Chapter 7 - THE OTHER NAME

For the next week I went through everything Grace had left. Every box. Every drawer. Every file.

If Vanessa had more secrets to reveal, I needed to know them first.

I found nothing. No explanation. No confession. No further letters.

Until I opened the back of the music box.

There was a tiny compartment beneath the lining. I had missed it before.

Inside was a single folded note, written in Grace's hand, and a small, faded photograph of a man.

I unfolded the note.

*If Elena tells you about him, do not believe everything she says. His name was Thomas. And he was not what she claims.*

I turned the photograph over. On the back, Grace had written one sentence: The day everything changed.

I did not know who Thomas was. Or what had happened. Or why Grace had hidden him.

I showed the note to Marcus. He looked grave.

"Thomas Reid," he said after a moment. "I remember the name. There was an accident years ago. A fire. Grace and Elena were there. And Thomas died."

My heart sank.

"What happened?"

"From what I heard… someone left a candle burning. The house caught fire. Thomas could not get out. Grace and Elena survived."

"And?"

"Elena always blamed Grace. She said Grace was careless. That it was her fault. But nothing was ever proven."

I thought of the note. Do not believe everything she says.

Vanessa was going to tell everyone that Grace had killed Thomas. That Grace was responsible for his death. That she had carried guilt her whole life.

And she would use it to paint Grace as dangerous. To paint me as foolish for trusting her. To paint Mia as dangerous by blood.

I stood up.

"She is going to say Grace murdered him."

"She has been saying it for years," Marcus said quietly. "And she has been waiting for the right moment to tell you."

That night I sat with Mia and told her none of this. She was already carrying too much. But I held the photograph of Thomas in my hand and wondered.

If Grace was innocent, why hide him? Why keep the note? Why not tell me everything?

Unless… there was truth to what Vanessa said. Unless Grace had carried a burden she could never share.

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Unless the secret was darker than I imagined.

And Vanessa was waiting to pull it all into the light.