Episode 4:The Photograph
1173 Words
My hands shook so badly that I nearly dropped the photograph.
I stared at the image again.
And again.
And again.
The little girl smiling at the camera was unmistakably me.
The same dark hair.
The same eyes.
The same tiny scar near my eyebrow from falling off a bicycle when I was young.
But the woman standing beside me wasn't my mother.
At least, not the woman who had raised me.
I turned the photograph over.
The message remained exactly where I'd first seen it.
Your past is not what you think.
A chill crawled down my spine.
Someone had left this outside my apartment.
Someone who knew things about me.
Someone who wanted me to ask questions.
Questions I wasn't sure I wanted answered.
I quickly stepped inside and locked the door.
For several minutes, I stood in the middle of my living room staring at the photograph.
Trying to make sense of it.
Trying to convince myself it was some cruel prank.
But deep down, I already knew it wasn't.
Because there was something else.
Something I had never spoken about.
Growing up, there had always been gaps.
Missing pieces.
Moments that never quite made sense.
My parents had loved me.
Of that, I had no doubt.
But whenever I asked about my early childhood, they always became uncomfortable.
They changed the subject.
Made excuses.
Told me I was imagining things.
As a child, I accepted it.
As an adult, I stopped asking.
Now those old memories came rushing back.
The strange looks.
The unanswered questions.
The feeling that part of my story had always been hidden.
A sharp knock interrupted my thoughts.
I nearly jumped.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
Another knock followed.
Slow.
Professional.
Not threatening.
Still, my pulse refused to calm.
I approached the door cautiously.
"Who is it?"
"Ava Hart?"
A male voice answered.
"My name is Richard Hale. I'm an attorney."
Attorney?
I frowned.
"I think you have the wrong apartment."
"No, Miss Hart."
His response came immediately.
"I'm exactly where I need to be."
My unease deepened.
Slowly, I opened the door.
A man in his sixties stood outside.
Expensive suit.
Silver hair.
Calm eyes.
The kind of person who looked trustworthy.
Which somehow made me trust him less.
"What do you want?"
He studied me carefully.
Not rudely.
Almost sadly.
Then he held out a business card.
I glanced down.
My stomach dropped.
Sterling Family Legal Office
I looked up sharply.
"The Sterling family?"
The same Sterling family everyone knew?
The Alpha dynasty?
The billionaire empire?
The wealthiest bloodline in the world?
Richard nodded.
"May I come in?"
Everything about the situation screamed that I should say no.
Instead, curiosity won.
Ten minutes later, we sat across from each other at my small dining table.
The photograph rested between us.
Richard's gaze softened when he noticed it.
"So you've already received it."
I crossed my arms.
"Received what?"
"A reminder."
My patience snapped.
"I don't understand what's happening."
Richard took a slow breath.
Then reached into his briefcase.
Several folders appeared.
Documents.
Photographs.
Certificates.
Paper after paper.
My anxiety grew with each one.
Finally, he looked directly at me.
"Miss Hart, before I explain anything, I need you to answer one question."
I swallowed.
"What question?"
"Have your parents ever told you that you were adopted?"
The room went silent.
I laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was absurd.
"No."
Richard nodded slowly.
"As I suspected."
Something about his expression made my stomach twist.
"What are you talking about?"
He opened one of the folders.
Inside was a birth certificate.
My birth certificate.
Except it wasn't.
The names were different.
Everything was different.
I stared at the document.
Unable to process what I was seeing.
"This isn't real."
"It is."
"No."
My voice rose.
"No, it isn't."
Richard didn't argue.
Didn't push.
He simply placed another document on the table.
Then another.
And another.
Every piece pointed to the same impossible conclusion.
I felt sick.
Confused.
Lost.
Because for the first time in my life, the foundation beneath my feet was beginning to crack.
Richard finally spoke again.
"You were born Ava Sterling."
The words hit harder than Ethan's rejection.
My breath caught.
"No."
"You were reported missing when you were five years old."
I couldn't move.
Couldn't think.
Couldn't breathe.
"The Sterling family has been searching for you ever since."
The room spun.
This had to be a mistake.
A misunderstanding.
Some elaborate scam.
There was no other explanation.
Because the alternative was impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
The Sterlings weren't ordinary werewolves.
They were legends.
People wrote books about them.
Business schools studied them.
Entire packs depended on their influence.
And this man was sitting in my apartment claiming I belonged to them.
Richard reached into his briefcase one final time.
Then slid a sealed envelope across the table.
"What is this?"
"A DNA report."
My pulse quickened.
I stared at the envelope.
Afraid to touch it.
Afraid not to.
Finally, I opened it.
Page after page.
Laboratory results.
Official verification.
Legal authentication.
Every line led to the same conclusion.
99.99% Match
My vision blurred.
The report slipped from my fingers.
Richard's voice softened.
"You're the granddaughter of Alpha Alexander Sterling."
The name echoed through my mind.
Everyone knew Alexander Sterling.
The billionaire Alpha King.
The founder of Sterling Global.
One of the most powerful men alive.
My grandfather.
The thought felt absurd.
Yet the evidence sat directly in front of me.
Real.
Undeniable.
Terrifying.
Tears filled my eyes.
Not because I suddenly cared about wealth.
Not because of status.
But because if this was true...
Then everything I believed about myself was wrong.
Everything.
Richard stood.
His expression unusually gentle.
"Take some time."
I looked up.
Still numb.
Still overwhelmed.
Still struggling to breathe.
"Why now?"
The question escaped before I could stop it.
Richard hesitated.
Then answered quietly.
"Because Alpha Alexander is dying."
The words landed like a punch.
"He wants to meet his granddaughter before it's too late."
Silence filled the apartment.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
Life-changing.
Richard moved toward the door.
Before leaving, he paused.
"There is a car waiting downstairs."
I frowned.
"What car?"
"The Sterling family would like to bring you home."
Home.
The word lingered in the air long after he left.
I sat alone at the table.
The DNA report in front of me.
The photograph beside it.
The life I knew collapsing around me.
Yesterday, I was a rejected mate.
A woman everyone pitied.
A woman everyone mocked.
Today...
I wasn't sure who I was anymore.
Then my phone vibrated.
A news alert flashed across the screen.
ETHAN BLACKWOOD AND SOPHIA ASHFORD OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCE ENGAGEMENT DATE
For a moment, the old pain returned.
Sharp.
Familiar.
Then I looked down at the DNA report.
And for the
first time since the rejection...
Something shifted inside me.
Not revenge.
Not hatred.
Something stronger.
A realization.
Ethan Blackwood thought he had destroyed my future.
Neither of us knew that fate had already written a different one.
- Writer
