Chapter 9 - The Mother’s Confession
I found Eleanor Vale in the family chapel.
Of course she was there.
She always went there when she needed to pretend she had a conscience.
The same chapel where she prayed after Luca disappeared.
The same place where she told me she wished she could have saved him.
I stood in the doorway.
She didn’t turn around.
“You found out.”
Not a question.
A statement.
My entire body went cold.
“You knew.”
She slowly faced me.
The woman standing before me looked nothing like the mother I remembered.
She looked tired.
Broken.
But not innocent.
“How long?”
I asked.
“How long did you know?”
Eleanor looked down.
“Since the beginning.”
My chest tightened.
“You knew Luca was alive?”
“Yes.”
The answer destroyed something inside me.
“Why?”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Because I had no choice.”
I laughed bitterly.
“No choice?”
I stepped closer.
“You watched me mourn my brother.”
“I watched you survive.”
“You watched me hate myself because I couldn’t save him.”
Her voice broke.
“Because if you knew the truth, they would have killed you.”
I stared at her.
“Everyone keeps saying that.”
My voice became colder.
“But nobody ever explains.”
Eleanor sat down.
And for the first time…
She looked afraid.
“The council discovered Luca had found Project Wolf.”
I listened.
“They knew he would expose everything.”
“So they attacked him.”
“Yes.”
“And you helped them?”
Her silence answered.
I felt sick.
“Why?”
She closed her eyes.
“Because they threatened both of you.”
A pause.
“They told me to choose.”
My hands tightened.
“Choose what?”
She looked at me.
“One son would live.”
My heart stopped.
“Or both would die.”
The chapel went silent.
I wanted to hate her.
I needed to hate her.
But seeing the pain on her face made everything complicated.
“Who made you choose?”
She whispered.
“Richard Hale.”
I froze.
“What?”
“He controlled the council.”
“Not Victor?”
She shook her head.
“Victor was trying to stop him.”
The pieces finally connected.
Richard wasn’t working for the council.
He had taken control of it.
He had used everyone.
Including my family.
Eleanor reached into her coat.
And placed something on the table.
An old letter.
“Luca wrote this for you.”
I picked it up.
My hands trembled.
“When?”
“Before they took him.”
I opened it.
Only one sentence was written.
Sebastian.
If you have found this letter, then protect Emma.
And remember…
The greatest enemy of the Vale family was never outside our walls.
It was the person who convinced us we needed to destroy each other.
I looked up.
Eleanor was crying.
“He forgave me.”
I stared at her.
“Why?”
“Because Luca understood something you don’t.”
“What?”
She whispered:
“Family can break your heart.”
A pause.
“But it can also be the reason you keep fighting.”
---
At that moment, my phone rang.
Mateo.
I answered immediately.
“Speak.”
His voice was urgent.
“Sebastian.”
“What happened?”
A pause.
Then:
“We found Luca.”
My heart stopped.
“Where?”
Mateo’s voice lowered.
“But there’s a problem.”
“What problem?”
Silence.
Then he said:
“He’s not alone.”
I felt a chill.
“Who is with him?”
Mateo answered.
“Richard Hale.”
The line went quiet.
May you like
Then Mateo added:
“And they have Emma.”
