CHAPTER 7 — THE FIRST LIE
CHAPTER 7 — THE FIRST LIE
The name on the letter seemed to drain the color from Richard's face.
THOMAS BLACKWOOD.
He read it again.
Then again.
As if the letters might rearrange themselves into something less impossible.
Claire stood beside him, watching his hands tremble.
“Richard…”
“He's alive.”
No one contradicted him.
Daniel lowered his head.
Adrian stared toward the lake.
Clara said nothing.
Only Jonathan looked away.
Richard noticed.
“You knew.”
Jonathan's jaw tightened.
“You knew Thomas was alive.”
“I suspected.”
Richard turned sharply.
“Everyone in this family always suspects something.”
His voice echoed across the empty shore.
“Everyone knows something.”
“And somehow I'm always the last person to find out.”
Claire stepped closer.
“Not anymore.”
Richard held up the letter.
“He asked me to come alone.”
“You're not going alone.”
“He asked me to.”
Claire looked at him.
“And I'm asking you not to.”
Richard's expression hardened.
“I have spent my entire life believing my father was dead.”
He looked toward Daniel.
“Then I learned he wasn't my biological father.”
Then toward Adrian.
“I learned my grandfather was alive.”
Then toward Clara.
“I learned I had a sister.”
His eyes returned to the letter.
“And now my real father is calling me.”
He swallowed.
“You can't ask me to ignore that.”
Claire didn't.
But she did say:
“I can ask you to survive meeting him.”
They returned to the house before sunrise.
Daniel was exhausted.
Jonathan pushed his wheelchair through the hallway while Claire followed.
Richard walked several steps behind them.
He kept staring at the letter.
At the signature.
At the handwriting.
There was something familiar about it.
Not the words.
The shape of certain letters.
He had seen that handwriting before.
In old school records.
In a birthday card.
In a letter supposedly written by Daniel.
Richard suddenly stopped.
“Claire.”
She turned.
“What?”
“Daniel's handwriting.”
“What about it?”
“Show me one of his letters.”
Claire frowned.
“Why?”
“Just do it.”
She took an old letter from her bag.
Richard placed it beside Thomas's note.
The room went silent.
The handwriting was almost identical.
But not completely.
Richard pointed.
“Look.”
Claire leaned closer.
The letter T was different.
Thomas's T was narrow.
Daniel's was wide.
Richard pointed to another word.
“Here.”
The same difference.
Then another.
And another.
“They're related,” Claire whispered.
Jonathan looked over.
“Brothers.”
Richard shook his head.
“No.”
Everyone looked at him.
“The signatures.”
He pointed.
“Daniel always signed his full name.”
Thomas's signature was shorter.
“Thomas didn't.”
Richard's expression changed.
“He signed like someone who wanted to hide his identity.”
Claire felt a chill.
“Why?”
Richard looked at the letter.
“Because maybe this isn't Thomas's handwriting.”
They took the note into Daniel's room.
Daniel was awake.
Richard placed it on the bed.
“Did Thomas write this?”
Daniel stared at it.
His expression changed immediately.
“No.”
Richard's heart dropped.
“You're sure?”
Daniel nodded.
“I know my brother's handwriting.”
“Then who wrote it?”
Daniel looked at Jonathan.
Jonathan wouldn't meet his eyes.
Daniel whispered:
“Elias.”
Richard frowned.
“Elias is dead.”
Daniel's voice became bitter.
“That was the first lie.”
Richard stood perfectly still.
“What first lie?”
Daniel looked at him.
“The first lie they told you.”
He pointed toward the letter.
“Elias Blackwood didn't die thirty years ago.”
Claire stared.
“What happened to him?”
“He disappeared.”
“Like everyone else?”
Daniel nodded.
“He staged his death.”
“Why?”
“To control the family from the shadows.”
Richard looked toward Adrian.
“Did you know?”
Adrian nodded.
“I suspected.”
Richard laughed bitterly.
“Of course.”
Adrian stepped forward.
“I was trying to find him.”
“Why?”
“Because he was destroying everything.”
Daniel interrupted.
“No.”
Everyone looked at him.
“He wasn't destroying the family.”
Daniel's eyes were cold.
“He was rebuilding it.”
Richard frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Daniel looked at Claire.
“The Blackwood fortune wasn't originally a business empire.”
“What was it?”
“A network.”
“Of what?”
“People.”
Daniel's voice dropped.
“Politicians. Judges. Banks. Private investigators. Security firms.”
Claire felt sick.
“A private network?”
“An organization.”
Jonathan nodded.
“It began with Elias.”
Richard stared.
“What did they do?”
Daniel hesitated.
“Whatever the family needed.”
Richard understood.
Disappearances.
False identities.
Stolen inheritances.
Deaths made to look accidental.
“They controlled people.”
“Yes.”
“And Thomas found out.”
“Yes.”
“Then Daniel found out.”
“Yes.”
“And Clara.”
“Yes.”
Richard looked at Claire.
“And me.”
Daniel nodded.
“That was when Elias decided you had to disappear.”
Richard walked to the window.
Outside, morning light began spreading across the lake.
“So my entire life was a lie.”
Daniel said nothing.
Richard turned.
“Tell me the first lie.”
Daniel took a breath.
“The first lie was that your mother died.”
Richard froze.
“My mother?”
“Yes.”
“Margaret?”
Daniel shook his head.
“No.”
“Then who?”
Daniel looked toward Adrian.
“Her name was Elena.”
Richard's heart stopped.
“Who was Elena?”
Daniel's voice broke.
“Thomas's wife.”
Richard stared.
“My mother was Thomas's wife?”
“Yes.”
“Then why did I grow up believing Margaret was my mother?”
“Because Elena was killed.”
Richard's face went pale.
“By Evelyn?”
“No.”
“By Elias?”
“No.”
“Then who?”
Daniel looked at Claire.
“Margaret.”
Silence.
Richard shook his head.
“No.”
“Margaret betrayed Elena.”
“Why?”
“She wanted to save you.”
“How?”
“She agreed to a deal.”
“What deal?”
Daniel looked down.
“Your life in exchange for Elena's.”
Richard's eyes filled with tears.
“That doesn't make sense.”
“It does when you understand the Blackwoods.”
Margaret had been trapped between two families.
She loved Adrian.
She loved Elena.
And she loved Richard.
When Elias discovered Elena was planning to expose him, he gave Margaret a choice.
Protect Elena—
and lose Richard.
Or betray Elena—
and keep Richard alive.
Margaret chose her son.
She gave Elias Elena's location.
Elias sent his people.
Elena disappeared.
Richard survived.
Margaret became his legal guardian.
And the family told everyone she was his mother.
But there was one thing Elias hadn't expected.
Thomas survived.
And he spent fifteen years searching for his son.
Richard's hands shook.
“Why didn't he find me?”
Daniel answered:
“Because every time he got close, someone moved you.”
“Who?”
“Evelyn.”
Richard's face hardened.
“So Evelyn knew.”
“Yes.”
“She knew Thomas was alive.”
“Yes.”
“She knew I was his son.”
“Yes.”
“And she still let me grow up believing I was someone else.”
Daniel nodded.
Richard turned away.
For several seconds, there was only silence.
Then he asked:
“Where is Margaret now?”
No one answered.
Richard looked at Jonathan.
“You know.”
Jonathan hesitated.
“She went to find Evelyn.”
Richard's expression changed.
“Why?”
Jonathan looked toward the lake.
“To make one final bargain.”
That afternoon, they discovered the second message.
It was hidden inside the envelope.
A thin strip of paper folded behind the first note.
Claire unfolded it.
Four words.
THE FIRST LIE WAS MERCY.
Richard read it.
“What does that mean?”
Daniel's eyes darkened.
“It means whoever wrote this wants you to believe Margaret betrayed your mother for selfish reasons.”
“Didn't she?”
Daniel shook his head.
“No.”
“She chose me.”
“Yes.”
“She let Elena die.”
“Yes.”
“Then how is that mercy?”
Daniel looked at him.
“Because Elena wasn't the one they were trying to kill.”
Richard frowned.
“Who were they trying to kill?”
Daniel answered:
“You.”
Richard's blood went cold.
“The night Elena disappeared…”
Daniel paused.
“…someone came for you.”
Richard whispered:
“Who?”
“Elias.”
“Why?”
“Because he discovered your bloodline.”
Richard looked at Adrian.
Adrian finally spoke.
“Richard, you are not simply Thomas's son.”
“What else am I?”
Adrian stared at him.
“You are the legal heir to everything Elias stole.”
Richard frowned.
“I don't want the money.”
“This isn't about money.”
“Then what?”
“Control.”
Adrian's voice was grim.
“Whoever controls you controls the Blackwood network.”
Richard looked at Claire.
“Then that's why they kept me alive.”
“Yes.”
“Why did they change my name?”
“To hide the heir.”
“Why did they keep Daniel imprisoned?”
“To control the only man who could expose the truth.”
Richard took a slow breath.
“And why is Thomas contacting me now?”
No one answered.
Then a phone rang.
Everyone froze.
It was Daniel's phone.
He hadn't used it in fifteen years.
Claire picked it up.
The screen showed one word.
THOMAS.
Richard stared.
“Answer it.”
Claire hesitated.
Then accepted the call.
“Hello?”
Silence.
A man's breathing came through the speaker.
Then:
“Claire.”
She closed her eyes.
It was the same voice she remembered.
Older.
Rougher.
But unmistakably alive.
“Thomas?”
“Yes.”
Richard stepped forward.
“Where are you?”
Thomas laughed softly.
“Still asking questions.”
“I deserve answers.”
“You do.”
“Then tell me where you are.”
“Not yet.”
Richard's voice hardened.
“Why not?”
“Because you're being watched.”
Everyone looked around.
“By whom?”
“Look at Jonathan.”
Claire turned.
Jonathan stood motionless.
Thomas continued:
“He knows.”
Jonathan's face went white.
Richard stared at him.
“What does he know?”
Thomas said:
“Ask him about the night at Blackwood Lake.”
The call ended.
Richard turned toward Jonathan.
“What happened that night?”
Jonathan didn't answer.
Richard stepped closer.
“Tell me.”
Jonathan looked at Daniel.
Daniel shook his head.
“Don't.”
Jonathan whispered:
“He deserves to know.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
Jonathan looked at Richard.
“The first lie wasn't about your mother.”
Richard waited.
“It was about your father.”
Richard's breathing stopped.
“Thomas wasn't the man who disappeared.”
“Then who was?”
Jonathan's voice broke.
“I was.”
Claire stared.
“What?”
Jonathan continued.
“Fifteen years ago, Thomas asked me to take his place.”
Richard frowned.
“Why?”
“Because Elias was hunting him.”
“So you disappeared.”
“Yes.”
“And Thomas?”
Jonathan looked at Daniel.
“He went into hiding.”
Richard shook his head.
“You're saying the man I've been searching for…”
“Is alive.”
“Where?”
Jonathan looked toward the lake.
“He's been living under another name.”
Richard's eyes narrowed.
“What name?”
Jonathan didn't answer.
Then Daniel whispered:
“Gabriel.”
Richard froze.
“Gabriel?”
Daniel nodded.
“Thomas changed his name to Gabriel Vale.”
Claire suddenly understood.
“Margaret Vale.”
Daniel looked at her.
“Yes.”
Richard stared.
“Margaret knew.”
“She always knew.”
“Then why didn't she tell me?”
“Because she was afraid of Elias.”
Richard's jaw tightened.
“And now?”
Daniel looked toward the door.
“Now she has nothing left to lose.”
That evening, Richard found Claire on the balcony.
The lake was dark.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
“That everyone has lied to me.”
Claire said nothing.
“I don't know who I am anymore.”
“You're still Richard.”
“Am I?”
“Yes.”
“Then why does every truth change my identity?”
Claire stepped beside him.
“Because they changed the story.”
“But not the person.”
He looked at her.
“You knew me before any of this.”
“Yes.”
“What did you see?”
Claire smiled sadly.
“A boy who hated thunderstorms.”
Richard laughed despite himself.
“I still hate them.”
“A man who always protected people weaker than him.”
“I don't remember that.”
“I do.”
He looked toward the lake.
“What if my father is dangerous?”
“Then we'll find out.”
“What if Margaret betrayed me?”
“Then you'll decide what to do.”
“What if Evelyn is telling the truth about Jonathan?”
“Then we'll uncover it.”
Richard nodded.
“And if everyone is lying?”
Claire looked at him.
“Then we stop listening to their words.”
“How?”
“Follow the evidence.”
Below them, a shadow moved near the lake.
Neither noticed.
The figure held a phone.
A message appeared on the screen.
HE KNOWS ABOUT GABRIEL.
A reply came immediately.
THEN MOVE TO THE SECOND PLAN.
The figure looked toward the house.
Then typed:
WHAT ABOUT CLAIRE?
The answer arrived.
SHE WAS ALWAYS PART OF THE PLAN.
The next morning, Claire woke to screaming.
She ran downstairs.
Richard was standing in the hallway.
Daniel's room was empty.
The bed was overturned.
The window was open.
Jonathan was gone.
And on the wall, written in dark red paint, were six words:
THE FIRST LIE WAS YOUR BIRTH.
Richard stared at the message.
Claire felt her blood run cold.
Then she noticed something beneath it.
A photograph.
Richard picked it up.
It showed a woman holding a newborn baby.
The woman was Elena.
The baby was Richard.
But standing behind them was a man.
Claire recognized him immediately.
Gabriel Vale.
Thomas.
Richard's father.
And beside him stood another woman.
A woman whose face had been carefully scratched away.
Richard turned the photograph over.
A single sentence was written on the back.
SHE IS YOUR SECOND MOTHER.
Claire stared at the words.
Richard looked at her.
“Who is she?”
Claire shook her head.
“I don't know.”
A phone rang.
This time, it was Claire's.
She answered.
A woman's voice whispered:
“You should.”
Claire froze.
“Who is this?”
The woman laughed softly.
Then said:
“Ask Richard what happened to his sister.”
The line went dead.
Claire looked at Richard.
“What sister?”
He stared at her.
“I didn't know I had one.”
From somewhere beneath the house came a child's voice.
“Claire…”
She turned.
The voice whispered again.
“Help me.”
Richard's face went white.
They both looked toward the basement door.
The locked basement.
The basement that was supposed to be empty.
The door slowly opened by itself.
And behind it stood a little girl.
Maybe eight years old.
Pale.
Barefoot.
Holding an old Blackwood family photograph.
She looked directly at Richard.
May you like
Then smiled.
“Brother.”
