The Twin Secret
791 Words
The drawing room was eerily silent.
No one dared to speak after Aria repeated the caller's chilling words.
"You should have died with your sister."
The sentence echoed in everyone's mind.
Eleanor slowly lowered herself onto the sofa, her hands trembling.
"A sister..." she whispered. "How could that be?"
James Carter picked up the telephone receiver and pressed the recall button.
"The call has already been disconnected."
He looked at Adrian.
"I'll ask the telephone company to trace it."
Adrian nodded.
"Do it."
James hurried from the room.
---
Aria stood motionless.
She could still hear the stranger's cold voice.
It hadn't sounded angry.
It had sounded... certain.
As though he knew exactly who she was.
"Miss Bennett."
Ethan stepped closer, speaking gently.
"Sit down."
She obeyed, her legs too weak to support her.
Ethan poured her a glass of water.
"Drink."
She accepted it with shaking hands.
"Thank you."
Across the room, Adrian watched quietly.
Something had changed.
Only days ago, he had believed Aria was a con artist.
Now, every new clue suggested she was a victim.
---
Later that evening, Adrian called an emergency family meeting.
Only those he trusted completely were invited.
Eleanor.
James Carter.
Ethan.
Dr. Harrison.
The estate's longtime lawyer, Richard Monroe.
The heavy wooden doors closed behind them.
Adrian placed the burned birth record on the table.
"I want the truth."
Richard adjusted his glasses.
"I'm afraid there isn't much left."
"But I recognize this paper."
Everyone looked at him.
"It came from St. Catherine's Maternity Hospital."
Eleanor frowned.
"That hospital closed years ago."
Richard nodded.
"It burned down."
The room fell silent.
Another fire.
Another destroyed record.
It couldn't be a coincidence.
---
Meanwhile, Aria wandered into the mansion's chapel.
The room was quiet, lit only by rows of flickering candles.
She knelt in the front pew and closed her eyes.
"I don't know who I am anymore," she whispered.
"If someone is listening..."
"...please help me find the truth."
A soft voice answered from behind.
"Sometimes the truth finds us when we're ready."
Aria turned.
An elderly priest smiled kindly.
"I didn't mean to disturb you."
"You didn't."
He sat beside her.
"You've been carrying a heavy burden."
She gave a faint smile.
"You can tell?"
"I've spent forty years listening to people's hearts."
He looked at the silver necklace around her neck.
"That's a beautiful pendant."
"I've had it all my life."
The priest's expression changed slightly.
"I've seen one like it before."
Aria's heart skipped.
"You have?"
He nodded.
"Many years ago."
"In this very chapel."
"Who was wearing it?"
Before he could answer, one of the servants hurried inside.
"Miss Bennett!"
She stood immediately.
"What happened?"
"Mr. Adrian is looking for you."
The priest smiled gently.
"You should go."
Aria nodded.
"I'll come back."
As she left, the priest looked at the necklace once more.
Then he quietly whispered to himself,
"So... the child survived."
---
In Adrian's office, maps, photographs, and documents covered the large conference table.
Ethan stood beside a whiteboard filled with timelines.
Adrian looked up as Aria entered.
"We've discovered something."
"What is it?"
Ethan pointed to the timeline.
"Every place connected to your past..."
"...has been destroyed."
Aria frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Your orphanage."
"It was demolished eight years ago."
"St. Catherine's Hospital."
"It burned down."
"The west wing."
"Someone tried to burn it again tonight."
James added,
"Whoever planned this has spent years erasing evidence."
Adrian folded his arms.
"They're not hiding one child."
"They're hiding an entire story."
---
Just then, a security officer rushed into the room.
"Sir!"
"What is it?" Adrian asked.
"We caught someone trying to leave the estate."
"Who?"
"The new gardener."
Ethan's expression sharpened.
"I interviewed him myself last week."
The officer placed a worn backpack on the table.
"We searched his belongings."
Inside were gardening tools...
A fake identification card...
A disposable phone...
And a folded blueprint of the Kingsley Estate.
Red circles marked Aria's bedroom, the library, and the west wing.
Ethan immediately looked at Adrian.
"He's been spying on us."
"Where is he now?" Adrian demanded.
The officer hesitated.
"He escaped."
Adrian slammed his hand onto the table.
"Again?"
"We're sorry, sir."
Before anyone could react further, James picked up the disposable phone.
Its screen suddenly lit up.
A new text message appeared.
NEXT TIME... WE WON'T MISS.
At that exact moment, a loud explosion shook the entire mansion.
The windows rattled violently.
Servants screamed.
The lights flickered before plunging the estate into complete darkness.
Somewhere in the darkness, a woman's terrified scream echoed through the halls.
"ELEANOR!"
Aria's heart stopped.
"Mrs. Kingsley!"
Without thinking, she ran toward the sound.
She had no idea that someone was waiting for her in the shadows.
- Writer
