CHAPTER SIX: THE GIRL WITH TWO IDENTITIES

Isabella stood in front of the bedroom mirror, staring at her reflection.

Her eyes were swollen from crying.

Everything she had believed about her family was falling apart.

Her mother hadn't died in an accident.

Alexander had been at the scene.

And now, somehow, she was connected to a child Victoria had given birth to five years ago.

None of it made sense.

She wiped her tears and walked toward the wardrobe.

She needed something to distract herself.

As she opened a drawer, a small velvet box fell onto the floor.

Isabella frowned.

She had never seen it before.

The box was old, its edges worn from years of use.

She picked it up and opened it.

Inside was a silver necklace with a tiny heart-shaped pendant.

Beneath it lay a folded piece of paper.

Her fingers trembled as she unfolded it.

My darling Isabella,

If you ever discover this box, it means the truth has finally found its way to you.

There are things I wanted to tell you, but I was afraid.

You are my daughter in every way that matters.

Never let anyone make you believe otherwise.

I love you more than life itself.

Forever,

Mama.

Isabella pressed the letter against her chest.

"What does this mean?"

She read it again.

You are my daughter in every way that matters.

Why would her mother write something like that?

Was there another meaning?

Her phone rang.

It was her father's number.

She answered immediately.

"Daddy?"

A weak voice came through.

"Isabella..."

"Daddy, what did Mama mean in her letter?"

Silence.

Then he whispered:

"Your mother loved you."

"That's not what I'm asking!"

Her father sighed.

"Isabella, there is something I should have told you a long time ago."

Her heart began pounding.

"What?"

"You were not born in the hospital where your mother died."

Isabella froze.

"What?"

"You were born five years earlier than the records say."

She gripped the phone.

"Daddy, what are you talking about?"

Before he could answer, the call ended.

Isabella stared at the screen.

Her hands were shaking.

Suddenly, the bedroom door opened.

Alexander walked in.

"Isabella."

She quickly turned.

"Get out."

He ignored her.

"We need to talk."

"About what? Another lie?"

Alexander's jaw tightened.

"I know about the letter."

Her eyes widened.

"How?"

"James found the box."

Isabella stepped backward.

"You went through my things?"

"Isabella, listen to me."

She raised the letter.

"Did you know my mother adopted me?"

Alexander went completely still.

For the first time, he looked genuinely shocked.

"Adopted?"

She laughed bitterly.

"Apparently, I'm not even who I thought I was."

Alexander slowly approached her.

"Who told you that?"

"My father."

He took a deep breath.

"Isabella, I need you to understand something."

"What?"

"Your mother didn't just adopt a child."

He looked at her with a strange expression.

"She adopted a child connected to Victoria."

Isabella's heart stopped.

"What?"

Alexander reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded document.

He handed it to her.

It was a birth certificate.

The name of the child was Isabella Williams.

But beneath it was another name.

Biological Mother: Victoria Blackwood.

Isabella stared at the paper.

"No..."

Alexander's voice was quiet.

"Victoria is your biological mother."

The room fell silent.

Isabella felt as though the floor had disappeared beneath her feet.

She shook her head.

"That's impossible."

Alexander looked at her.

"Your mother raised you. She loved you. But Victoria gave birth to you."

Isabella's eyes filled with tears.

"Then why did she leave me?"

Alexander didn't answer.

She looked at him desperately.

"Why?"

He lowered his gaze.

"Because she believed you would be safer with Margaret."

Isabella covered her mouth.

All this time, she had believed she was Margaret Williams's biological daughter.

But the truth was far more complicated.

She was the daughter of Victoria.

The woman Alexander had loved.

The woman he had believed was dead.

And the woman who had given him a child.

Isabella stumbled backward.

"Does that mean..."

Her voice broke.

"Does that mean you married your own daughter?"

Alexander's face went pale.

"No."

He immediately stepped forward.

"Isabella, no. That's not what happened."

She stared at him in horror.

"Then what does it mean?"

Alexander looked at the birth certificate.

His expression changed.

"Because the records are incomplete."

He took the document from her.

"There's another name missing."

"What name?"

Alexander looked at her.

"The father."

Before Isabella could respond, his phone rang.

James.

Alexander answered.

"What?"

James's voice was urgent.

"Sir, we've found Victoria."

Alexander's eyes widened.

"Where?"

"She's at the Blackwood estate."

A pause.

Then James said something that made Alexander's blood run cold.

"She's asking to see her daughter."

Alexander slowly turned toward Isabella.

And Isabella whispered:

"My mother..."

But Alexander shook his head.

"No, Isabella."

His voice was filled with dread.

"Your biological mother is here."

END OF CHAPTER SIX