Chapter 9: The Truth Hidden In My Blood
For a moment, I thought I had misunderstood him.
The warehouse.
The guards.
Derek standing there with that satisfied expression.
None of it mattered.
Only one sentence stayed in my mind.
*But I never knew you were Emily’s sister.*
I looked at Walter.
The man I had defended.
The man I had trusted.
The man I thought was just someone who needed kindness.
“You knew my name.””
My voice sounded strange.
Almost like it belonged to someone else.
Walter stepped toward me.
“Amara—”
“No.””
I stepped back.
“You knew who I was.””
“I knew your last name.””
“And you knew Emily.””
His face changed.
“Yes.””
The answer hurt.
Not because he knew.
Because he waited.
He waited until I was already trapped in his world.
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
Walter looked at Emily.
Then back at me.
“Because I didn’t know how.””
“That’s not an answer.””
“I was afraid.””
I laughed quietly.
“Everyone is always afraid.””
I looked around.
“Emily was afraid. You were afraid. Everyone has a reason.””
My eyes locked on his.
“But somehow I’m the one who lost everything.””
Walter looked down.
“I never wanted that.””
“But it happened.””
The warehouse became silent.
Even Derek stopped smiling for a moment.
Maybe because he realized something.
This wasn’t about money anymore.
It was about two people who had both lost someone.
And a truth that had been buried for years.
Emily stepped between us.
“Amara, please.””
I looked at her.
“You knew too?””
Her expression broke.
“No.””
“You knew who I was?””
“No.””
“Then why did you write that letter?””
She looked down.
“Because I knew my father needed someone.””
My anger softened slightly.
But only slightly.
“You knew he would find me?””
Emily nodded.
“I hoped.””
“Why?””
She looked at Walter.
“Because before everything went wrong, my father told me about you.””
I frowned.
“What?””
Walter looked surprised.
Emily continued.
“Years ago, before I left home, Dad told me about a little girl he met at a charity event.””
I stared at Walter.
“I was a kid.””
“Yes.””
Emily’s voice became quieter.
“You were helping your mother serve food.””
I remembered.
A blurry memory.
A winter charity dinner.
My mother smiling.
A man in an expensive suit watching us from across the room.
I had forgotten.
Walter hadn’t.
“He told me you were different.””
I looked at him.
“Why?””
“Because everyone there wanted something from me.””
Walter’s voice was soft.
“Donations. Connections. Opportunities.””
He swallowed.
“But you were eight years old.””
A pause.
“You gave me your dessert because you thought I looked lonely.””
My breath caught.
I remembered the dessert.
A small piece of chocolate cake.
A silly childhood moment.
Something I had forgotten.
But he remembered.
“I didn’t know your name,” Walter said.
“But you stayed in my memory.””
I looked away.
The explanation should have made me feel better.
It didn’t.
Because there was still one question.
“How did you find out I was Emily’s sister?””
Walter looked at Emily.
She answered.
“I found out.””
I turned toward her.
“How?””
Emily hesitated.
“My mother.””
The words changed the atmosphere.
Walter’s expression shifted.
“Emily.””
“She deserves the truth.””
He went silent.
I looked between them.
“Your mother?””
Emily nodded.
“My mother’s name was Claire Bennett.””
My heart stopped.
Because I knew that name.
Everyone knew that name.
My mother.
The woman who raised me.
The woman who died three years ago.
I stared at Emily.
“No.””
Emily’s eyes filled with tears.
“Yes.””
I shook my head.
“No, my mother was Claire Bennett.””
Emily nodded.
“She was mine too.””
The room disappeared.
The voices.
The warehouse.
The rain.
Everything.
“No.””
My voice cracked.
“That’s impossible.””
Walter looked devastated.
“I wanted to tell you.””
“When?””
I looked at him.
“When were you planning to tell me?””
He had no answer.
Emily stepped closer.
“Our mother left Dad when I was young.””
I listened.
“After she left, she changed her name.””
“To Claire Bennett.””
“Yes.””
My hands started shaking.
“My entire life…”
I couldn’t finish.
Emily nodded.
“I know.””
I looked at Walter.
“So you knew my mother.””
“Yes.””
“And you knew me.””
“Yes.””
“And you never said anything.””
His silence was enough.
I turned away.
I couldn’t look at him.
Because suddenly every moment felt different.
The food.
The kindness.
The way he looked at me.
Was it real?
Or was I just connected to a memory he couldn’t let go of?
Derek watched silently.
Then he spoke.
“Now you understand.””
I turned toward him.
“What?””
“Walter Madden doesn’t save people.””
His voice was cold.
“He collects them.””
Walter’s face hardened.
“Don’t listen to him.””
“Why?””
Derek smiled.
“Because I’m telling the truth?””
The guards moved closer.
But nobody seemed ready to fight.
Not yet.
Derek continued.
“Your mother discovered everything.””
Emily looked at him.
“Stop.””
“No.””
Derek looked at me.
“She found out what Madden Global was really doing.””
I frowned.
“What does that mean?””
Walter stepped forward.
“Derek.””
“No more secrets.””
Derek’s voice became louder.
“Your mother was the first person to discover the hidden accounts.””
My heart pounded.
“She tried to expose them.””
Emily looked at Walter.
“Is this true?””
Walter didn’t answer.
That was becoming unbearable.
“Walter.””
Finally, he spoke.
“Yes.””
The word was barely audible.
“My mother knew?””
“Yes.””
“Then why didn’t you tell me?””
His eyes filled with regret.
“Because I was trying to protect you.””
I shook my head.
“Everyone says that.””
I looked at Emily.
“Everyone protects me by lying.””
Nobody responded.
Then Derek pulled out his phone.
“I think it’s time you saw the rest.””
He pressed a button.
A video appeared on the screen.
A woman sitting in a dark room.
Older.
Tired.
But alive.
My entire body froze.
Because I knew that face.
Even after years.
Even after memories faded.
A daughter never forgets her mother.
“Mom?””
The word left my mouth before I could stop it.
Emily covered her mouth.
Walter looked shocked.
Derek smiled.
“Hello, Amara.””
The video continued.
My mother looked directly into the camera.
“If you are seeing this, then they failed to stop the truth.””
I couldn’t breathe.
Her voice.
I hadn’t heard it in years.
“Amara, I’m sorry.””
Tears filled my eyes.
“I wanted to tell you everything.””
The video shook.
Like it had been recorded secretly.
“Your father…”
I froze.
My father?
The woman on the screen continued.
“Your father was not the man you were told he was.””
Walter looked at the screen.
His face changed.
“No.””
Derek smiled.
“Oh, yes.””
My mother’s voice continued.
“He was involved from the beginning.””
I looked at Walter.
The man who had lost his daughter.
The man who had searched for Emily.
The man who claimed he wanted the truth.
My heart sank.
“Amara…”
The video continued.
“I need you to understand one thing.””
My mother looked terrified.
“The person who betrayed us all…”
The screen flickered.
Her final words came through the speakers.
“…was the person Walter trusted most.””
The video ended.
Nobody moved.
Then Derek whispered:
“Now ask him.””
I looked at Walter.
“Who was my father?””
Walter’s face had gone completely pale.
And after six months of searching for the truth…
After years of hiding secrets…
He finally said the name I was never supposed to hear.
“His name was…”
The warehouse lights suddenly went out.
A gunshot echoed.
May you like
Everyone screamed.
When the emergency lights returned, Walter was gone.
