CHAPTER 4: THE WOMAN WHO STOLE TWELVE YEARS OF HIS LIFE
For twelve years, Nathaniel Graves imagined this moment.
He imagined finding Emily Carter.
He imagined demanding answers.
He imagined asking why she disappeared.
Why she took the only person he loved more than his own life.
But standing there in our tiny apartment…
With my mother holding a gun and tears running down her face…
Nathaniel looked like he had forgotten how to breathe.
“Put the weapon down, Emily.”
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
The kind of calm that came before a storm.
My mother’s hand trembled.
“I didn’t come here to hurt anyone.”
Nathaniel looked at the gun.
“Then why are you holding it?”
Her eyes moved to me.
“Because I knew this day would come.”
My heart sank.
“Mom…”
She looked at me.
And the fear in her eyes hurt more than anything.
I had seen my mother tired.
I had seen her worried.
I had seen her cry.
But I had never seen her afraid.
Not like this.
“Ruby, go with him.”
I froze.
“What?”
“Go with Nathaniel.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
“Ruby, please.”
“You disappeared!”
My voice cracked.
“You left me alone!”
The room went silent.
My mother looked like my words had physically hurt her.
“I didn’t leave you.”
“Then where were you?”
She opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Because there was no easy answer.
Nathaniel stepped closer.
“You owe her the truth.”
Emily looked at him.
“You don’t understand what I did to keep her alive.”
Nathaniel’s expression hardened.
“You destroyed my life.”
A tear rolled down her cheek.
“I know.”
“You let me believe my daughter was dead.”
“I know.”
“You let the entire world believe you kidnapped Clara.”
Emily closed her eyes.
“I know.”
I looked between them.
“Who is Clara?”
Nobody answered.
Then my mother whispered:
“She was your sister.”
The room disappeared.
I stared at her.
“What?”
Nathaniel’s face changed.
Even he looked shocked.
Emily slowly lowered the gun.
“Ruby…”
She stepped closer.
“You were born with a twin.”
I couldn’t speak.
A twin?
That word didn’t make sense.
My entire life, it had only been me and Mom.
No sister.
No family.
No secrets.
Just us.
“What happened to her?”
My mother looked at Nathaniel.
And the pain in her eyes told me the answer was something terrible.
“She was taken.”
Nathaniel walked away.
His hands were shaking.
“You knew?”
Emily looked down.
“Yes.”
“You knew Clara was alive?”
A long silence followed.
Then:
“Yes.”
Nathaniel’s face turned cold.
“How long?”
Emily swallowed.
“Twelve years.”
The silence after that was worse than screaming.
Nathaniel stared at her like he didn’t recognize her.
“You knew my daughter was alive…”
His voice cracked.
“And you said nothing?”
Emily stepped back.
“Because if I told you, they would kill both girls.”
“Who?”
She looked toward the dark window.
“They were watching you.”
Nathaniel’s eyes narrowed.
“Who was watching me?”
Emily hesitated.
Then she said a name.
A name that changed the entire room.
“The Black Viper.”
Even Nathaniel Graves looked unsettled.
I had never heard that name.
But he had.
“What did you say?”
“The Black Viper.”
Nathaniel slowly shook his head.
“That organization was destroyed years ago.”
Emily gave a sad smile.
“That’s what they wanted you to believe.”
Nathaniel walked toward the table.
“Start from the beginning.”
Emily looked at me.
Then at him.
“I worked for you twelve years ago.”
Nathaniel nodded.
“As Clara’s nanny.”
“Yes.”
“You loved her.”
Emily’s eyes filled with tears.
“She was like my own child.”
“Then what happened?”
Emily took a deep breath.
“The night Clara disappeared wasn’t an accident.”
Nathaniel listened.
“I discovered someone inside your company was selling information.”
Nathaniel froze.
“What information?”
“Your business plans.”
“No.”
“Your accounts.”
His jaw tightened.
“And your family.”
The room went cold.
“They weren’t trying to steal money.”
Emily looked at me.
“They wanted control.”
Nathaniel stared at her.
“Who?”
Emily whispered:
“Someone close to you.”
A loud crash came from outside.
Everyone turned.
The apartment window shattered.
Glass exploded across the floor.
I screamed.
Nathaniel grabbed me and pulled me down.
Another shot hit the wall.
The guards immediately reacted.
“Get Ruby out!”
Nathaniel shouted.
My mother grabbed my arm.
“No!”
She looked terrified.
“They know she’s here.”
Another gunshot.
The apartment filled with chaos.
People running.
Alarms screaming.
Nathaniel covered me with his body.
A man who controlled an empire…
Was protecting me with his own life.
Then I saw something.
On the floor near the broken window.
A small black envelope.
Someone had thrown it inside.
Nathaniel picked it up.
His face changed.
“What is it?”
I asked.
He opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
An old photograph.
The image showed two little girls.
Two identical little girls.
One was me.
The other…
Was Clara.
On the back of the picture were five words.
Nathaniel read them aloud.
And every person in the room went silent.
“One daughter was never enough.”
Nathaniel looked at Emily.
“You knew about this?”
Emily shook her head.
“No.”
For the first time, she looked completely helpless.
Then Nathaniel noticed something else.
A small symbol printed on the photograph.
The same silver snake.
The same mark from the package.
His face turned pale.
“They’re not after Ruby.”
Everyone looked at him.
“Then what do they want?”
Nathaniel slowly looked at me.
And his answer made my blood run cold.
“They want both daughters.”
May you like
TO BE CONTINUED…
CHAPTER 5: THE GIRL WHO WAS HIDDEN FROM THE WORLD
