Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Hidden Truth

Emily's POV

I stared at Thomas, waiting for him to admit this was some kind of mistake, but he didn't. He simply stood there, holding the envelope as though he already knew I would eventually take it. 

"I think you have the wrong person," I said. "My mother died when I was little, and I was told I had no one else. My grandparents are gone too." 

Thomas gave a slow nod. "That's what you were made to believe, Miss Emily."

 My heart sank. "What do you mean?" 

He looked around before lowering his voice. "This isn't the right place for this conversation. Too many people can hear us." 

I glanced back at the house I had just walked out of. Gregory and Lucy were still inside, completely unaware of what was happening at the gate.

 I looked back at Thomas. "Start talking."

Thomas held the envelope out again. This time, I accepted it and my fingers trembled as I broke the seal. Inside were several documents, old photographs, and a birth certificate. I frowned as I pulled out the first picture. It showed my mother standing beside an older man with a warm smile on his face. 

She looked happier than I had ever seen her in the few photographs I owned. I turned the picture over. Written on the back were the words, Olivia and her father, William Wesley. My eyes widened Wesley? I knew that surname. Almost everyone in the country did. The Wesley family owned one of the biggest business groups in America. My hands froze as I looked up at Thomas.

 "This... this can't be real."

"It is," Thomas replied. "Mr. William Wesley is your grandfather." 

I shook my head again. "No. If that's true, why didn't he come for us? Why did my mother struggle until the day she died?"

 Thomas let out a quiet sigh. "Because he didn't know where she was. Your mother left home after a disagreement with her father. She refused to tell anyone where she had gone. Mr. Wesley searched for her for years, but by the time he found out what had happened, she was already gone." 

I couldn't say everything I had believed about my family falling apart. "Then... Why are you looking for me now?" I asked.

 Thomas's expression softened. "Because you're the only family he has left."

I looked down at the photographs again. There were pictures of my mother as a little girl, smiling beside the same man. There were birthday parties, family vacations, and Christmas mornings. It was like opening the door to a life I never knew existed. Tears filled my eyes before I could stop them. 

"If all this is true..." I whispered, "...why did he wait until now?"

 Thomas looked at me for a moment before answering. "Because Mr. Wesley is very sick." My head snapped up. "He doesn't have much time left, Miss Emily. His greatest wish is to meet his granddaughter before it's too late." 

He looked toward the waiting Rolls-Royce before meeting my eyes again. "The private jet is ready. If you're willing to come with me, we need to leave tonight.”

I looked at the car, then back at the house I had just left a part of me wanted to walk away from all of this. Today had already been too much. My marriage was over, I had nowhere to go, and now a stranger was telling me I belonged to one of the richest families in the country. It felt impossible. 

"How do I know this isn't a trick?" I asked. 

Thomas didn't look offended. Instead, he reached into his pocket and handed me a small velvet box. "Mr. Wesley asked me to give you this if you had doubts." 

I slowly opened it. Inside was a silver necklace with a heart-shaped pendant. The moment I saw it, I stopped breathing. My mother used to wear that necklace every single day. I remembered playing with it as a little girl whenever she carried me.

 After she died, it disappeared. I had searched everywhere for it, but I never found it. My eyes filled with tears as I held it in my hand. "How... how did he get this?" I whispered. 

Thomas smiled gently. "Because it belonged to his daughter before she left home. She returned it to him in a letter many years ago."

I closed the necklace in my hand and lowered my head. Everything Thomas had shown me matched the stories my mother had once told me before she became too sick to speak. She used to tell me that no matter what happened, I should never let anyone make me believe I was worthless.

 At the time, I thought she was only trying to comfort me. Now I wondered if she had wanted to tell me the truth but never had the chance. I wiped my face and looked at Thomas again. 

"If I go with you... what happens next?" 

he replied without hesitation. "Mr. Wesley wants to meet you. After that, the choice will always be yours. No one will force you to stay. If you wish to return tomorrow, we'll bring you back ourselves." 

His answer surprised me. He wasn't making promises or trying to pressure me, he was simply giving me a choice, something I felt I hadn't had all day.

I took one last look at the house. Not long ago, I had believed it was the place where I would raise my child now it was just a building filled with painful memories. Gregory had thrown away our marriage without giving me the chance to explain anything. I slowly rested my hand on my stomach.

 "It's just you and me now," I whispered. "I'll do everything I can to give you a better life."

 A small smile appeared on my face. My baby deserved a mother who kept moving forward instead of looking back. I lifted my suitcase and nodded at Thomas.

 "I'll come with you." 

Relief spread across his face. He quickly opened the car door for me before placing my suitcase in the trunk. As the car pulled away from the curb, I didn't look back again. Some doors were meant to stay closed.

Almost an hour later, the car entered a private airport. My eyes widened as I saw a sleek white jet waiting on the runway with its engines already running. Several men in black suits stood nearby, and the moment our car stopped, they all bowed respectfully.

 I looked at Thomas in confusion. "Why are they doing that?"

 He smiled. "Because you're Miss Emily Wesley." 

Before I could ask another question, one of the men stepped forward. "Welcome home, Miss Wesley." 

The words echoed in my mind as I stood frozen. Home? I had just lost the only home I had ever known. Yet somehow, tonight was opening the door to a life I never imagined existed.

 I tightened my hold on the necklace in my hand and slowly walked toward the waiting jet.