DARK OBSESSION

CHAPTER EIGHT: RUNNING FROM DARKNESS

The rain began before sunrise.

Ivy sat beside the window of her apartment, watching droplets slide down the glass. She hadn't slept.

Too many questions crowded her mind.

Her mother had disappeared.

Damien's father knew about her.

Victor Hale was alive.

Victoria Blackwood's name had appeared in the old photograph.

And somewhere in the middle of it all was another child whose identity had been erased.

Ivy looked at the photograph again.

"The night everything changed."

She had spent her entire life believing her past was simple.

Now she wasn't even certain that the name Ivy Daniels belonged to the life she thought she knew.

Her phone rang.

It was Lily.

" Are you okay?"

" No."

" Where are you?"

" Home."

" Stay there."

Ivy frowned.

" Why?"

" I received something strange this morning."

" What?"

" A message."

Lily hesitated.

" It said, Tell Ivy to leave the city."

Ivy stood.

" What?"

" I didn't know whether it was a joke, so I ignored it."

" Send it to me."

A few seconds later, the message appeared on Ivy's phone.

LEAVE BEFORE THEY FIND YOU.

Ivy stared at it.

Then another message arrived.

DAMlEN CANNOT PROTECT YOU.

Her heart sank.

Someone was watching them.

Again.

THE SECOND CHILD

At Blackwood Holdings, Damien sat in his office surrounded by documents.

Nathan stood across from him.

" The medical records are incomplete," Nathan said.

" Who erased the child's name?"

" We don't know."

" Who had access?"

" Your father, his lawyers, and the private clinic."

Damien looked at the records.

" Find the doctor."

" We already did."

" And?"

" He died six years ago."

Damien's jaw tightened.

" Of course."

Nathan placed another file on the desk.

" But his daughter is still alive."

Damien looked up.

" Find her."

" I already have."

Nathan handed him a photograph.

Damien stared at it.

His expression changed.

" That's impossible."

Nathan nodded.

" That's what I thought."

The photograph showed a young woman.

Her name was Lena Cole.

And beneath the photograph was a birth date.

The same date as Ivy's.

Damien stood abruptly.

" Twins."

Nathan nodded.

" Apparently."

Damien stared at the photograph.

" Then where is she?"

" We don't know."

" Find her."

IVY'S DECISION

Ivy packed a small bag.

She wasn't leaving because she was afraid.

She was leaving because she needed space to think.

She couldn't trust Damien.

She couldn't trust Daniel.

She couldn't trust the anonymous person sending messages.

And now she couldn't even trust the history of her own family.

She wrote a short note for Ethan.

Then she stopped.

She couldn't tell him the truth.

Not yet.

Instead, she called her aunt, who agreed to keep Ethan for a few days.

Once everything was arranged, Ivy left her apartment.

She didn't notice the black car parked nearby.

But someone inside noticed her.

Daniel was waiting outside the café where they had first met.

" Ivy."

She stopped.

" How did you know I'd be here?"

" I know you."

" You don't."

Daniel looked hurt.

" I've been trying to help you."

" Then tell me the truth."

He hesitated.

" What truth?"

" About my mother."

His expression changed.

" I knew her."

Ivy's eyes widened.

" What?"

" My father knew her."

" Why didn't you tell me?"

" Because I was afraid."

" Of what?"

Daniel looked around.

" Not here."

He gestured toward his car.

" Come with me."

Ivy hesitated.

Then she remembered Damien.

She didn't want another man deciding what was best for her.

" No."

Daniel sighed.

" Then I'll tell you here."

He lowered his voice.

" Your mother didn't disappear because of money."

" What happened?"

" She discovered something about the Blackwoods."

" What?"

" Something that could destroy the entire family."

Ivy's heart raced.

" What?"

Daniel looked directly at her.

" Your mother discovered that Damien's father had been using people close to him to hide illegal dealings."

Ivy frowned.

" That's it?"

" No."

He paused.

" She also discovered that someone inside the family was helping him."

" Who?"

Daniel shook his head.

" I don't know."

Ivy stared at him.

" You always say you don't know."

" Because I don't."

She stepped backward.

" Then why should I trust you?"

Daniel looked at her sadly.

" You shouldn't."

Before Ivy could respond, a car suddenly stopped nearby.

Daniel's expression changed.

" Get down."

" What?"

" Now."

Ivy crouched instinctively.

A vehicle sped past them.

Daniel grabbed her arm.

" We need to go."

THE CHASE

Ivy ran.

She didn't know where she was going.

She only knew that someone was following them.

Daniel led her through a narrow street before they reached a crowded market.

" Stay close."

Ivy followed.

" Daniel!"

He turned.

" What?"

" Where are we going?"

" Somewhere safe."

She stopped.

" I don't trust you."

He stared at her.

" I understand."

Then a familiar voice came from behind them.

" Ivy!"

She turned.

Damien.

He was standing several metres away.

His expression was furious.

" Get away from him."

Daniel stepped between them.

" You don't own her."

Damien's eyes hardened.

" I never said I did."

" But you act like it."

Ivy stepped between them.

" Stop!"

Both men went silent.

She looked at Damien.

" You followed me."

" I was trying to protect you."

" I don't need either of you deciding what I need."

Damien's expression softened.

" I know."

Then his phone rang.

He answered.

His face changed immediately.

" What happened?"

Nathan's voice came through.

" We found Lena."

Damien froze.

" Where?"

" She's here."

" Where?"

Nathan gave him the location.

Damien looked at Ivy.

" We need to leave."

" Why?"

" Because your sister is in danger."

Ivy stopped breathing.

" My what?"

Damien looked at her.

" Your twin sister."

LENA

They reached an old hotel on the outskirts of the city.

Inside one of the rooms sat a young woman.

She looked remarkably similar to Ivy.

Same eyes.

Same smile.

Same facial features.

Ivy stopped in the doorway.

The woman slowly stood.

For several seconds, they simply stared at each other.

Neither spoke.

Then the woman whispered:

" Ivy?"

Ivy's eyes filled with tears.

"Lena?"

The woman nodded.

They moved toward each other cautiously.

Then embraced.

For the first time in twenty-four years, Ivy met the person who had shared her beginning.

Their beginning.

Their mother's blood.

Their hidden history.

Damien stood silently in the doorway.

For once, his attention wasn't on Ivy alone.

It was on the mystery surrounding both sisters.

Lena eventually told them what she knew.

" Our mother tried to protect us."

" From whom?" Ivy asked.

" The Blackwoods."

Damien frowned.

" Why?"

Lena looked at him.

" Because your father wanted us separated."

" Why?"

" Because he believed one of us would eventually expose him."

Ivy's voice trembled.

" What happened to our mother?"

Lena looked down.

" I don't know."

" But you must know something."

Lena nodded slowly.

" Before she disappeared, she gave me something."

She reached into her bag.

A small wooden box.

Inside was an old key.

Ivy recognized it immediately.

It was identical to the key she had found in Room 17.

Lena handed it to her.

" Our mother told me that if we ever found each other, we should open the box she left behind."

" What box?"

Lena looked toward Damien.

" The one your father spent years trying to find."

The room went silent.

Then the lights suddenly went out.

Everyone froze.

A loud sound came from the hallway.

The door burst open.

Someone shouted:

" Run!"

Damien grabbed Ivy's hand and pulled her toward the emergency exit.

Daniel took Lena.

They rushed down the dark corridor.

Behind them, footsteps echoed.

Ivy looked back once.

A figure stood at the end of the hallway.

Watching them.

Then the emergency lights came on.

For one brief second, Ivy saw the person's face.

She stopped.

It was someone she knew.

Someone she trusted.

Someone who had been close to her family all along.

Victoria Blackwood.

Ivy stared in disbelief.

" Damien..."

He turned.

" What?"

She pointed toward the end of the corridor.

But Victoria was already gone.

Damien looked confused.

" What happened?"

Ivy swallowed.

" I saw your mother."

His expression changed.

" That's impossible."

" She was here."

Damien looked toward the empty corridor.

Then his phone vibrated.

A message appeared.

YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT THE PAST ALONE.

Below it was a photograph.

Victoria standing beside Elena.

And between them was a little girl.

Ivy.

The photograph had been taken twenty-four years ago.