CHAPTER 5 – The Child They Told Her Was Dead
The note slipped from Eleanor's trembling fingers.
Daniel picked it up.
His eyes scanned the seven words again.
"Ask Eleanor what happened to her first child."
The silence that followed felt heavier than grief itself.
Victoria slowly stepped toward her mother.
"What... does this mean?"
Charles shook his head.
"Mom... we never had another brother or sister."
Eleanor closed her eyes.
For twenty-five years she had prayed this day would never come.
But Edward had finally forced the truth into the light.
With a shaky breath, she whispered,
"You did."
The room froze.
Daniel stared at her in disbelief.
"No..."
"You had another child?"
Eleanor nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"A little boy."
"His name was Benjamin."
Victoria covered her mouth.
"You never told us."
"I wasn't allowed."
She looked toward the fireplace where an old family portrait hung.
"There used to be four children in that picture."
"What?"
"Edward burned every photograph."
Charles felt his knees weaken.
"Why would he do that?"
Eleanor reached into her purse one last time.
This time she removed an old baby bracelet from a hospital.
Tiny.
Silver.
Engraved with one name.
Benjamin Ashford.
"I gave birth one year before Daniel."
"Richard adored him."
"He was going to inherit everything one day."
Daniel frowned.
"But what happened?"
Eleanor struggled to speak.
"The night Benjamin disappeared..."
"...Edward told us kidnappers had taken him."
"The police searched for months."
"They found nothing."
"Then Edward brought us a tiny coffin."
"He said Benjamin's body had been recovered."
Her voice broke completely.
"I buried an empty coffin."
Everyone stared in horror.
"The child was never dead."
The detective immediately looked at his team.
"If that's true..."
"This wasn't just murder."
"It was kidnapping."
"Identity fraud."
"And twenty-five years of conspiracy."
Just then another officer rushed into the room holding a dusty archive box.
"Detective!"
"We found hidden files inside the mansion."
Inside were hundreds of forged birth certificates.
False passports.
Bank accounts.
And one photograph.
A young man around twenty-six years old.
Standing beside Edward.
Smiling.
May you like
On the back of the photograph were six handwritten words.
"My greatest masterpiece... Benjamin."
