Chapter Eight: The House in Her Memory
793 Words
The rain hadn't stopped by the time Daniel left the room.
Elena remained beside the window, staring at the gray sky.
Martin's watch.
The stolen manuscript.
The mysterious house.
Everything seemed connected, yet none of it made sense.
"I need to see the photograph again."
Ethan handed it to her.
She studied the image carefully.
The man captured by the security camera was blurred, but the silver watch around his wrist was unmistakable.
"I gave Martin that watch," she whispered.
Ethan's eyes sharpened.
"When?"
"Years ago. It was a company anniversary gift. He used to wear it everywhere."
"That doesn't prove he's involved."
"I know."
She looked up.
"But my instincts are screaming that something is wrong."
Ethan nodded.
"Then we'll investigate quietly."
"Where do we start?"
"The house."
Her stomach tightened.
"The one from my memory?"
"Yes."
Daniel returned with his laptop.
"We may have something."
He placed the laptop on the table.
"I searched old property records using the details from the manuscript."
A photograph appeared on the screen.
Elena's breath caught.
It was the house.
The same broken window.
The same tall trees.
The same stone steps she had seen in her memory.
"I know this place."
Ethan leaned closer.
"Do you recognize it?"
"I don't know how."
Daniel continued.
"The property was abandoned for several years. But according to the records, it belonged to a company connected to the Blackwood family."
Ethan went completely still.
"My family?"
Elena looked at him.
"You knew about this?"
"No."
His voice was firm.
"I've never seen this property."
Daniel shook his head.
"The company was registered decades ago. Your father was listed as one of the directors."
Silence filled the room.
Elena's heart began racing.
"Why would I have been there?"
"I don't know," Ethan said.
"But we're going to find out."
---
Two hours later, their car stopped outside the abandoned property.
The house looked exactly as Elena remembered.
Broken windows.
Overgrown grass.
A rusted iron gate hanging from one hinge.
She stepped out of the car slowly.
A strange pressure formed in her chest.
"This is it."
Ethan came around the vehicle.
"Stay close to me."
They walked toward the entrance.
Every step seemed to awaken another fragment of memory.
The smell of wet earth.
The sound of rain.
A child's laughter.
Then Elena stopped.
"Wait."
Ethan turned.
"What?"
She pointed toward the side of the house.
"There was a tree."
They walked around the building.
An enormous oak stood behind the house.
Elena touched its rough bark.
A sudden flash struck her mind.
She was younger.
Much younger.
She was hiding behind this very tree.
A woman was kneeling in front of her.
The woman looked terrified.
"Don't make a sound, Elena."
Another voice shouted from inside the house.
The little Elena covered her mouth.
Then she saw him.
A tall man walking through the doorway.
His face was hidden by the darkness.
But Elena remembered the silver watch.
She stumbled backward.
"Ethan..."
He caught her shoulders.
"What did you see?"
"Martin wasn't there."
Ethan frowned.
"What?"
"The man."
She struggled to breathe.
"It wasn't Martin."
"Who was it?"
"I don't know."
Then another memory surfaced.
A woman's voice.
"The Blackwoods cannot know."
Elena's eyes widened.
"What?"
Ethan stared at her.
"What did she say?"
Elena looked at the house.
"She said the Blackwoods couldn't know."
Before they could process the revelation, Daniel shouted from inside.
"Sir!"
They hurried into the house.
Daniel stood in a dusty hallway holding a small metal box.
"There was a hidden compartment behind the wall."
Ethan opened it.
Inside were old photographs, documents, and a child's bracelet.
Elena stared at the bracelet.
It was pink.
Tiny.
Familiar.
She touched it with trembling fingers.
"This was mine."
Ethan looked at her.
"You've been here before."
Elena nodded slowly.
"But why?"
Before anyone could answer, footsteps sounded outside.
They all froze.
Someone was approaching the house.
Ethan immediately pulled Elena behind him.
Daniel reached for his weapon.
The footsteps stopped.
Then a woman's voice echoed through the doorway.
"Elena?"
Her heart stopped.
She knew that voice.
It belonged to Vanessa.
Vanessa stepped into the ruined hallway, soaked from the rain.
But she wasn't smiling.
She looked frightened.
"I didn't come here to hurt you," Vanessa said.
Ethan stared at her suspiciously.
"Then why are you here?"
Vanessa looked directly at Elena.
"Because I finally discovered who is behind everything."
Elena's blood ran cold.
"Who?"
Vanessa swallowed.
"The person threatening you isn't trying to destroy your career."
She glanced at the hidden box.
"They're trying to stop you from remembering what happened in this house."
Thunder crashed outside.
Vanessa's voice dropped to a whisper.
"And Elena..."
She looked terrified.
"Your mother was here that night too."
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