Chapter 5 - The Truth Claire Never Told Him
Damian folded the letter.
“Everyone down.”
Claire pulled Lily behind the sofa.
Mercer took position near the hallway.
Vivian moved toward the kitchen.
Adrian called again.
“I know you’re inside.”
Damian walked toward the door.
Claire grabbed him.
“What are you doing?”
“Ending this.”
“You don’t know what’s outside.”
“I know who.”
“That’s not the same thing.”
Adrian laughed from the porch.
“She always was smarter than you, Damian.”
Damian’s jaw tightened.
Claire whispered, “Don’t let him make you angry.”
Damian looked at her.
“You still know me.”
“I knew you once.”
“That’s more than most people.”
Adrian knocked.
Three times.
Like a guest.
“Open the door.”
Mercer whispered, “I’ve called backup.”
Damian shook his head.
“Too far.”
“How many men?”
“Adrian usually travels with four.”
Vivian looked through a narrow gap in the curtain.
“Five.”
Claire held Lily.
Her daughter was trembling.
“Mommy, I’m scared.”
Claire kissed her hair.
“I know.”
Damian looked at them.
Something in him hardened.
Not rage.
Decision.
He opened the door.
Claire almost shouted.
Adrian stood alone on the porch.
The shotgun rested against the railing.
His hands were visible.
Behind him, four men waited near two vehicles.
“Hello, brother.”
Damian stepped outside.
Adrian smiled.
“You look terrible.”
“Why are you here?”
“I heard you found your wife.”
Damian’s face changed.
Adrian looked past him.
“Claire.”
She stayed inside.
“Don’t say her name.”
Adrian smiled.
“You always were possessive.”
“Why did you send the text?”
“What text?”
“Don’t.”
Adrian lifted both hands.
“I came because Elias contacted me.”
Damian frowned.
“What did he say?”
“That he plans to kill all of us.”
Vivian stepped into view.
Adrian saw her.
His face changed.
“You.”
Vivian stared.
“You remember me.”
“How could I forget?”
Claire noticed fear.
Adrian was afraid of Vivian.
That mattered.
Damian noticed too.
“Why?”
Adrian looked at him.
“Why what?”
“Why are you afraid of her?”
“I’m not.”
Vivian stepped onto the porch.
“Rebecca told me.”
Adrian’s smile vanished.
“Told you what?”
“The baby.”
Damian went still.
“What baby?”
Adrian stared at Vivian.
“Shut up.”
She smiled sadly.
“There it is.”
Claire looked at Damian.
“What is she talking about?”
Vivian turned.
“Rebecca was pregnant when she disappeared.”
Adrian closed his eyes.
Damian whispered, “Yours?”
Adrian didn’t answer.
That was answer enough.
Vivian continued.
“She discovered Elena’s secret because she wanted to know whether her child could inherit anything.”
Damian opened the letter again.
Adrian reached for it.
Damian stepped back.
“Don’t.”
“Give me that.”
“No.”
Adrian’s voice changed.
“Damian.”
“Who is your father?”
Adrian laughed.
“You really want to do this here?”
“Yes.”
“Fine.”
He looked at Claire.
Then Lily.
Then back at Damian.
“My father was Elias Vane.”
Silence.
Damian stared.
“No.”
Adrian smiled without humor.
“Congratulations. Your most hated enemy is my biological father.”
Claire felt sick.
Damian shook his head.
“Our mother—”
“Had an affair.”
“Stop.”
“With Elias.”
“Stop.”
“And then she spent thirty years pretending I belonged to Arthur Blackwood.”
Damian punched the porch column.
Claire flinched.
Lily cried.
Damian immediately stopped.
He looked toward her.
“I’m sorry.”
Adrian watched.
“So that’s the famous daughter.”
Damian stepped between him and the doorway.
“Don’t look at her.”
Adrian smiled.
“She does have your eyes.”
Claire felt cold.
“Why did you write that she should have been yours?”
Adrian frowned.
“What?”
Damian showed him the phone.
Adrian read the message.
His expression shifted.
“I didn’t send this.”
“You were outside the café.”
“I was.”
Claire stared.
“Why?”
“Because Elias called me and said Damian would be there.”
Damian’s eyes narrowed.
“He arranged this.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Adrian looked at Vivian.
“Because he wants us to kill each other.”
Vivian shook her head.
“That isn’t all he wants.”
Adrian laughed.
“You’ve been talking to him.”
“He found me.”
“So?”
“He said Rebecca survived.”
Adrian went white.
Damian stared.
“What?”
Vivian nodded.
“Rebecca is alive.”
Adrian sat on the porch step.
For the first time, he looked human.
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
“Is the child—”
“I don’t know.”
Adrian covered his face.
Claire watched Damian.
He looked confused.
Angry.
But beneath everything else, she saw pity for the man he had believed was his brother.
Family had become a maze of lies.
Mercer approached.
“We need everyone inside.”
Adrian looked at him.
“Sheriff.”
“Mr. Blackwood.”
“Which one?”
Mercer didn’t smile.
“All of you.”
Adrian ordered his men to remain outside.
He entered unarmed.
Damian read the rest of Elena’s letter.
She confessed that years earlier, during a separation from Arthur, she had fallen in love with Elias.
Adrian was born nine months later.
Arthur knew.
He chose to raise Adrian.
But Elena feared what would happen if Elias ever claimed him.
Then came the final paragraph.
Rebecca discovered the truth.
She promised Elena she would never tell.
But after Elena died, Rebecca found financial records linking Adrian to accounts used by Marcus.
Adrian interrupted.
“I didn’t steal anything.”
Damian looked up.
“The transfers have your authorization.”
“Forged.”
“By whom?”
“Marcus.”
Damian stared.
Adrian continued.
“Marcus discovered I wasn’t Arthur’s son. He threatened to expose me.”
“So you helped him?”
“No.”
“You signed documents.”
“I signed what I thought were acquisition papers.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“No.”
Adrian looked exhausted.
“But it’s true.”
Claire watched both men.
“You’re both missing something.”
They turned.
“Elias sent Damian false miscarriage records.”
Damian nodded.
“He wanted Damian to believe the baby died.”
Claire continued.
“He also told Vivian that Adrian killed Rebecca.”
Vivian nodded.
“And he told Adrian that Damian would be at my café.”
Adrian frowned.
“So he wanted all of us in one place.”
Claire’s stomach tightened.
“Why?”
Mercer looked toward the windows.
“Maybe because you’re not the target.”
Everyone looked at Lily.
Claire immediately pulled her closer.
“No.”
Damian moved beside them.
Adrian stood.
“What does he want with the girl?”
Damian’s phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
“Elias.”
A voice came through.
“Hello, son.”
Adrian froze.
Damian put it on speaker.
Elias laughed softly.
“Both of my boys together.”
Damian’s voice was cold.
“I’m not your son.”
“Not by blood.”
“What do you want?”
“Truth.”
“You’ve done nothing but lie.”
“Sometimes lies are necessary to protect children.”
Claire flinched.
Damian stared at the phone.
“What does that mean?”
Elias ignored him.
“Claire.”
She swallowed.
“Yes.”
“You should tell Damian.”
Her face changed.
Damian looked at her.
“Tell me what?”
Elias continued.
“Tell him why you really chose the name Lily.”
Claire went pale.
Damian stared.
“What is he talking about?”
Claire shook her head.
“Nothing.”
Elias laughed.
“Still protecting him.”
“Shut up.”
Damian stepped closer.
“Claire?”
She backed away.
Lily looked confused.
“Mommy?”
Claire hugged her.
Elias spoke again.
“Damian, your wife didn’t disappear because you ordered her to.”
Damian’s eyes stayed on Claire.
“She disappeared because she found something in your father’s office.”
Claire whispered, “Stop.”
“And she knew if you saw it, you would kill your own brother.”
Damian’s voice broke.
“What did you find?”
Claire looked at Adrian.
Then at Damian.
Four years of silence collapsed.
She reached into the chain beneath her sweater.
A tiny key hung there.
Damian stared.
Claire had worn it every day.
Even during their marriage.
“What is that?”
Claire closed her fist around it.
“The reason I left.”
Outside, one of Adrian’s men shouted.
A gunshot followed.
Then another.
Mercer ran toward the door.
Damian grabbed Claire and Lily.
Adrian rushed to the window.
A black van had stopped at the end of the driveway.
Its rear doors opened.
A woman stepped out.
Adrian stopped breathing.
“Rebecca.”
She raised her face toward the house.
May you like
Then someone behind her pressed a gun to her back.
And Elias Vane stepped out beside her...
