Chapter 8 - THE SISTER I NEVER KNEW
I stared at her, speechless.
Arthur’s daughter. My sister.
Elena sat back down slowly, clutching the blanket tighter around herself. She looked exhausted—her skin pale, her eyes hollow, her hands trembling so badly she could barely keep them in her lap.
“He told me you didn’t know about me,” she said quietly. “He said… he said you were too important to be burdened with the truth. That you had the life… and I had the burden.”
“Burden?” I asked, finding my voice at last.
“Being the daughter no one wanted,” Elena said. “The one he kept hidden. The one he used.”
She looked down at her hands.
“I was raised in France. By a housekeeper. I saw him maybe twice a year. He would visit. Give me gifts. Tell me how important family is. Tell me that one day… we would all be together. That we would have what we deserved.”
She looked up, tears glistening in her eyes.
“Then Grace died. And he brought me here. He said it was time. Time to meet my brother. Time to take what belonged to us. But… I saw what he was planning. I heard him talk about Lily. About Evelyn. About how everything would fall into place once he had control.”
Her voice broke.
“I realized… he didn’t want a family. He wanted soldiers. He wanted people he could control. People who shared his blood… and would do whatever he said.”
Elena wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
“When Evelyn shot him… I knew it was my chance. I packed a bag. I took everything I could find—records, letters, bank accounts. And I ran. He caught up with me outside the city. We fought. He hit me. He took half the files. But I kept the rest. And I kept running.”
She reached into the pocket of her coat and pulled out a thick envelope. She held it out to me.
“This is everything. Bank transfers. Secret accounts. Names of people he bribed. Plans for the estate. Everything I managed to save.”
I took the envelope. It felt heavy in my hands.
“Why?” I asked. “Why are you giving this to me?”
Elena looked at me, her eyes wet and sincere.
“Because I saw you, Adrian. At the estate. With Lily. I watched you from the shadows. You loved her. You protected her. You were nothing like him. And I realized… I don’t want to be like him either.”
She took a jagged breath.
“I want to know my brother. I want to be part of his life. But if you tell me to leave… if you never want to see me again… I will understand. I will disappear. And I will never bother you again.”
I looked at her—this stranger who shared my blood, who had suffered because of the same man who had hurt me, who had risked everything to do the right thing.
I thought of Grace. She had always believed in family. In forgiveness. In second chances.
I stepped forward and held out my hand.
“I don’t want you to leave,” I said. “I want you to stay. To meet Lily. To be part of our lives. If that is what you want.”
May you like
Elena stared at my hand. Then tears spilled over. She took it, her fingers trembling against mine.
“I would like that very much,” she whispered.
