Chapter 6: The Woman Who Was Supposed to Be Gone
Grace didn’t move.
She didn’t blink.
She simply stared at the security officer.
“Emily?””
The officer nodded.
“Yes.””
I looked between them.
“You know her?””
Grace’s face had lost all color.
“She’s my sister.””
The words landed harder than I expected.
“You told me you had no family.””
Grace lowered her eyes.
“I thought I didn’t.””
That answer confused me.
“What does that mean?””
Before she could respond, the security officer spoke.
“Mr. Cole, she’s waiting in the guest house.””
I looked at Martin.
Then Richard.
Then Grace.
No one had an answer.
Finally, I said, “Bring her here.””
Grace immediately grabbed my arm.
“No.””
I looked down at her hand.
She released it quickly.
“Why?””
“Because if Emily is here, it means they know.””
“Who?””
Grace looked toward the windows.
“The people who made her disappear.””
The sentence chilled me.
“Disappear?””
Grace took a slow breath.
“Five years ago, Emily was the only person who helped me after Lily was born.””
I listened carefully.
“She knew what your father was doing. She helped me find a lawyer.””
“What happened?””
“She vanished.””
Richard’s expression changed.
“What do you mean vanished?””
Grace looked at him.
“You don’t know?””
Richard shook his head.
“No.””
Grace laughed bitterly.
“Then your father didn’t trust you either.””
A few minutes later, Emily entered the office.
She looked nothing like Grace.
Where Grace was quiet and gentle, Emily carried herself with sharp confidence.
She had short dark hair, tired eyes, and a scar near her eyebrow.
But the moment she saw Grace, all that confidence disappeared.
“Grace.””
They stared at each other.
Then Emily crossed the room and hugged her.
Neither of them spoke.
Five years of pain passed silently between them.
I watched Lily peek from behind Grace.
Emily noticed.
Her expression softened.
“Is that her?””
Grace nodded.
Emily covered her mouth.
“She’s beautiful.””
Then she looked at me.
“You’re Nathan.””
Not a question.
A statement.
“Yes.””
She studied me for several seconds.
“I wondered if you would look like your father.””
I didn’t like the way she said it.
“What does that mean?””
“It means I hoped you wouldn’t.””
Nobody spoke.
I gestured toward a chair.
“Sit down.””
Emily remained standing.
“I don’t have much time.””
“Why?””
“Because Victoria knows I’m here.””
Grace stiffened.
“How?””
Emily looked at her.
“She followed me.””
My jaw tightened.
“When?””
“Before I reached the gate.””
Security immediately reached for his radio.
I stopped him.
“How did she know?””
Emily looked at me.
“Because she’s been tracking everyone connected to your father’s secrets.””
“Why?””
“Because she’s afraid.””
“Of what?””
Emily reached into her bag.
She removed a small black notebook.
“This.””
She placed it on the desk.
I opened it.
Inside were names.
Dates.
Payments.
Every page connected people I knew.
Executives.
Lawyers.
Family members.
Then I saw the final entry.
*Victoria Harrington — Initial agreement: secure marriage.*
Below it:
*Secondary objective: prevent disclosure of Grace Bennett and child.*
My hands tightened around the notebook.
“She was assigned to me?””
Emily nodded.
“Your father didn’t introduce you to Victoria.””
“He didn’t?””
“No.””
She looked directly at me.
“Victoria introduced herself because she knew exactly where to find you.””
I flipped through more pages.
Then I stopped.
One name caught my attention.
A name I never expected.
My own.
*Nathan Cole — Status: unaware.*
Underneath it was a handwritten note.
I read it slowly.
*If he discovers the truth, remove the child first.*
My blood ran cold.
“Who wrote this?””
Emily looked at the page.
Her face changed.
“I don’t know.””
“That’s impossible.””
“No.””
She pointed to the handwriting.
“This wasn’t written by Victoria.””
I looked closer.
The ink.
The style.
The pressure of the handwriting.
I recognized it.
I had seen it thousands of times.
On contracts.
Letters.
Birthday cards.
My father’s handwriting.
Grace whispered:
“Nathan…”
I closed the notebook.
Because for the first time, I understood something terrifying.
My father hadn’t been hiding Lily from me.
He had been preparing for the moment I found her.
May you like
And according to this notebook…
that moment was never supposed to happen.
