CHAPTER 3 – The Name Written in Blood
Lily stared at the gardener, unable to breathe.
“What do you mean… I own this mansion?”
The old man stepped closer and lowered his voice.
“Your real name is not Lily Carter.”
He pulled a second envelope from inside his coat.
On the front was a name written in faded ink:
Lillian Rose Ashford.
Lily’s hands went cold.
“Ashford?”
Before the gardener could explain, the hallway lights suddenly turned on.
Mrs. Ashford stood at the staircase, her face pale with rage.
Behind her were two guards.
“So,” she whispered, “the little rat finally found it.”
Lily stepped back.
Mrs. Ashford slowly walked down the stairs, her heels clicking like a countdown.
“That box was supposed to stay buried forever.”
The gardener moved in front of Lily.
But Mrs. Ashford smiled.
“You should have stayed invisible, child.”
Then she turned to the guards and said the words that made Lily’s blood freeze:
“Take her to the basement.”
Because what Lily didn’t know was this…
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The Ashfords had stolen more than a mansion.
They had stolen her entire life.
