THE BLACKWOOD SECRET

CHAPTER ONE THE GIRL WHO DIDN’T BELONG Arabella Carter had always believed she was the perfect daughter of the Carter family. She had everything luxurious mansion, a respected family name, and a life most people could only dream of. Until one rainy evening, when her mother’s trembling voice shattered the illusion she had lived in for twenty-one years. “You are not our daughter.” Arabella stared at Victoria Carter in disbelief. “…What?” Before Victoria could say another word, a document slipped from her shaking hands and fluttered to the marble floor. Arabella bent down and picked it up. It was a DNA test. Her eyes scanned the page until they landed on the result. NOT BIOLOGICALLY RELATED. Her heart stopped. The room spun. “This… this has to be a mistake.” Before anyone could answer, the front door slowly opened. A young woman stepped inside. She looked oddly familiar—almost like the reflection Arabella had never seen. Standing beside her was the one man Arabella had spent years trying to avoid. Damian Blake. Cold. Powerful. Untouchable. His gaze shifted from Arabella to the young woman before he spoke in a calm, emotionless voice. “She’s the baby who was switched with you twenty-one years ago.” Silence filled the room. Everything Arabella believed about her life collapsed in a single moment. She had just discovered she wasn’t the Carter family’s biological daughter. What she didn’t know was that the switch twenty-one years ago had never been an accident. Someone had planned it. And that person was still watching. CHAPTER TWO A STRANGER IN MY OWN HOME Arabella couldn’t breathe. Her eyes remained fixed on the DNA report in her trembling hands. “This isn’t true…” she whispered, shaking her head. “There has to be a mistake.” Victoria Carter burst into tears and reached for her. “We prayed it wasn’t true too, sweetheart.” Arabella stepped back. “No… don’t call me that.” The words cut through the room like a knife. Richard Carter stood silently, his expression unreadable. For the first time in years, the powerful businessman looked defeated. “The test was repeated three times,” he said quietly. “The results never changed.” Arabella felt as though the ground had disappeared beneath her feet. Her gaze shifted to the young woman standing beside Damian Blake. She looked nervous, clutching the strap of her worn handbag. “I’m… Elena Hayes,” she introduced herself softly. “I never wanted any of this.” Arabella laughed bitterly. “Easy for you to say. You’re the one getting my family.” Elena lowered her eyes. “I already have a family.” Silence filled the room. Damian finally stepped forward. “No one is replacing anyone,” he said firmly. Arabella shot him an icy glare. “You don’t get to tell me how to feel.” Without waiting for a reply, she ran upstairs and slammed her bedroom door. Moments later, there was a knock. She expected her mother. Instead, it was Damian. “I came to check on you.” “I don’t need your pity.” “It’s not pity.” “Then what is it?” Damian looked at her for a long moment before answering. “I don’t think this happened by accident.” Arabella frowned. “What do you mean?” He reached into his coat pocket and placed an old hospital bracelet on the table. “It was found in the hospital archives this morning.” She picked it up. Written on the faded tag was a name that wasn’t hers. Baby Hayes. And on the back, in almost invisible handwriting, were three chilling words. Switch them tonight. Arabella’s blood ran cold. Someone hadn’t made a mistake twenty-one years ago. Someone had given an order. And whoever wrote those words was still out there. CHAPTER THREE — THE FIRST CLUE Arabella barely slept. The words written on the faded hospital bracelet haunted her all night. Switch them tonight. By sunrise, she had made up her mind. She wasn’t going to cry anymore. She was going to find out who had stolen her life. Downstairs, the Carter family gathered for breakfast, but no one touched their food. The silence was suffocating. Richard Carter finally spoke. “I’ve hired a private investigator. We’ll get to the bottom of this.” Before anyone could respond, the doorbell rang. The butler escorted an elderly woman into the living room. Her gray hair was neatly tied back, and her hands trembled as she clutched her handbag. “Mrs. Evelyn Moore,” the butler announced. The moment Victoria saw her, her face turned pale. “Evelyn…” The old nurse lowered her head. “I’ve carried this secret for twenty-one years,” she said. “I can’t keep it anymore.” Arabella stepped forward. “You know what happened the night I was born?” Tears filled Evelyn’s eyes. “I was working at St. Mary’s Hospital that night.” Everyone in the room held their breath. “I delivered both babies…” She paused, her voice shaking. “…and I watched someone switch them.” Gasps echoed through the room. Richard slammed his hand against the table. “Who did it?” Evelyn’s lips trembled. “I never saw the person’s face.” “But I remember one thing.” “What?” Arabella asked urgently. “They wore a silver bracelet with a black rose engraved on it.” Damian’s expression changed instantly. He recognized it. Without saying a word, he pulled out his phone and opened an old photograph. There, standing beside Richard Carter at a charity gala years ago, was a woman wearing the exact same silver bracelet with the black rose. Arabella stared at the photo, her heart pounding. “Who is she?” she whispered. Damian looked up slowly. “She’s Sophia Carter’s mother.” The room fell silent. Could someone from the Carter family have planned the switch from the very beginning? Outside the mansion, a black car sat across the street. A mysterious figure watched through the tinted window. They smiled. The game has finally begun. CHAPTER FOUR SHADOWS OF THE PAST The black sedan remained parked across the street long after the lights inside the Carter mansion went out. From behind the tinted window, a pair of watchful eyes followed every movement inside the estate. “So…” a deep voice murmured. “Evelyn finally opened her mouth.” A gloved hand slowly tightened around a silver bracelet engraved with a black rose. “It doesn’t matter.” The bracelet disappeared beneath the stranger’s sleeve as the engine roared to life. “None of them will discover the truth.” The car vanished into the darkness. Arabella woke with a start. Her heart raced as fragments of the nightmare replayed in her mind. She was standing in a hospital corridor. Two newborn babies cried from identical bassinets. Someone dressed in white reached toward them. Then… The babies were switched. Arabella gasped and sat upright in bed. It had felt so real. She wiped the sweat from her forehead before glancing at the clock. 6:15 a.m. There was no point trying to sleep again. She threw on a hoodie and quietly walked downstairs. The mansion felt unusually silent. For the first time in her life, it no longer felt like home. Every hallway reminded her that she had lived someone else’s life. As she entered the kitchen, she stopped in surprise. Damian Blake stood by the coffee machine. He was dressed in black trousers and a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. He looked up as she entered. “I thought you’d still be asleep.” Arabella folded her arms. “I could say the same thing.” “I don’t sleep much.” Neither of them spoke for several seconds. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable. It was unfamiliar. Damian poured another cup of coffee before sliding it toward her. “I remember you hate sugar.” Arabella stared at him. “You remembered that?” “You’ve hated sugar since you were sixteen.” She blinked. She hadn’t expected him to notice something so small. “I didn’t know you paid attention.” “I pay attention to more things than people realize.” For the first time since the truth came out, the tension between them softened. Arabella wrapped both hands around the warm mug. “Thank you.” Damian nodded. “You’re welcome.” Later that morning, the Carter family gathered in Richard’s private office. Stacks of old documents covered the desk. Richard looked exhausted. “I contacted St. Mary’s Hospital.” Everyone watched him closely. “They told me a fire destroyed part of their archives fifteen years ago.” Arabella frowned. “So all the evidence is gone?” “Not all.” Richard opened a brown envelope. “The private investigator found the duty roster from the night you were born.” Damian immediately stepped closer. Richard scanned the paper. “Only four people were present in the maternity ward.” He read each name aloud. “Evelyn Moore.” “Dr. Harrison Cole.” “Nurse Linda Brooks.” “And…” He paused. His expression darkened. “…Margaret Carter.” The room fell silent. Victoria’s face turned pale. “My sister?” Arabella looked up sharply. “Your sister worked at the hospital?” Victoria slowly nodded. “Before marrying into another family… yes.” “But she never told us she was on duty that night.” Damian exchanged a meaningful glance with Arabella. Someone had lied. CHAPTER FIVE — THE HIDDEN LETTER Across town, Elena Hayes sat alone in the small bedroom she had grown up in. Everything looked exactly as she had left it. The faded curtains. The old wooden wardrobe. The family photos covering the wall. Grace Hayes entered carrying a tray of breakfast. “You haven’t eaten.” “I’m not hungry.” Grace sat beside her daughter. “You’ve barely spoken since yesterday.” Elena forced a smile. “I’m okay.” “No, you’re not.” Tears gathered in Elena’s eyes. “I don’t know where I belong anymore.” Grace immediately hugged her. “You belong here.” “But I’m their daughter too.” “Being related by blood doesn’t erase twenty-one years of love.” Elena finally broke down crying. “I don’t want Arabella to hate me.” Meanwhile, Arabella searched through boxes of old family photographs in the mansion’s attic. Dust filled the air as she opened another album. Most of the pictures were ordinary. Birthday parties. Vacations. Christmas celebrations. Then something caught her eye. One photograph had been hidden between two pages. It showed Victoria standing outside St. Mary’s Hospital. Beside her stood Margaret Carter. Both women were smiling. On the back of the photo was a handwritten date. October 17. The exact day Arabella and Elena were born. Her heartbeat quickened. Why had this photograph been hidden? Just then, footsteps echoed behind her. She turned. Damian stood at the attic entrance. “I had a feeling I’d find you here.” Arabella held up the photograph. “Look.” His expression changed the moment he saw it. “This picture wasn’t in the family albums before.” “You’ve seen these albums?” “Hundreds of times.” Arabella swallowed hard. “So someone hid it.” Before Damian could answer, another object slipped from the album and landed on the floor. It was a folded letter. The paper had yellowed with age. Across the front were six words written in elegant handwriting. Do Not Open Until Necessary. Arabella slowly looked at Damian. “What if… this is the answer we’ve been looking for?” She reached for the letter with trembling hands. Just as her fingers touched it The attic lights suddenly went out. Someone had switched off the power.