The Secret Diary
824 Words
The leather diary lay on Ethan Vale's desk like a forgotten treasure.
He stared at its worn brown cover for several moments before carefully opening it again.
The pages had yellowed with age, and the handwriting inside was unmistakably that of a young child.
Every word had been written with colorful crayons.
Every page carried tiny drawings of flowers, butterflies, and smiling stick figures.
But hidden among those innocent sketches was the truth someone had tried desperately to erase.
Ethan picked up his phone.
"Mr. Adrian, I think you should see this immediately."
---
Ten minutes later, Adrian entered the security office.
His sharp eyes immediately settled on the diary.
"So this is what they found?"
Ethan nodded.
"It was hidden beneath the floorboards in the old west wing."
Adrian carefully put on a pair of gloves before touching it.
"If this really belonged to Aurora..."
"...then someone deliberately hid it."
James Carter joined them, carrying a camera to document every page before anyone handled it further.
"We should preserve everything exactly as we found it."
Adrian slowly turned to the first written page.
The childish handwriting made the room strangely quiet.
«Today I played with my secret friend again. We wore matching necklaces so no one could tell us apart. It was our favorite game.»
Adrian frowned.
"Matching necklaces?"
James looked thoughtful.
"The necklace Aria wears..."
"...could there have been two?"
Ethan didn't answer.
Instead, he turned another page.
---
At the same time...
Aria wandered alone through the mansion's library.
She couldn't stop thinking about the strange memories that had begun returning.
Every hallway...
Every staircase...
Every corner of the estate stirred emotions she couldn't explain.
She ran her fingers across rows of old books until one thick family album caught her attention.
Curious, she opened it.
The first pages contained photographs of the Kingsley family spanning generations.
Elegant weddings.
Business celebrations.
Birthday parties.
Then she stopped.
A photograph of a little girl smiled back at her.
She wore a white dress.
Around her neck hung a familiar silver necklace.
Aria's heart skipped a beat.
The little girl's smile...
The shape of her eyes...
The curve of her cheeks...
She looked...
Almost exactly like Aria.
Before she could examine the photograph more closely, a voice interrupted her.
"Looking for answers?"
She spun around.
Adrian stood in the doorway.
"I wasn't snooping."
"I know."
His answer surprised her.
He walked over and looked down at the photograph.
"That's Aurora."
Aria swallowed nervously.
"She really does look like me."
"She does."
For the first time, Adrian didn't accuse her of lying.
Instead, his expression reflected uncertainty.
"I'm beginning to understand why Grandmother believes you."
Aria looked at him.
"Do you?"
He remained silent for a long moment.
"I believe..."
"...that someone is hiding the truth."
---
Back in the security office, Ethan continued reading.
Another page caught his attention.
«Today Aunt Vivian got angry because she saw my friend. Daddy said we must keep pretending until the big party. After that everything will be okay.»
The three men exchanged shocked glances.
"The big party..."
James whispered.
"The charity gala."
"The night of the fire," Adrian finished.
Ethan nodded slowly.
"This diary proves Aurora wasn't alone."
"There really was another little girl."
"But who?"
Silence filled the room.
Then James spoke quietly.
"What if..."
"What if Aria wasn't pretending to be Aurora?"
"What if she was the other child?"
The possibility stunned everyone.
---
That evening, Eleanor invited Aria to dinner in the smaller family dining room.
Only four people attended.
Eleanor.
Adrian.
Ethan.
Aria.
The atmosphere was noticeably calmer than before.
Eleanor smiled warmly.
"I'm glad we're together tonight."
"So am I," Aria replied.
Halfway through dinner, Ethan cleared his throat.
"Miss Bennett."
"Yes?"
"I need to ask something."
"Go ahead."
"When you were little..."
"...did you ever have an imaginary friend?"
Aria frowned.
"I don't think so."
"But..."
She paused.
"I used to dream about another little girl."
Everyone looked at her.
"We always wore the same dress."
"The same necklace."
"We played hide-and-seek in a beautiful garden."
Her voice grew quieter.
"I always thought it was just a dream."
Adrian slowly lowered his fork.
The room had become completely silent.
Because those details matched the diary perfectly.
Before anyone could speak, a loud crash echoed from upstairs.
Everyone jumped.
A servant burst into the dining room, terrified.
"Madam!"
"What is it?" Eleanor asked.
"The west wing..."
"What about it?"
"It's on fire!"
For a brief second, no one moved.
Then Adrian shot to his feet.
"Ethan!"
"I'm on it."
The two men sprinted toward the staircase while alarms began ringing throughout the mansion.
Aria stood frozen.
The smell of smoke drifted through the hallway.
Her head suddenly throbbed.
Another memory flashed before her eyes.
Smoke.
Flames.
Children screaming.
Someone carrying her through a burning corridor.
A woman crying—
"Save them both!"
Aria gasped.
This time...
She remembered two children.
Not one.
- Writer
