What Mothers Hide
1339 Words
Lena couldn't move.
Her mother's face stared back at her from the photograph.
For years, she had believed her parents had lived an ordinary life before she was born.
A quiet marriage.
A small business.
A normal family.
Now she was beginning to realize that she knew almost nothing about them.
“Lena.”
Aria's voice pulled her back.
She looked at her.
“That's my mother.”
“I know.”
“How?”
Aria looked toward the woman sitting inside the car.
“Because she was there the night my sister disappeared.”
Lena's stomach dropped.
“You knew?”
“I suspected.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I wasn't certain.”
Lena looked toward the car.
Mrs. Vale was still watching them.
“Who is she?”
Aria swallowed.
“My mother's sister.”
Lena's eyes widened.
“Your aunt?”
“Yes.”
“Then why does she know my family?”
“I don't know.”
The car door opened.
Mrs. Vale stepped out.
She walked toward them slowly.
“You shouldn't have found that photograph.”
Lena held it tighter.
“Why?”
“Because some truths are better left buried.”
Lena's voice shook.
“That's not your decision.”
Mrs. Vale looked at her.
“You sound like your mother.”
Lena froze.
“You knew my mother?”
Mrs. Vale didn't answer.
Aria stepped forward.
“Tell us what happened.”
“I can't.”
“You've been saying that for years.”
Mrs. Vale looked at Aria.
“And you're still looking for answers that will only hurt you.”
“I've already been hurt.”
The woman's expression softened.
“You lost your sister.”
“Yes.”
“And you think knowing why will make that loss easier.”
“It won't.”
Aria's voice cracked.
“But I deserve the truth.”
Mrs. Vale looked away.
For a long moment, she said nothing.
Then she whispered,
“Your sister didn't disappear because of Lena's father.”
Lena stared at her.
“Then why?”
“Because she found something she wasn't supposed to find.”
“What?”
“A ledger.”
Aria's face changed.
“The financial records.”
Mrs. Vale nodded.
“Your sister discovered that money was being moved through several accounts.”
“Whose accounts?”
“People who were supposed to be protecting others.”
Lena frowned.
“My father?”
“No.”
Mrs. Vale looked directly at her.
“Your father was trying to expose them.”
Lena's breath caught.
“What?”
“He wasn't involved.”
“He was investigating them?”
“Yes.”
Lena suddenly remembered all the times her father had disappeared when she was younger.
Late nights.
Secret phone calls.
The locked drawer in his study.
She had always assumed it was work.
Maybe it wasn't.
“Then why did he never tell me?”
“Because he was protecting you.”
Lena shook her head.
“From what?”
Mrs. Vale's eyes moved toward Aria.
“From the same people who destroyed her family.”
Silence.
Aria stepped closer.
“Who?”
Mrs. Vale looked at her.
“That's the part you don't want to know.”
“Tell me.”
“No.”
“Tell me!”
Mrs. Vale's voice became sharp.
“Because knowing their names won't bring your sister back!”
Aria froze.
The anger disappeared from her face.
Only pain remained.
Lena reached for her hand.
Aria held it tightly.
Mrs. Vale watched them.
Then something changed in her expression.
“You really love her.”
Lena looked at Aria.
Neither spoke.
Mrs. Vale sighed.
“Then you both need to be careful.”
She walked back toward the car.
“Wait,” Lena called.
Mrs. Vale stopped.
“What happened to the ledger?”
The woman looked over her shoulder.
“Your mother has it.”
Then she got into the car.
The vehicle disappeared down the street.
Lena stood completely still.
“My mother has the ledger.”
Aria nodded slowly.
“We have to find it.”
“No.”
Aria looked at her.
“We need to talk to my mother.”
“Why?”
“Because if she has it, she knows more than she's telling us.”
Lena's phone rang.
She looked at the screen.
Her mother.
She answered.
“Hello?”
“Lena.”
Her mother's voice sounded strangely calm.
“Where are you?”
“Out.”
“Are you with Aria?”
Lena looked at Aria.
“Yes.”
Silence.
Then her mother said,
“Come home.”
“Why?”
“Because we need to talk.”
“About what?”
Another silence.
Then her mother whispered,
“About the girl you're falling in love with.”
Lena's heart stopped.
The call ended.
Aria stared at her.
“What did she say?”
Lena looked at her.
“She knows.”
Aria closed her eyes.
“Then it's time.”
“For what?”
“For everything to come out.”
---
That evening, they arrived at Lena's house.
Her father was waiting in the living room.
Her mother stood beside the window.
Neither looked angry.
That frightened Lena more than anger would have.
Her father looked at Aria.
Then at Lena.
“Sit down.”
They sat.
For several seconds, no one spoke.
Finally, Lena's mother said,
“We knew this day would come.”
Lena's voice trembled.
“What day?”
“The day you would ask questions.”
Her father sighed.
“Your mother and I wanted you to have a normal life.”
“But you lied to me.”
“We protected you.”
“By lying?”
Her mother sat down.
“Sometimes parents make decisions because they're afraid.”
Lena looked at her.
“Afraid of what?”
Her mother looked at Aria.
“Her family.”
Aria stiffened.
“My family?”
“Not your family now.”
Her mother's voice softened.
“Your family then.”
Aria didn't understand.
“Explain.”
Lena's father stood.
He walked to an old cabinet.
From inside, he removed a small box.
He placed it on the table.
Lena stared at it.
“What is that?”
Her father looked at Aria.
“Something your sister left behind.”
Aria stopped breathing.
“My sister?”
He nodded.
“She came to me the night before she disappeared.”
Aria's eyes filled with tears.
“You saw her?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you tell us?”
“Because I promised her I wouldn't.”
Aria's voice broke.
“What did she give you?”
Lena's father opened the box.
Inside was a small notebook.
A key.
And a photograph.
Aria reached for the photograph.
Her hands shook.
It was her sister.
Alive.
Smiling.
On the back were three words.
Trust the moon.
Aria began crying.
Lena moved closer.
Her father looked at both women.
“Your sister knew she was in danger.”
“Who was after her?” Lena asked.
Her father hesitated.
Then he said,
“The people behind the money.”
“Who?”
He looked at his wife.
She nodded.
Finally, he whispered,
“Someone inside your family.”
Aria's tears stopped.
“What?”
Your father looked directly at her.
“Your sister wasn't betrayed by a stranger.”
He placed the notebook on the table.
“She was betrayed by someone she trusted.”
Aria stared at the pages.
And suddenly, the mystery was no longer about finding out what happened to her sister.
It was about discovering who had betrayed her.
Lena reached for Aria's hand.
This time, Aria didn't hesitate.
She held on.
Whatever waited ahead, they would face it together.
But neither of them noticed the small envelope that had slipped from the notebook and fallen beneath the table.
On its front was one name.
Lena.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD