Chapter 8: The Daughter Nobody Knew
Maria stared at the document.
The hospital room disappeared.
The sounds disappeared.
Even Ethan’s monitor seemed to fade into the background.
There was only one thing she could see.
One name.
*Mother: Rebecca Hawthorne.*
Her fingers trembled.
“No.””
The word came out as a whisper.
Then louder.
“No.””
Rebecca stood behind Adrian, watching her with tears in her eyes.
Maria looked up.
“You knew.””
Rebecca didn’t deny it.
“Yes.””
Maria felt a sharp pain in her chest.
“You knew who I was?””
Rebecca nodded slowly.
“Not at first.””
Maria laughed softly.
Not because it was funny.
Because nothing made sense anymore.
“My whole life…”
She looked at the document.
“My whole life was a lie?””
Rebecca stepped closer.
“No.””
Maria looked at her.
“No?””
“You were the only real thing I had left.””
The words stopped Maria.
Rebecca swallowed.
“When I found out I was pregnant, I was already trying to expose my father’s work.””
Maria listened silently.
“Adrian wasn’t Adrian back then. He was Samuel’s assistant. He helped me collect evidence.””
Adrian lowered his eyes.
“I should have protected her better.””
Rebecca continued.
“Your grandfather found out I was pregnant. He believed the Hawthorne bloodline mattered more than anything else.””
Maria looked confused.
“Grandfather?””
The word felt strange.
Rebecca nodded.
“He wanted to study you before you were even born.””
Maria felt sick.
“He wanted to experiment on me?””
Rebecca’s eyes filled.
“Yes.””
Silence.
Then Maria looked toward Ethan.
A child lying in a hospital bed because adults had treated people like pieces on a chessboard.
The same thing had almost happened to her.
“I don’t understand.””
Rebecca sat down slowly.
“When you were born, I knew I couldn’t keep you safe.””
Maria’s voice cracked.
“So you gave me away?””
Rebecca closed her eyes.
“I gave you a chance.””
Maria looked away.
“That doesn’t make it hurt less.””
“I know.””
Rebecca’s voice broke.
“I spent every year wondering if you hated me.””
Maria stared at her.
“I didn’t even know you existed.””
“I know.””
Rebecca wiped her face.
“And that was the only thing that kept me going.””
Maria looked at Adrian.
“What about my mother?””
Rebecca hesitated.
Maria noticed.
“What?””
Rebecca looked down.
“Your mother was the woman who raised you.””
Maria’s eyes narrowed.
“But she wasn’t my biological mother.””
“No.””
Rebecca looked toward the window.
“She helped me hide you.””
Maria remembered childhood.
A small apartment.
A woman who worked two jobs.
A woman who always told her she was special.
A woman who never explained why strangers sometimes watched them.
“She knew?””
Rebecca nodded.
“She knew everything.””
Maria closed her eyes.
The memories came rushing back.
The old woman sitting beside her bed.
The way she always locked the doors.
The way she panicked when someone asked about Maria’s birth.
All those years, Maria thought she was hiding a normal family secret.
She had been hiding a war.
A knock came at the door.
Everyone turned.
Daniel stood outside.
He looked at Maria.
Not with anger.
With fear.
“How much did she tell you?””
Maria looked at him.
“Enough.””
Daniel stepped inside.
Rebecca immediately stood.
“You don’t belong here.””
Daniel looked at his sister.
“I know.””
The two stared at each other.
Years of pain between them.
Then Daniel looked at Maria.
“You need to hear my side.””
Maria almost smiled.
“Everyone says that.””
“I’m serious.””
“So was everyone else.””
Daniel accepted the answer.
He walked closer.
“I made mistakes.””
Maria looked at him.
“You almost lost your son because of those mistakes.””
“I know.””
“You accused me.””
“I know.””
“You watched me leave.””
His face changed.
“I know.””
Maria’s anger softened slightly.
Not because she forgave him.
Because for the first time, he seemed to understand.
Daniel sat down.
“When Ethan was born, I promised myself I would protect him from my father’s legacy.””
Rebecca looked away.
“But I became part of it.””
Daniel continued.
“After Samuel disappeared, I found his research.””
Maria listened.
“I thought I could use it to help Ethan.””
Rebecca’s voice became sharp.
“You thought you could control it.””
Daniel looked at her.
“Yes.””
“And you were wrong.””
“Yes.””
The honesty surprised Maria.
Daniel looked exhausted.
“I spent years trying to reverse what my father did.””
“Then why did Ethan keep getting sick?””
Daniel looked down.
“Because someone was continuing the experiments.””
Everyone became quiet.
Maria remembered the bottle.
The footage.
The missing files.
“Who?””
Daniel looked at Thomas.
Everyone turned.
Thomas stood at the doorway.
He looked like he had been expecting this moment.
Daniel spoke quietly.
“Thomas.””
Maria felt her stomach drop.
“No.””
Thomas entered slowly.
“It’s not what you think.””
Maria stared at him.
“Isn’t that what everyone says?””
Thomas looked hurt.
“I was trying to stop it.””
“You were in the nursery.””
“Yes.””
“You deleted footage.””
“Yes.””
“You let them blame me.””
His silence was painful.
“Yes.””
Maria looked away.
She couldn’t understand how many times one person could disappoint her.
“Why?””
Thomas took a breath.
“Because the person behind it was inside the family.””
Rebecca stepped forward.
“Who?””
Thomas looked at Daniel.
Then Claire.
Then finally Adrian.
“It wasn’t Daniel.””
Everyone waited.
Thomas continued.
“It wasn’t Claire either.””
Maria frowned.
“Then who?””
Thomas reached into his pocket.
He pulled out a small recorder.
“I found this hidden in the Hawthorne mansion.””
Adrian’s expression changed.
“What is that?””
Thomas pressed play.
A voice filled the room.
An old voice.
A familiar voice.
Dr. Samuel Hawthorne.
The recording was dated two years earlier.
*“The child must remain healthy enough for observation. We cannot repeat the mistake with Rebecca.””*
Maria froze.
Adrian’s face changed.
Samuel’s voice continued.
*“If Ethan inherits the marker, he will reveal whether the treatment works.””*
Maria felt sick.
A second voice appeared.
A woman’s voice.
Claire.
Everyone looked at her.
Claire covered her mouth.
“No…”
The recording continued.
*“I don’t want to do this anymore.””*
Claire’s voice.
Terrified.
*“You already agreed. The family needs this.””*
Samuel’s voice.
Maria looked at Claire.
“You knew.””
Claire shook her head violently.
“No.””
The recording continued.
*“If Daniel finds out, he will destroy everything.””*
Claire’s voice.
“I’m done.””
Then Samuel replied:
*“You should think carefully. Your son’s future depends on it.””*
The recording ended.
Nobody spoke.
Claire was crying.
“I was trying to protect Ethan.””
Maria stared at her.
“By letting him get hurt?””
Claire shook her head.
“I thought it was controlled.””
Rebecca’s face hardened.
“That’s what he always says.””
Maria looked at Adrian.
“But Samuel is dead.””
Adrian’s expression changed.
Then Thomas spoke.
“That’s the problem.””
Maria turned.
“What?””
Thomas looked at the recorder.
“The recording wasn’t made by Samuel.””
Everyone froze.
Maria frowned.
“What do you mean?””
Thomas looked toward Adrian.
“The voice was copied.””
Silence.
Adrian stepped closer.
“Someone used old recordings to make it sound like Samuel was alive.””
Maria felt confused.
“Then who?””
Thomas took out his phone.
He opened a file.
A security image appeared.
A person standing inside the Hawthorne mansion.
The same person who had been deleting files.
The same person who had access to everything.
Maria stared at the screen.
Because the person in the image wasn’t a stranger.
It wasn’t Daniel.
It wasn’t Claire.
It wasn’t Thomas.
It was someone she trusted.
Someone who had cried with her.
Someone who had helped her pack her things.
Someone who had told her not to leave.
Linda.
Maria stepped back.
“No.””
Thomas looked at her.
“I’m sorry.””
The image zoomed in.
Linda was holding the same bottle.
The same bottle found in Ethan’s room.
Maria felt tears burn her eyes.
“She wouldn’t.””
Thomas lowered his voice.
“She did.””
Before Maria could respond, Ethan suddenly woke up.
His eyes opened.
He looked toward the doorway.
Then he whispered something that made everyone go silent.
“Mia…”
Maria rushed to him.
“What is it, sweetheart?””
Ethan pointed weakly toward the hallway.
His small hand trembled.
“She came back.””
Maria looked.
The hallway was empty.
Then Ethan whispered:
“Grandma Linda.””
And from somewhere outside the room…
May you like
a woman’s voice answered.
“I knew you would find out eventually.””
