CHAPTER 9 — Lauren's Breaking Point
CHAPTER 9 — Lauren's Breaking Point
The message on my phone changed everything.
DON'T TRUST YOUR FATHER.
Then the second line appeared.
HE DOESN'T KNOW I'M STILL ALIVE.
I stared at the screen.
My mother was upstairs.
Or at least, she was supposed to be.
But I had seen her less than an hour ago.
She had been standing in the living room.
She had been holding Emma.
She had cried.
She had told us she knew who had entered our house.
And now she was telling me not to trust my father.
My hands began to shake.
James noticed immediately.
"What happened?"
I showed him the phone.
He read the messages.
His expression changed.
"Where's your mother?"
"At home."
"No."
He looked toward the armed men surrounding the room.
"She's not."
"What do you mean?"
"Someone wants you to believe she is."
I felt the blood drain from my face.
"But I saw her."
"So did I."
He lowered his voice.
"Which means someone is playing both sides."
Across the room, Lauren was staring at me.
She had seen the message.
"What did Mom say?"
I hesitated.
Lauren stepped closer.
"Evelyn."
I showed her.
She read it.
Then her face collapsed.
"No."
"What?"
"That's not Mom."
I stared at her.
"What do you mean?"
Lauren shook her head.
"She doesn't text like that."
"Lauren, that's your mother."
"No."
She pointed at the screen.
"Mom always writes complete sentences."
I looked at the message.
Don't trust your father.
He doesn't know I'm still alive.
Lauren whispered:
"She would never write that."
James immediately understood.
"It's a trap."
One of the armed men stepped forward.
"Enough."
James turned toward him.
"Put the weapon down."
The man laughed.
"You're in no position to give orders."
James's eyes remained fixed on him.
"You've made a mistake."
"What mistake?"
"You brought too many people."
The man's smile disappeared.
James moved his hand slightly.
I didn't know what signal he'd given.
Then the lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
The men looked upward.
James moved.
Everything happened at once.
He grabbed the nearest man's wrist.
The weapon hit the floor.
Another man lunged toward him.
Daniel Reeves's men shouted.
My father pulled Lauren behind the desk.
I grabbed the edge of the table.
Someone fired.
The bullet struck the wall.
I screamed.
James forced one man to the floor.
Another ran toward me.
Before he reached me, Lauren stepped between us.
"Get away from her!"
The man shoved Lauren aside.
She fell hard against the desk.
I rushed toward her.
"Lauren!"
She looked up.
Blood trickled from her forehead.
But she wasn't crying.
She looked furious.
For the first time since Christmas, I saw something in my sister that had been missing for months.
Courage.
She stood.
And screamed:
"You want Evelyn? Then come through me."
The room went silent.
Even the attackers hesitated.
Lauren's voice shook.
But she didn't move.
"You're not taking my sister."
The distraction was enough.
James disarmed another man.
Daniel grabbed the fallen weapon.
My father pulled the emergency lever.
A loud alarm filled the house.
Outside, distant sirens began approaching.
The attackers scattered.
One escaped through the rear door.
Another ran upstairs.
James chased him.
Daniel grabbed my arm.
"Stay here."
I pulled away.
"Where's my daughter?"
His expression changed.
"She's safe."
"How do you know?"
"Because your mother took her."
My heart stopped.
"What?"
He froze.
Then realized what he'd said.
"Daniel."
He looked at me.
"Where is Emma?"
He didn't answer.
"Where is my daughter?"
"Evelyn—"
"WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER?"
My voice echoed through the house.
Daniel finally spoke.
"She's not here."
I couldn't breathe.
"What?"
"Your mother took her before we left."
I stared at him.
"Why?"
"I don't know."
"You're lying."
"I'm not."
James returned.
"What happened?"
I turned toward him.
"Emma is gone."
His face went completely still.
"What?"
"Mom took her."
James looked at Daniel.
"Where?"
"I don't know."
James grabbed Daniel's collar.
"You have ten seconds."
Daniel's eyes hardened.
"I don't know."
James tightened his grip.
"Nine."
"I swear."
"Eight."
Daniel looked at me.
"Your mother called me before we came here."
My heart pounded.
"What did she say?"
"She said she had the baby."
"Why?"
"She said she was protecting her."
"From whom?"
Daniel hesitated.
Then whispered:
"Your father."
I turned toward my father.
He was standing near the fireplace.
His face was pale.
"Dad?"
He didn't answer.
"Dad."
He looked at me.
"I didn't hurt Emma."
"I didn't ask that."
He swallowed.
"What did Mom mean?"
"I don't know."
"She said you don't know she's alive."
My father stared at my phone.
Then shook his head.
"That's impossible."
"Why?"
"Because your mother died."
The room went silent.
I stared at him.
"What?"
My father whispered:
"Your mother died six years ago."
Lauren gasped.
"No."
My father looked at her.
"Lauren..."
"No."
She backed away.
"You told us she died."
"I thought she did."
"What do you mean?"
"She disappeared."
My father's voice broke.
"Six years ago, I received a call from the hospital."
I shook my head.
"But we buried her."
He looked at me.
"No."
I froze.
"What?"
"We buried an unidentified woman."
My knees weakened.
"Then who was she?"
My father closed his eyes.
"I didn't know."
Lauren started crying.
"You lied to us."
"I was trying to protect you."
Lauren screamed:
"STOP SAYING THAT!"
Her voice shook the room.
"You always say you're protecting us!"
She pointed at him.
"You protected Daniel."
"You protected Mom."
"You protected the company."
"You protected the family name."
She was crying now.
"But who protected us?"
My father had no answer.
Lauren stepped closer.
"You let me believe Mom was dead."
"I thought she was."
"You let Evelyn mourn her."
"I had no choice."
"You always had a choice!"
Lauren's voice broke.
"And you chose everyone except us."
She sank into a chair.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Lauren looked at me.
"I knew something was wrong."
I crouched beside her.
"What?"
"Six years ago."
She wiped her tears.
"The night Mom supposedly died."
"What happened?"
"I saw Dad arguing with Uncle Daniel."
My father looked at her.
"You weren't supposed to see that."
Lauren ignored him.
"They were screaming."
"About what?"
"Mom."
I looked at my father.
"What did they say?"
Lauren closed her eyes.
"Uncle Daniel said she couldn't be allowed to leave."
My father whispered:
"Lauren."
She continued.
"Mom screamed that she had proof."
My heart pounded.
"Proof of what?"
"I don't know."
"What happened next?"
"Uncle Daniel left."
"And Mom?"
"She came into my room."
Lauren's voice became faint.
"She kissed me."
I swallowed.
"What did she say?"
Lauren looked at me.
"She told me to take care of you."
My heart broke.
"Then?"
"The next morning, Dad told us she was dead."
My father looked destroyed.
"I was trying to keep you alive."
I stood.
"From what?"
He shook his head.
"I can't."
"You have to."
"I can't."
James stepped forward.
"You can."
My father looked at him.
James's voice was quiet.
"Your daughter is missing."
My father closed his eyes.
"Tell us the truth."
A long silence followed.
Then my father whispered:
"Your mother discovered what your grandfather had hidden."
"The ownership records?"
"No."
"What, then?"
He looked at me.
"Something worse."
Before he could continue, a phone rang.
Not mine.
Not James's.
Lauren's.
She stared at the screen.
Unknown number.
She didn't answer.
It rang again.
James said:
"Put it on speaker."
Lauren hesitated.
Then accepted.
Nobody spoke.
A woman's voice came through.
Soft.
Calm.
Familiar.
"Lauren?"
Lauren stopped breathing.
"Mom?"
I felt the room tilt.
My mother spoke again.
"I need you to listen carefully."
Lauren began crying.
"Where are you?"
"I don't have much time."
"Where's Emma?"
"She's safe."
"Where?"
"I can't tell you."
Lauren looked at me.
"Mom, please."
"Listen."
Her voice became urgent.
"Your father has been lying to you."
My father stepped forward.
"No."
My mother continued.
"Don't believe anything he says."
My father shouted:
"Don't listen to her!"
The line went silent.
Then my mother said:
"Your father knows who killed your grandfather."
My heart stopped.
The call ended.
Lauren stared at the phone.
Then she whispered:
"Mom..."
James immediately traced the call.
The signal came from a temporary relay.
Impossible to locate.
But there was one thing he discovered.
The call had originated within five miles of our house.
"She's close," I said.
"Maybe."
James looked at me.
"Or someone wants us to think she is."
My father suddenly sat down.
"I know where she is."
Everyone turned.
"Where?"
He looked at me.
"The old chapel."
I frowned.
"What chapel?"
"The one your grandfather built."
James asked:
"Why would she be there?"
My father looked away.
"Because that's where your mother hid the evidence."
We left immediately.
The police had arrived by then.
James gave them instructions.
My father stayed behind with one officer.
Lauren insisted on coming.
I wanted to stop her.
But I didn't.
She had spent too long being manipulated.
If there was one thing I knew now, it was that Lauren deserved to hear the truth too.
We drove through the snow.
The old chapel was nearly twenty minutes away.
Nobody spoke.
Then Lauren suddenly said:
"I know what Mom's evidence is."
I turned.
"What?"
She looked terrified.
"I've seen it."
"When?"
"Six years ago."
My heart pounded.
"What did you see?"
"A recording."
"Of what?"
She shook her head.
"I never watched it."
"Why?"
"Because Dad caught me."
"What did he do?"
Lauren looked at James.
"He took it."
"Where?"
"I don't know."
I stared at her.
"Then how do you know it exists?"
"Because Mom told me."
"What did she say?"
Lauren swallowed.
"She said the recording would prove who betrayed Grandfather."
I felt cold.
"Who?"
Lauren looked directly at me.
"She said it wasn't Dad."
I stared.
"Then who?"
Lauren's voice dropped.
"Uncle Daniel."
I closed my eyes.
The car continued through the snow.
But the answer wasn't enough.
Because if Uncle Daniel had betrayed Grandfather...
why had my mother spent six years hiding?
Why had my father lied about her death?
And why was Emma now in the hands of a woman everyone believed was dead?
The chapel appeared through the trees.
Its windows were dark.
Its doors were open.
James stopped the car.
"Stay behind me."
We entered.
The air smelled of dust and cold stone.
A single candle burned near the altar.
Beside it sat a small photograph.
I walked closer.
It showed my mother holding me as a baby.
On the back was handwriting.
For Evelyn.
My hands trembled.
I turned it over.
There was another message.
If you are reading this, I've failed to protect you.
My eyes filled with tears.
Then I heard a sound behind the altar.
A baby crying.
"Emma!"
I ran.
James caught my arm.
"Wait."
He moved first.
We rounded the altar.
There was a small basket.
Inside—
Emma.
Alive.
Safe.
Sleeping.
I nearly collapsed.
I picked her up.
She opened her eyes.
Then smiled.
I cried against her tiny forehead.
"Mommy's here."
Lauren stood behind me.
She was crying too.
But then she noticed something.
A figure was standing at the chapel doors.
A woman.
Long coat.
Dark hair.
Pale face.
Lauren whispered:
"Mom."
The woman stepped into the light.
It was her.
Alive.
My mother looked at me.
Then at Emma.
Then at Lauren.
And finally—
at James.
"I don't have much time," she said.
I held Emma tighter.
"Why?"
My mother looked toward the dark windows.
"Because they know I've come back."
"Who?"
She looked at me.
"The people who killed your grandfather."
A pause.
Then she said the words that shattered everything.
"And Evelyn... your father wasn't protecting you from them."
May you like
She looked toward the chapel doors.
"He was protecting them from you."
