter No One Was Allowed To Find
The letter slipped from my fingers.
For a few seconds, I could not understand the words anymore.
I could see the ink.
I could see Clara’s handwriting.
I could see the final sentence staring back at me.
*Your mother’s daughter is alive, Adrian. And she has been standing beside you all along.*
But my mind refused to accept what my eyes had read.
A daughter.
Not a stranger.
Not someone hidden somewhere far away.
Someone who had been standing beside him.
Someone who had spent months walking through this estate carrying trays, cleaning rooms, and quietly avoiding attention.
Someone like me.
I looked at Lord Blackwood.
He looked at me.
And for the first time since I entered the library, neither of us knew what to say.
The man who controlled an entire empire looked completely powerless.
“Say something,” I whispered.
My voice sounded smaller than I expected.
Adrian opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
He looked away, running a hand over his face.
“No.””
It was barely a word.
“No?””
He shook his head.
“No. That cannot be possible.””
The pain in his voice surprised me.
Not because he rejected the idea.
Because he sounded like someone begging reality not to hurt him again.
“I need to understand,” I said.
He looked back at me.
“My mother had a daughter?””
“Yes.””
“Then why did nobody tell you?””
His expression tightened.
“I don’t know.””
“Why didn’t Clara tell me?””
Again, silence.
That silence hurt more than any answer.
I looked down at the letter.
Clara had known.
The woman who raised me had carried the truth all those years.
She had known who I was.
She had known where I came from.
And she had chosen to protect that secret.
My chest tightened.
“Did she lie to me?””
The question came out before I could stop it.
Adrian’s expression changed immediately.
“No.””
The answer was instant.
Certain.
I looked at him.
“You don’t know that.””
“Yes, I do.””
His voice was firm.
“Clara protected people. She didn’t destroy them.””
I stared at him.
“You barely knew her.””
He looked at the photograph.
“I knew enough.””
There was sadness in his eyes.
“My mother trusted her more than anyone.””
The room became quiet.
I wanted to be angry.
I wanted to feel betrayed.
But all I could remember was Clara’s tired smile, her warm hands, and the way she stayed awake beside me whenever I was sick.
She had never made me feel unwanted.
Not once.
“Maybe she had a reason,” Adrian said softly.
I looked at him.
“A reason for hiding my entire life from me?””
His jaw tightened.
“Yes.””
I hated that he sounded right.
Because Clara was many things.
But cruel was not one of them.
She would never keep something from me unless she believed revealing it would hurt me more.
Adrian carefully folded the letter.
“We need to find the rest of the truth.””
I gave a small bitter laugh.
“The rest?””
He looked at me.
“My entire life just changed in one minute.””
“I know.””
“No, you don’t.””
The words came out sharper than I intended.
For the first time, I saw him react.
Not with anger.
With understanding.
“You’re right.””
His voice lowered.
“I don’t.””
That honesty stopped me.
He walked to the desk and placed the documents together.
“There are missing pieces.””
“What pieces?””
“My father’s records.””
I frowned.
“You think he knew?””
“I know he knew.””
The certainty returned.
“My father kept detailed records of everything. Business deals. Family history. Personal matters.””
He looked at the old documents.
“But several years are missing.””
“Missing?””
“Yes.””
“Who removed them?””
His face darkened.
“That is what I intend to discover.””
A sudden noise came from outside.
A loud crash.
Both of us turned toward the library doors.
Adrian moved instantly.
The calm, emotional man disappeared.
The powerful Lord Blackwood returned.
He stepped in front of me.
“Stay behind me.””
I blinked.
“I can protect myself.””
“I’m sure you can.””
His eyes remained on the door.
“But do it anyway.””
Before I could answer, the door opened.
Thomas stood there.
His expression was tense.
“My lord.””
Adrian relaxed slightly.
“What happened?””
“There has been an issue.””
“What kind?””
Thomas glanced at me.
Again.
That same look.
Like he knew something he refused to say.
“The west hallway was searched.””
Adrian’s eyes narrowed.
“By whom?””
“We don’t know.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“Someone broke in?””
Thomas shook his head.
“No.””
“Then how was it searched?””
The old butler hesitated.
“Because whoever did it knew exactly where to look.””
Adrian’s expression hardened.
“What was taken?””
Thomas looked down.
“Nothing.””
That answer confused me.
“Nothing?””
Thomas nodded.
“The intruder didn’t steal anything.””
Adrian stepped closer.
“Then what were they looking for?””
Thomas looked at the letter in Adrian’s hand.
Then at me.
And I understood.
They were not looking for something.
They were looking for someone.
My blood ran cold.
Adrian noticed my expression.
“What?””
I swallowed.
“They were looking for me.””
Nobody spoke.
Thomas looked away.
And that told me everything.
Adrian turned sharply.
“Thomas.””
The butler closed his eyes briefly.
“I was afraid this would happen.””
“Explain.””
Thomas remained silent.
Adrian’s voice became colder.
“Explain. Now.””
The old man sighed.
“When Clara brought the child to the orphanage, she was not alone.””
My heart stopped.
“What child?””
Thomas looked at me.
“You.””
The word echoed.
“She knew someone would come searching.””
I stepped backward.
“Who?””
Thomas hesitated.
Then he said:
“Your grandfather.””
The room went still.
I looked at Adrian.
“My grandfather?””
Thomas nodded.
“The former head of the Blackwood family.””
Adrian’s face changed.
“My grandfather was dead.””
“Yes.””
“Then how could he search for her?””
Thomas looked at the floor.
“Because he was not searching for her after his death.””
A terrible silence followed.
I felt a chill move through me.
“What are you saying?””
Thomas looked at Adrian.
“Your grandfather knew your mother had another child.””
Adrian’s breathing slowed.
“And?””
The butler’s voice became quiet.
“He ordered that child to disappear.””
The words hit harder than I expected.
Disappear.
Like I was never born.
Like my existence was something that could simply be erased.
I looked at my hands.
The same hands that had spent years cleaning other people’s homes.
The same hands that had written letters to a family that never answered.
The same hands that had held Clara’s when she died.
“Why?””
My voice cracked.
Nobody answered immediately.
Then Adrian spoke.
“Because my grandfather believed power mattered more than family.””
His eyes filled with anger.
“He thought a child born outside his plans could ruin everything.””
I looked at him.
“And what was I?””
He stared at me.
“You were his granddaughter.””
The answer should have comforted me.
Instead, it hurt.
Because I had spent my entire life wondering why I was abandoned.
And now I discovered I had not been forgotten.
I had been hidden.
There was a difference.
A painful one.
Thomas slowly approached the desk.
“There is something else.””
Adrian looked at him.
“What?””
The butler reached inside his coat and pulled out a small envelope.
“I kept this because Clara asked me to.””
Adrian froze.
“You had something from Clara?””
Thomas nodded.
“She gave it to me years ago.””
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
“Because she told me not to.””
Adrian’s expression darkened.
“And now?””
Thomas looked at me.
“Now she believed the truth had found its way home.””
My hands shook.
“What is inside?””
Thomas placed the envelope on the desk.
“Something meant for you.””
I stared at it.
My name was written on the front.
Not a nickname.
Not “the child.””
Not “the girl.””
My real name.
The name Clara had given me.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then Adrian reached toward the envelope.
But before his fingers touched it, the library lights suddenly flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then went dark.
A sound came from the hallway.
A slow footstep.
Someone was inside the manor.
Someone who should not have been there.
Adrian immediately pulled me behind him.
“Who’s there?””
No answer.
Only another step.
Then a voice came from the darkness.
A voice I had never heard before.
But one sentence made Adrian’s entire body freeze.
“Adrian Blackwood…”
The voice paused.
May you like
Then whispered:
“You were never supposed to find your sister.””
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