Chapter 9 - THE HOUSE WHERE THE LIES BEGAN

Daniel always loved old houses.

That was what Lena noticed first.

The room she was sitting in was huge.

Beautiful.

But cold.

Like nobody had ever truly lived there.

“Where is my mommy?”

Lena asked.

Daniel smiled.

“She’s looking for you.”

“Then why don’t you let me go home?”

Daniel crouched down.

“You think your mother told you everything?”

Lena looked away.

“She told me enough.”

Daniel smiled.

“That’s the problem with adults.”

He stood.

“They tell children stories.”

Lena hugged her rabbit tighter.

“My mom doesn’t lie.”

Daniel looked amused.

“Everyone lies.”

“No.”

Her answer was immediate.

“My mom protects me.”

For a moment, Daniel’s expression changed.

Because the little girl sounded exactly like Emma.

Brave.

Stubborn.

Impossible to control.

Meanwhile, Ethan and Emma were searching every location connected to Daniel.

Old properties.

Storage buildings.

Private offices.

Then Emma stopped.

A memory returned.

“The house.”

Ethan looked at her.

“What house?”

“The one where Daniel took me.”

Ethan’s face changed.

“You never told me about this.”

“I was afraid.”

“Emma.”

She looked at him.

“I know.”

She pulled out an old piece of paper.

An address.

“My biggest mistake was thinking I could escape.”

They drove there immediately.

The house sat outside the city.

Old.

Abandoned.

Hidden behind tall trees.

Ethan walked inside first.

The air smelled like dust.

Like forgotten memories.

Emma followed slowly.

“This is where I spent three days.”

Ethan looked at her.

“What?”

“Before I escaped.”

His anger grew.

“Three days?”

She nodded.

“Daniel wanted me to sign papers.”

“What papers?”

“Custody documents.”

Ethan’s fists tightened.

“And you refused.”

“I refused.”

“Then what happened?”

Emma looked upstairs.

“He showed me something.”

“What?”

“A photo.”

Ethan frowned.

“Of what?”

Emma whispered:

“Of you.”

A cold feeling moved through him.

“He had pictures of you everywhere.”

“Why?”

“Because he was obsessed with proving he deserved your life.”

They searched the house.

Room after room.

Nothing.

Until Ethan found something hidden behind a loose wall panel.

A small metal box.

Inside were documents.

Photos.

Recordings.

And one old envelope.

The name written on it made Emma stop breathing.

LENA COLE — ORIGINAL BIRTH RECORDS

Ethan opened it.

Inside was the truth.

The real documents.

The ones Daniel tried to erase.

Ethan read the page.

Then his face changed.

“What?”

Emma asked.

He looked up.

“He wasn’t trying to make himself her father.”

“Then what was he doing?”

Ethan held up the document.

“He was trying to erase me.”

Before Emma could respond…

A sound came from upstairs.

A floorboard creaking.

Someone was inside.

Ethan slowly looked toward the staircase.

“Emma.”

She grabbed his arm.

“Don’t.”

But Ethan was already moving.

Because somewhere upstairs…

Someone was waiting.

CLIFFHANGER:

May you like

THE MAID’S DAUGHTER

“GET OUT OF MY HOUSE,” HIS FIANCÉE TOLD THE MAID—THEN THE MAFIA BOSS LOOKED AT HER LITTLE GIRL“Get out of my house. And take that...

**MY HUSBAND CALLED ME A “BARREN LEECH”—HE DIDN’T KNOW MY MONEY WAS KEEP...

My husband threw his wedding ring at my feet and told security to remove the “barren leech” from the ballroom.He had no idea he wa...

MY DAUGHTER’S NOTE STOPPED MY WEDDING—AND EXPOSED MY BRIDE

MY DAUGHTER SLIPPED ME A NOTE BEFORE “I DO”—AND EXPOSED MY BRIDE’S PLANPART 1 — TEN MINUTES BEFORE THE VOWS“Daddy, if you marry he...

Ethan finally found proof that Daniel tried to erase him from Lena’s life.

But inside the abandoned house was someone who knew where Lena was hidden.