Chapter 3
508 Words
THE SECRET IN THE BLOOD
Morning came too quickly.
I hadn’t slept.
I sat at the kitchen table staring at the photograph.
The baby.
My mother.
My father.
Adrian’s father.
Twenty-five years ago.
Four people.
One secret.
And somehow, that secret had survived long enough to destroy my family.
The kitchen door opened.
Victoria walked in.
She stopped when she saw me.
“You look terrible.”
“Good morning to you too.”
She poured herself coffee.
“You didn’t sleep.”
“No.”
“Neither did I.”
I studied her.
“Why?”
She didn’t look at me.
“I was thinking.”
“About the baby?”
Her hand froze around the coffee cup.
I knew immediately.
“You knew.”
Victoria slowly looked up.
“What?”
“You knew about the baby.”
She swallowed.
“Elena…”
“Don’t.”
I pushed the photograph across the table.
Her eyes fell on it.
The color drained from her face.
“Where did you get that?”
“Father’s desk.”
She closed her eyes.
“Jesus.”
“Tell me the truth.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because I promised Mom.”
“f**k Mom.”
Victoria looked shocked.
I didn’t care.
“Someone is dead, Victoria.”
“I know.”
“Our father is dead.”
“I know.”
“And you’re still protecting secrets?”
“Because you don’t understand!”
“Then explain it!”
She stood suddenly.
“You think I wanted this?”
“What do you want?”
“I want my family back!”
Her voice broke.
For the first time, I saw my sister cry.
“I want Dad alive. I want Mom to stop lying. I want us to be sisters again.”
I stared at her.
“Then tell me.”
She wiped her eyes.
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because the person who knows the truth is still alive.”
My stomach tightened.
“Who?”
Victoria looked toward the kitchen doorway.
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
“Uncle Marcus.”
A cold feeling settled in my chest.
Marcus.
My father’s younger brother.
The man who had hugged me at the funeral.
The man who had told me everything would be okay.
The man who had inherited control of the family company after my father’s death.
I stood.
“Where is he?”
Victoria shook her head.
“Don’t.”
“I’m going to find him.”
“Elena, please.”
“Why?”
She stared at me.
“Because Dad wasn’t the only person who was murdered.”
I stopped.
“What?”
Victoria whispered:
“Twenty-five years ago…”
She looked toward the hallway.
“…someone killed Adrian’s father.”
And suddenly everything made sense.
Adrian wasn’t here because of my father.
He had been here because of revenge.
He had been waiting for twenty-five years.
And now that my father was dead…
the revenge had finally begun.
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