The Surrogate Revenge

Chapter 10

HEATHER’S POV

I stared at the little brown box for a few seconds before finally pulling it closer. The maid stayed near the door while I slowly lifted the lid, and my eyes moved over the things inside.

My purse was scratched from the accident, but I recognized it immediately. My cards were still inside, along with some cash, my lip balm, and a few other small things I remembered carrying that morning.

Seeing them gave me a strange sense of comfort. For the first time since waking up in that room, I was looking at things that belonged to a life I actually remembered.

I picked up the purse and checked the pockets carefully before looking toward the maid, who was still waiting patiently beside the door.

“Are you sure nobody went through these before they were brought here?” I asked quietly, my fingers tightening around the purse because I suddenly needed to know that nothing had been added or taken from it.

The maid shook her head gently, her expression remaining calm as she reassured me, “No, Miss. Everything was kept together after the accident. The young masters only asked that your belongings be brought to you once you were awake and well enough to look through them yourself.”

I lowered my eyes to the box and nodded, still feeling a little uneasy. “And they didn't check anything?”

“No, Miss,” she replied with a small smile, folding her hands neatly in front of her as she explained, “they only wanted you to have your things back. They didn't ask us to open anything or search through your belongings.”

I gave her a quiet nod before turning back to the box. As I moved a few things aside, my fingers brushed against a photograph tucked inside the purse. I pulled it out without thinking, and the moment I saw Adrian standing beside me, I stopped.

The picture had been taken months earlier, before everything had gone wrong.

Adrian was smiling at the camera while I stood beside him with my head slightly turned toward him. I remembered that day so clearly that my chest tightened.

I remembered where we had gone, the food we'd eaten, the stupid argument we'd had over dessert, and how he had laughed when I finally admitted he was right.

I ran my thumb slowly across the edge of the photograph as I studied his face. “How can you look so happy here?” I whispered, my voice shaking slightly as the memory of his voice on the phone returned. “How can you sound so different now?”

The maid looked at me with sympathy, but I quickly lowered the photograph into my lap. “Sorry,” I murmured, giving her an embarrassed little shake of my head. “I wasn't really asking you.”

“You don't have to apologize, Miss,” she assured me softly, her voice filled with the kind of patience that made me feel a little less alone. “You've been through a lot, and it is only natural that you have many questions.”

I nodded without answering and returned my attention to the box.

I searched through everything again, this time more carefully, hoping to find something that could tell me where I had been before the accident or what had happened afterward.

Nothing stood out. There were no letters, no documents, and nothing that could explain why I had woken up in this mansion or where my baby had been taken.

The maid noticed the disappointment on my face and stepped closer, her expression becoming concerned. “Is there something specific you're looking for, Miss? Perhaps I can ask someone to help you find it.”

“I don't know,” I admitted quietly, lowering my gaze because even saying it aloud made me feel helpless. “I thought maybe there would be something here that could help me remember what happened.”

“I understand,” she said gently, giving me a sympathetic look as she explained, “but I'm afraid these are the only personal belongings that were recovered with you. Anything else may still be with the hospital or wherever the accident was taken care of.”

I swallowed hard and nodded. “Okay.”

The maid waited a moment before asking carefully, “Would you like me to bring you anything else, Miss?”

I hesitated before shaking my head. “No. Thank you. I think I'd like to be alone for a little while.”

“Of course, Miss,” she replied with a polite nod before turning toward the door. “If you need anything at all, just press the bell, and someone will come.”

When the door finally closed behind her, I let out a slow breath and looked down at the box again.

I checked every pocket, turned over every card, and looked beneath the lining of the purse, but there was nothing that could give me the answers I wanted. I didn't know where my baby was; I couldn't walk without help, and I was trapped inside a house belonging to people who insisted they knew me better than I knew myself.

My chest tightened as the thought settled in.

I can't stay like this.

I wiped my palms against the blanket and forced myself to breathe slowly. Panicking wouldn't help me.

Crying wouldn't tell me where my baby was, and running wasn't even an option when I couldn't stand on my own. If I had to remain in this mansion for now, then I needed to understand the people around me instead of letting fear control everything I did.

Maybe I didn't have to believe the Williams family immediately.

Maybe I didn't have to accuse them of lying either.

I could listen. I could ask questions. I could pay attention to the things they said and see whether their stories matched. If they really believed I was Elara, then eventually I would find something that proved them right or proved them wrong.

I picked up Adrian's photograph again, and the ache in my chest returned. I stared at him for several seconds before quietly murmuring, “I don't know what happened to you, Adrian, but I need you to tell me the truth.”

My voice cracked at the end, and I quickly looked away from the photograph. I still wasn't ready to believe that everything I had built with him had been a lie. Maybe there was an explanation. Maybe there wasn't. Either way, I needed to hear it from him before I could decide what to do.

I placed the photograph on the bedside table instead of putting it back inside my purse. I wasn't forgiving him, but I wasn't ready to throw away every memory of him either. For now, it was enough to know that the memories were still mine.

I wondered when the brothers would return. Ryder had been different from the others.

He hadn't looked at me as though I was a problem that needed to be fixed, and he hadn't tried to force the name Elara on me. Maybe I could talk to him again when he returned. Maybe he would answer my questions without expecting me to suddenly accept a family I couldn't remember.

I pulled the blanket higher and settled against the pillows, feeling the exhaustion slowly returning. I placed the little box within reach and closed my eyes for a moment, hoping that tomorrow would bring at least one answer.

Then something caught my attention.

The lining inside my purse looked slightly raised.

I frowned and picked it up again, turning it over in my hands. “That's strange,” I whispered, running my fingers carefully along the inside because I was certain it hadn't looked like that before.

My fingers found something underneath the lining.

My heart began beating faster.

I carefully slipped my fingers beneath the loose edge and pulled out a small folded piece of paper. I stared at it in confusion, unable to remember ever seeing it before.

Slowly, I unfolded it, expecting to find an old receipt or perhaps some random piece of paper that had been caught inside my purse during the accident.

Instead, my eyes stopped on the name written across the top.

My breath caught as I read it again, and a cold feeling moved through my chest.

“No…” I whispered, gripping the paper tighter as I stared at the name I had been trying so hard not to think about. “What the hell is this?”