chapter 8. The Woman Who Was Dead
1130 Words
The phone slipped from my trembling fingers.
It hit the wet ground with a dull thud.
"No..."
My voice was barely a whisper.
"It can't be."
The woman on the screen...
She looked exactly like the only photograph I had of my mother.
The same gentle brown eyes.
The same long dark hair.
The same smile I had spent years staring at whenever I missed her.
But that was impossible.
My mother had died when I was three years old.
At least...
That was what my father had always told me.
James picked up the phone.
His sharp eyes remained fixed on the live video.
The woman slowly turned toward the security camera.
She smiled.
Then...
She looked directly into the lens.
As if she knew we were watching.
My blood turned cold.
Victor laughed softly.
"Quite the surprise, isn't it?"
I stepped toward him.
"What did you do to her?"
"I?"
He raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't do anything."
"You lied!"
"I never said she was dead."
I froze.
"What?"
Victor's smile widened.
"I simply allowed you to believe the story you were told."
I turned to my father.
His face had gone completely pale.
"Dad..."
My voice shook.
"Tell me he's lying."
He lowered his head.
The silence hurt more than any answer.
Tears filled my eyes.
"You knew."
He slowly nodded.
"I did."
A painful ache spread through my chest.
"For twenty-five years..."
"You let me believe my mother was dead."
His eyes filled with regret.
"I was trying to protect you."
"Protect me from what?"
Before he could answer, James stepped between us.
"This isn't the place."
I looked at him, tears running freely down my face.
"My whole life has been a lie."
"I know."
"No, you don't."
"I don't even know who I am anymore."
James gently took both of my hands.
His voice was calm.
"Then we'll find the truth."
I searched his eyes.
Unlike everyone else...
There were no secrets in them.
Only determination.
For the first time since this nightmare began...
I believed someone.
A black SUV screeched to a stop beside us.
Evelyn jumped out.
"Mr. Sterling!"
She ran toward us, breathing hard.
"The police have surrounded the estate."
James nodded.
"Good."
"But Victor escaped."
Victor laughed.
"Did you really think I'd stay?"
James's guards raised their weapons.
Victor slowly lifted both hands.
"I'm leaving."
One guard aimed his rifle.
"Stop!"
James raised his hand.
"Let him go."
I stared at him in disbelief.
"You're letting him escape?"
James never looked away from Victor.
"No."
His voice was ice-cold.
"I'm letting him make his next mistake."
Victor smiled.
"I've missed this version of you, cousin."
He stepped backward into the darkness.
"But next time..."
His eyes settled on me.
"...I'll take more than your peace of mind."
He disappeared into the forest.
The sound of helicopters filled the sky.
Red and blue lights flashed through the trees.
The nightmare was finally over.
Or so I thought.
As we walked toward the waiting SUVs, James's phone rang.
He answered immediately.
"What is it?"
His expression hardened.
"When?"
He ended the call and looked at me.
"That wasn't security."
My heart skipped.
"Then who was it?"
He hesitated.
"It was the hospital."
I felt sick.
"My father..."
James slowly shook his head.
"It's not about Michael."
"Then who?"
His gray eyes locked onto mine.
"The woman in the video..."
He paused.
"She just walked into Manhattan General Hospital."
My heart stopped.
"And she's asking for you."
"She's asking for you."
My heart pounded against my ribs.
"What... did you say?"
James slipped his phone into his pocket.
"The hospital just called."
"They confirmed her identity through facial recognition."
"They don't know who she is..."
He looked directly into my eyes.
"But she gave them one name."
I swallowed hard.
"What name?"
James's voice softened.
"Rose Bennett."
My legs felt weak.
"Take me there."
"We don't know if it's safe."
"I don't care."
"If she's really my mother..."
My voice broke.
"...I need answers."
James studied me for a long moment before nodding.
"We're going."
---
Forty minutes later...
The black SUV pulled into the emergency entrance of Manhattan General Hospital.
Police cars surrounded the building.
Security guards stood at every entrance.
James frowned.
"This isn't normal."
Evelyn hurried over as soon as we stepped out of the vehicle.
"Mr. Sterling."
"What happened?"
"The woman refused to speak to anyone except Miss Bennett."
"Where is she?"
"Private Room 1208."
I didn't wait.
I ran toward the hospital entrance.
"Rose!" James called after me.
But I couldn't stop.
Not now.
Not when I was finally about to learn the truth.
---
The elevator seemed painfully slow.
Every second felt like an hour.
When the doors finally opened, I ran down the hallway until I reached Room 1208.
My hand trembled as I reached for the doorknob.
James caught up with me.
"You don't have to do this alone."
I looked at him.
"Will you stay?"
His answer came without hesitation.
"Always."
Something warm settled inside my chest.
I nodded.
Together...
We opened the door.
A woman stood by the window, looking out over the city.
She wore a simple cream-colored dress.
Her long dark hair rested over her shoulders.
Slowly...
She turned around.
The moment our eyes met...
Tears filled hers.
"Rosie..."
My breath caught.
Only one person had ever called me that with so much love.
"M-Mom?"
She covered her mouth as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"My beautiful girl..."
She took one hesitant step toward me.
"I've dreamed of this moment for twenty-five years."
I couldn't move.
I wanted to run into her arms.
I wanted to believe her.
But all I could think about was the empty years.
The birthdays she missed.
The nights I cried myself to sleep.
The life without a mother.
"You..."
My voice trembled.
"...you left me."
She shook her head violently.
"No."
"I fought to stay with you."
"Then where were you?"
"They took you from me."
The room fell silent.
James's expression sharpened.
"Who took her?"
The woman's face grew pale.
"I can't tell you."
"Why?"
"Because they'll kill her."
James stepped forward.
"Who's 'they'?"
Before she could answer—
The lights in the room suddenly went out.
Darkness swallowed everything.
A piercing alarm echoed through the hospital.
People screamed outside.
Then a deep voice boomed over the hospital's speaker system.
"Attention. This hospital is now under our control."
James immediately pulled me behind him.
"Stay close."
The emergency lights flickered on.
The door burst open.
A masked man aimed a rifle into the room.
He smiled beneath the mask.
"Mr. Sterling."
He glanced at me.
"And Miss Bennett..."
His finger tightened on the trigger.
"Our boss has been waiting for all three of you."
- Writer
