Chapter 12: THE WOMAN WHO CAME BACK

The words echoed in my head.

Your mother has just been found.

For several seconds, I couldn't move.

My mother had been dead for fifteen years. I had attended her funeral. I had cried over her grave. I had spent years learning to live with the emptiness she left behind.

And now Damian was telling me she was alive?

"Explain what you just said," I whispered.

Damian glanced around the ballroom.

"Not here."

I grabbed his arm.

"No. You don't get to say something like that and expect me to follow you without an explanation. Where is my mother?"

"Elena, listen to me. We need to leave before whoever brought this information here realizes we know."

"Who brought it?"

His eyes moved towards the crowd.

"Victoria."

I turned towards the woman in the silver gown.

She was standing near one of the pillars, watching us with an expression I couldn't understand.

"Why would Victoria know anything about my mother?"

"Because she's the reason we have this information."

Before I could ask another question, Victoria approached us.

"Damian, we don't have much time."

He looked at her coldly.

"Where is she?"

"Somewhere safe."

"That's not what I asked."

Victoria glanced at me.

"Your mother contacted me three days ago. She wanted to know whether Richard Hart was still alive."

My heart began pounding.

"You're lying."

She shook her head.

"I wish I were."

"How do you know my mother?"

Victoria hesitated.

"Because I knew Evelyn before she disappeared."

Disappeared.

Not died.

My fingers tightened around my phone.

"Why didn't you tell anyone? Why didn't you tell my father?"

"Your father believed she was dead. That was exactly what someone wanted."

I shook my head.

"This makes no sense. There was a funeral. There was a burial."

Victoria's expression softened.

"Elena, the woman buried fifteen years ago wasn't your mother."

The room seemed to tilt.

I took a step backwards.

"No."

Damian caught my arm before I lost my balance.

"Easy."

I pushed his hand away.

"Don't tell me to calm down! Everyone seems to know something about my mother except me."

My voice cracked.

"Fifteen years. I've spent fifteen years believing she was gone."

Damian's expression changed.

For once, he didn't have an immediate response.

Victoria looked towards the ballroom entrance.

"We need to move. Someone has been watching us since the announcement."

I followed her gaze.

Near the entrance stood Marcus.

He wasn't looking at me.

He was watching Victoria.

The moment our eyes met, he turned and disappeared behind the guests.

"Damian, Marcus is here."

"I know."

"You knew?"

"I noticed him earlier."

My stomach tightened.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I wanted to understand why he was following us."

Victoria interrupted.

"There's no time for this. The person who helped Evelyn disappear may already know she's been found."

Damian took my hand.

"We're leaving."

This time, I didn't argue.

We moved through a private exit, followed by two men Damian had stationed outside. A black SUV was waiting.

Victoria entered first.

I followed, with Damian sitting beside me.

The moment the doors closed, I turned towards him.

"Start talking."

He looked at me.

"Your mother discovered something fifteen years ago. Something involving the Hart family and mine."

"What did she discover?"

"I don't know everything."

I laughed bitterly.

"Of course you don't."

"Elena."

"No. You knew something was wrong with her death. You knew about the document. You knew my family had a connection to yours. Yet you allowed me to walk around believing my mother was dead."

His jaw tightened.

"I wasn't certain she was alive until Victoria contacted me."

"Then why did you look frightened when you saw that message yesterday?"

He remained silent.

I leaned closer.

"Damian, what are you hiding?"

His eyes met mine.

"My father was accused of causing your mother's death."

My breath caught.

"What?"

"Fifteen years ago, Evelyn Hart disappeared. Shortly afterwards, my father was implicated in a scandal involving your family. Before he could defend himself, he died."

I stared at him.

"And you think my mother was involved?"

"No. I think she knew why my father was accused."

Victoria shifted in her seat.

"There's something else."

Both of us turned towards her.

She reached into her handbag and removed a small photograph.

"This was sent to me by Evelyn."

I took it.

My fingers trembled as I examined the picture.

A woman stood in front of a small white house. She looked older, her hair shorter, but I recognized her immediately.

My mother.

My eyes filled with tears.

"Where was this taken?"

"Three days ago," Victoria replied.

I touched the photograph.

She was alive.

My mother was alive.

"Can I speak to her?"

Victoria looked uncomfortable.

"Not yet."

"Why?"

"Because she made one condition before agreeing to meet you."

I looked up.

"What condition?"

"She wants to speak to Richard first."

I frowned.

"My father?"

Victoria nodded.

"She believes he's in danger, and she refuses to come out of hiding until she knows he's safe."

I looked towards Damian.

"Take me to my father."

"We're already heading there."

I exhaled shakily and looked down at the photograph again.

For fifteen years, I had missed a woman I believed I would never see again.

Now I was being told she was alive.

And somehow, everyone had known except me.

My phone vibrated.

I glanced at the screen.

A message from an unknown number.

Unknown: You should have stayed away from Damian Wolfe.

Another message appeared.

Unknown: Ask Victoria what happened to the woman in that photograph.

My blood ran cold.

I slowly raised my head.

Victoria was staring out of the window.

"Victoria?"

She turned.

"Yes?"

I held up my phone.

"Who sent this?"

Her face changed the moment she read the messages.

Damian immediately leaned forward.

"What's wrong?"

Victoria swallowed.

"That's impossible."

"What is?" I demanded.

She looked at me, her eyes filled with fear.

Then she whispered something that made my heart stop.

"The woman in that photograph isn't your mother."

My fingers loosened.

The photograph slipped from my hand and landed on the seat.

"What did you just say?"

Victoria looked directly at me.

"Elena, your mother has been missing for fifteen years. But the woman in that picture..."

She paused.

"She's the woman who helped us find her."

I stared at her in disbelief.

"Then where is my mother?"

Before Victoria could answer, Damian's phone rang.

He answered immediately.

"What?"

A few seconds passed.

His expression turned frighteningly cold.

"Lock down the Hart residence. Nobody enters or leaves."

He ended the call.

I grabbed his arm.

"Damian, what's happening?"

He looked at me.

"Elena, your father is missing."

My world stopped.

And then he added something worse.

"Someone left a message for you at his house."

"What message?"

Damian's eyes darkened.

"They said your mother is next."