Chapter 3: The Secret In The File
The next morning, the mansion felt completely different.
The silence wasn't peaceful anymore.
It was the kind of silence that came after a storm.
Lily sat at the breakfast table wearing a clean sweater that Adrian had bought for her the night before.
For the first time since I arrived, she looked like a child.
Not a prisoner.
She held a spoon in her hand and stared at the pancakes in front of her.
"You can eat," I said gently.
She looked up.
"Really?""
I smiled sadly.
"Really.""
She took a small bite.
Then another.
Adrian watched from across the table.
He hadn't slept.
I could tell.
His shirt was wrinkled, his eyes were tired, and his coffee sat untouched.
After Lily left with the temporary caregiver he hired, Adrian turned to me.
"I owe you an apology.""
I looked at him.
"For what?""
"For questioning you.""
I shook my head.
"You didn't know me.""
"But I should have known my wife.""
That sentence stayed with me.
Adrian leaned back.
"How long has Victoria been treating Lily like this?""
"I don't know.""
"You saw something before yesterday.""
I hesitated.
He noticed.
"Marissa.""
I looked down.
"She was scared of Victoria.""
"Everyone is.""
The sadness in his voice surprised me.
I realized something then.
Adrian wasn't just angry.
He was ashamed.
"I saw Lily twice before yesterday," I admitted.
"She looked hungry. She asked me for water.""
"What did Victoria do?""
"She took her away.""
Adrian closed his eyes.
"I thought she was taking care of her.""
His voice cracked slightly.
"My brother trusted me.""
I didn't know what to say.
Sometimes guilt was heavier than anger.
Then Adrian stood.
"I need to find out everything.""
"What do you mean?""
He walked toward the office.
"Victoria has controlled every part of this house since my brother died. The staff, the schedules, Lily's records.""
"You think she hid something?""
"I know she did.""
Inside the office, Adrian opened a locked cabinet.
The room smelled like old paper and expensive wood.
He searched through files.
Then suddenly stopped.
"What is it?""
He pulled out a folder.
The label read:
"Lily Harper - Guardianship Documents.""
Adrian opened it.
His face changed after only a few seconds.
"What?""
He handed me a page.
I scanned it.
It was a legal document.
But something was wrong.
The signature date.
The approval date.
The entire timeline.
None of it matched.
"She forged this," I whispered.
Adrian nodded slowly.
"Victoria was never supposed to have permanent guardianship.""
A chill ran through me.
"Then why did everyone think she did?""
"Because she made them think.""
He turned another page.
Then another.
His expression became darker.
There were medical reports.
School records.
Financial documents.
And one note that made both of us freeze.
It was written by Lily's mother before she died.
Adrian picked it up carefully.
"What does it say?""
He read silently.
Then his face went pale.
"Adrian...""
I stepped closer.
"What?""
He looked at me.
"My brother didn't die accidentally.""
The room went silent.
"What are you saying?""
Adrian stared at the paper.
"My brother was investigating Victoria before he died.""
My heart started racing.
"Why?""
He turned the page around.
At the bottom was a handwritten sentence.
A warning.
A message someone had tried to hide.
*"If anything happens to me, don't let Victoria take Lily.""*
I covered my mouth.
Adrian looked toward the window.
The mansion suddenly felt less like a home.
More like a trap.
Then his phone rang.
He answered.
"Hello?""
His expression changed.
"What do you mean she disappeared?""
I stood up.
"Who disappeared?""
Adrian slowly lowered the phone.
His face had lost all color.
"Lily.""
My blood went cold.
"What?""
He looked at the security camera monitor on the desk.
The screen showed the front gate.
A black SUV was driving away.
And behind the tinted window...
I saw a small hand pressed against the glass.
Adrian grabbed his keys.
But before he reached the door, his phone received one final message.
A photo appeared on the screen.
A photo of Lily.
May you like
And underneath it were five words:
*"Come find out the truth.""*
