The mother behind the name

For several seconds, nobody moved.

Elena stared at Catherine.

“What did you just say?”

Catherine's eyes remained fixed on Adrian.

“Victoria is not your biological mother.”

Adrian looked as though the floor had disappeared beneath him.

“That's impossible.”

Catherine shook her head.

“I wish it were.”

Adrian's voice became colder.

“You've known this all these years?”

“I knew there was a secret surrounding your birth.”

“That isn't an answer.”

Catherine looked away.

“Because I was never given the complete truth.”

Elena stepped closer to Adrian.

“Maybe we should go.”

“No.”

Adrian's voice was quiet.

“I want answers now.”

Catherine sighed.

“Then we go to the cemetery.”

They left the warehouse together.

The drive was silent.

Lily sat beside Elena in the back seat.

Adrian drove.

Catherine sat in the passenger seat, staring through the window.

Finally, Adrian spoke.

“Who is my mother?”

Catherine didn't answer immediately.

“Her name was Amelia.”

Elena's heart stopped.

“Amelia Vale?”

Catherine nodded.

Adrian slammed his hands against the steering wheel.

“No.”

Elena stared at Catherine.

“Then Adrian is Amelia's son?”

“Yes.”

Lily looked between them.

“Mom, what does that mean?”

Elena gently held her hand.

“It means we're finding out the truth.”

When they reached the cemetery, the sun was already setting.

Catherine led them past the Blackwood graves.

She stopped at an old stone hidden beneath overgrown vines.

There was no name.

Only the crown symbol.

Adrian stared at it.

“Why is there no name?”

“Because Alexander ordered it removed.”

Catherine knelt and brushed away the leaves.

A small metal compartment appeared beneath the stone.

She opened it with the silver key Elena had found earlier.

Inside was a birth certificate.

Adrian took it.

His hands began shaking.

The mother's name was clearly written.

Amelia Vale.

The father's name was blank.

Adrian stared at it.

“Why is my father missing?”

Catherine looked at Elena.

“Because that is the part Alexander never wanted discovered.”

Elena remembered what Margaret had told her.

Alexander had claimed Elena as his biological daughter.

Richard was adopted.

Adrian was not related to Elena.

But now another truth had emerged.

Adrian's mother was Amelia.

Elena looked at Catherine.

“Then who is Adrian's father?”

Catherine's expression changed.

“Jonathan.”

Elena's breath caught.

Adrian stepped backward.

“My father was Jonathan Vale?”

Catherine nodded.

“Your father was the rightful heir before Alexander.”

Everything suddenly connected.

Jonathan.

Amelia.

Adrian.

The original agreement.

The crown symbol.

The stolen inheritance.

Adrian wasn't simply the heir to the Blackwood empire.

He was the descendant of the person who was supposed to inherit it before Alexander.

Adrian stared at the certificate.

“Why was I raised as a Blackwood?”

“Because Alexander wanted Jonathan's bloodline under his control.”

Catherine's voice trembled.

“He couldn't erase Jonathan completely. So he erased his identity and claimed you as part of the Blackwood family.”

Elena looked at Adrian.

He seemed unable to breathe.

“You knew?” he asked Catherine.

“I knew something was wrong.”

“But you never told me.”

“I was afraid.”

“Afraid of Alexander?”

Catherine nodded.

“And of what would happen if the truth came out.”

A sound came from behind them.

Everyone turned.

Richard stood between the graves.

Adrian froze.

“Father.”

Richard looked at him.

Then at the birth certificate.

His face collapsed.

“So you've found it.”

Adrian walked toward him.

“Was Amelia my mother?”

Richard nodded.

“Was Jonathan my father?”

Richard closed his eyes.

“Yes.”

Adrian's jaw tightened.

“Then why did you let me believe Victoria was my mother?”

Richard looked at him.

“Because Alexander ordered it.”

“And you obeyed?”

“I had no choice.”

Adrian laughed bitterly.

“You always had a choice.”

Richard's eyes filled with regret.

“You don't understand what Alexander was capable of.”

“Then explain it.”

Richard looked at Elena.

“Your father wasn't the only person Alexander destroyed.”

Elena stiffened.

“What do you mean?”

Richard reached into his coat.

He pulled out an old photograph.

It showed Amelia holding a baby.

Beside her stood Jonathan.

But in the background was Alexander.

And behind him was a woman Elena recognized.

Margaret.

Elena's heart raced.

“Why was my mother there?”

Richard whispered:

“Because Margaret helped Amelia escape.”

Catherine stepped closer.

“Then why did Alexander say Margaret betrayed everyone?”

Richard shook his head.

“Because he needed someone to blame.”

Elena took the photograph.

“Where is Amelia now?”

Richard looked at Adrian.

“She disappeared the night you were born.”

“Is she alive?”

Richard didn't answer.

Adrian stepped forward.

“Is my mother alive?”

Richard finally looked him in the eyes.

“I don't know.”

A phone rang.

Everyone froze.

It was Richard's phone.

He answered.

A man's voice came through.

“You have five minutes.”

Richard's face went white.

“Who is this?”

“You know.”

The caller continued.

“If Adrian learns where Amelia is, the entire agreement becomes active.”

The call ended.

Adrian looked at Richard.

“Where is my mother?”

Richard said nothing.

Elena stepped closer.

“Richard.”

He finally whispered:

“She is being held in the place where Jonathan disappeared.”

Catherine's face went pale.

“The Vale estate?”

Richard shook his head.

“No.”

He looked toward the road.

“The Blackwood estate.”

Elena's heart dropped.

“She was there all along?”

Richard nodded.

“And someone has been guarding her for years.”

Adrian's voice was barely audible.

“Who?”

Richard looked at him.

“Your mother.”

Victoria.

The woman who had raised him.

The woman who had helped hide his identity.

The woman who now might be holding Amelia captive.

Adrian's expression changed.

“Then we're going home.”

Richard shook his head.

“You don't understand.”

“What?”

Richard looked toward the darkening sky.

“Victoria isn't the one holding Amelia.”

A pause.

“She is the one protecting the person who is.”