Chapter 4 - Shadows of the Estate
With federal investigators seizing Evelyn’s financial assets and sealing the main estate, Daniel moved Emily to a secured private residence overlooking the coastline. Yet, peace remained elusive.
As night fell, Emily sat by the fireplace, staring into the flickering flames while holding an old silver locket—the only object she possessed when she was left at the orphanage.
Daniel walked into the living room, carrying two mugs of warm tea. He sat beside her, gently wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "What are you thinking about, Em?"
"I’m remembering," she whispered, opening the locket to reveal a faded, blurry photograph of a baby. "When I was little, I used to have this recurring nightmare. I was cold, surrounded by loud machines, and a woman in expensive perfume was looking down at me with pure disappointment. I thought it was just a bad dream. But it wasn’t a dream, Daniel. It was my mother leaving me to die."
Daniel squeezed her hand tightly. "She doesn't deserve to be called your mother. She gave up that right the moment she traded you for power."
"Why did she hate me so much?" Emily turned to him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "Even after I married you, she treated me like dirt under her shoes. Did she know who I was all along?"
"She suspected it the moment she saw your face," Daniel revealed darkly. "You look exactly like her older sister—the sister who died young and left Evelyn the sole heiress to her family’s initial wealth. Seeing you was a constant reminder of the crime she committed to secure her fortune."
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Suddenly, the phone on the coffee table buzzed sharply. Daniel picked it up, putting it on speaker.
"Mr. Carter," the voice of his private investigator rasped through the speaker. "You need to lock your doors immediately. Evelyn post bail an hour ago using an undisclosed private lender. And Dr. Harrison just went missing from his hospital room."
