Chapter 4: The Woman Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
For several seconds, I couldn't move.
My mother.
The woman whose funeral I had attended when I was twelve. The woman whose photographs still sat in a silver frame on my bedside table. The woman my grandmother had told me died in a car accident alongside my father.
I looked at the email again.
The name was unmistakable.
*Margaret Bennett.*
My mother.
“That's impossible,” I whispered.
Daniel stood near the door, watching my face.
“What does it say?””
I closed the laptop.
“Nothing you need to know.””
“Claire, don't do this. We're already in enough trouble.””
I looked at him.
“Did you know my mother?””
He frowned.
“What?””
“Margaret Bennett. Did you ever hear that name?””
Daniel's expression changed.
It was subtle, but I noticed it.
He looked toward the hallway before answering.
“Why are you asking about her?””
“Because her name is on a document connected to your family's business.””
He rubbed his jaw.
“Your grandmother handled a lot of things. Maybe it's an old record.””
“Daniel, answer the question.””
He exhaled.
“I met someone named Margaret once. Years ago. Your grandmother introduced her as a business adviser.””
My heart began pounding.
“What did she look like?””
“I don't remember.””
“Was she young? Older? Did she have brown hair?””
“Claire, what is this?””
“Did she have a small scar above her left eyebrow?””
Daniel stopped moving.
That was enough.
My mother had a thin white scar above her eyebrow. She got it when she fell from a bicycle as a teenager.
I had seen it in hundreds of photographs.
“Who was she?”” I demanded.
Daniel swallowed.
“I don't know.””
“Then why are you frightened?””
He looked at me for a long moment.
Then his phone rang.
Patricia.
He answered immediately.
“Mom?””
I heard her voice through the speaker.
“Has she opened the documents?””
Daniel glanced at me.
“Yes.””
A sharp silence followed.
Then Patricia said, “Bring her downstairs. We need to settle this before the attorney gets here.””
Daniel ended the call.
“Claire, please. Just come downstairs.””
I shook my head.
“I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what you know.””
He lowered his voice.
“Your grandmother wasn't honest about everything.””
I stepped closer.
“What does that mean?””
“Margaret didn't die the way you think.””
My knees weakened.
“What?””
He looked genuinely uncomfortable now.
“Your grandmother told my father that Margaret had left the country after the accident. There were some complicated circumstances.””
I grabbed the edge of the desk.
“You're telling me my mother might be alive?””
“I don't know.””
“You just said she didn't die!””
“I said I heard things. I don't know what's true.””
I stared at him.
My entire childhood suddenly felt like a room with a hidden door.
Every birthday without my mother.
Every Christmas when my grandmother told me to be strong.
Every time I asked about the accident and was told there was nothing more to discuss.
What if it had all been a lie?
I grabbed my phone and called Robert Ellis.
He answered immediately.
“Mrs. Hawthorne?””
“Tell me about Margaret Bennett.””
There was a pause.
“I'm sorry?””
“My mother. Her name is on the documents. Daniel says she may not have died in the accident.””
Robert was silent for several seconds.
Then he said, “I was hoping you would discover that information through the private letter rather than the financial records.””
“Is she alive?””
“I cannot confirm that over the phone. But I can tell you that your grandmother maintained a confidential correspondence with someone using your mother's full name.””
“When?””
“For nearly twenty years.””
I covered my mouth.
“Why didn't she tell me?””
“Mrs. Bennett believed that revealing certain information could put you in danger.””
“From whom?””
Robert lowered his voice.
“From the people who benefited financially from your mother's disappearance.””
I looked at Daniel.
He was staring at the floor.
“Was Patricia involved?””
“I can't discuss the details until we meet.””
“Then meet me tonight.””
“I'll be at the estate in forty minutes.””
I ended the call.
Daniel stepped forward.
“Claire, you need to understand something.””
I turned.
“What?””
“My mother didn't know about any of this.””
I laughed bitterly.
“Your mother stole my dress, slapped me, and tried to make me apologize for defending myself. Why should I believe she knows nothing about my mother's disappearance?””
“Because she isn't the person you're looking for.””
Before I could respond, Patricia appeared in the doorway.
She had changed into a black silk dress.
Her hair was perfectly styled, and her makeup was flawless.
But her hands were shaking.
“Claire,” she said, “we need to talk privately.””
“No.””
She looked at Daniel.
“Leave us.””
He hesitated.
“Daniel, now!””
He walked out.
Patricia closed the door.
For a moment, she said nothing.
Then she sat on the edge of the bed.
“Your grandmother was a very difficult woman.””
I folded my arms.
“Is my mother alive?””
Patricia looked up sharply.
“Who told you that?””
“So she is.””
Patricia stood.
“Listen to me carefully. Your grandmother destroyed more lives than you can imagine. She controlled everything. People were afraid of her.””
“Did you know my mother?””
Patricia walked toward the window.
“Margaret was involved in the business long before you came into the picture.””
“Did she die in that accident?””
Patricia turned.
“I was told she did.””
“By whom?””
She didn't answer.
I stepped closer.
“Who told you?””
Patricia's lips trembled.
“Your grandfather.””
I froze.
“My grandfather died before I was born.””
“Your mother's father,” she clarified.
“Not Eleanor's husband.””
I stared at her.
My maternal grandfather had never been mentioned in our family.
Not once.
Patricia sat down again.
“Margaret was supposed to inherit a significant portion of the business. But she disappeared after a disagreement with your grandmother.””
“What disagreement?””
“Money. Control. A man.””
I felt sick.
“Which man?””
Patricia looked at me.
Then she whispered a name.
“Richard Hawthorne.””
Daniel's father.
I stepped backward.
Patricia nodded slowly.
“Margaret and Richard were involved before he married me. Your grandmother knew. She never forgave him.””
My mind raced.
Was Daniel's father connected to my mother?
Had my grandmother hidden the truth to protect me?
And what had Patricia known all these years?
“Why are you telling me this now?”” I asked.
“Because if Robert Ellis opens the final trust documents, everything will come out.””
“Everything about what?””
Patricia's eyes filled with tears.
“The company. The money. And the child.””
I felt my breath catch.
“What child?””
Patricia looked directly at me.
Then she said something that made the entire room spin.
“Claire, your mother didn't disappear alone.””
She reached into her handbag and placed an old photograph on the bed.
A woman stood beside Richard Hawthorne.
She was holding a newborn baby.
The photograph was dated twenty-nine years earlier.
May you like
And written on the back, in my grandmother's unmistakable handwriting, were five words:
*The child must never know.*
