Chapter 7 - THE WOMAN WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN DEAD
The words echoed through the Russo mansion.
“Your mother is still alive.”
Chloe Bennett felt the entire world stop.
For fifteen years, she had lived with one painful truth.
Her mother was dead.
Everyone said so.
The police report said so.
The funeral said so.
The empty house after that terrible night said so.
But now…
A stranger was standing in Victor Russo’s basement claiming everything Chloe believed was a lie.
“No,” Chloe whispered.
The woman looked at her through tired eyes.
“Yes, Chloe.”
Victor immediately stepped in front of her.
“Who are you?”
The woman looked at him.
“I’m Sarah Collins.”
Victor’s expression changed slightly.
That name meant something.
Not to Chloe.
But to him.
“Sarah Collins disappeared twelve years ago.”
The woman smiled sadly.
“So did Chloe’s mother.”
The basement became silent.
Victor looked at Chloe.
She was shaking.
Not from fear.
From confusion.
“You know my mother?”
Sarah nodded.
“She saved my life.”
Chloe’s eyes filled with tears.
“My mother died.”
Sarah lowered her head.
“That’s what they wanted everyone to believe.”
Victor moved closer.
“Who is they?”
Sarah looked directly at him.
“Your father.”
The accusation hit the room like a bullet.
Victor’s face turned cold.
“Choose your next words carefully.”
“I know what I’m saying.”
“You’re accusing a dead man.”
“I’m accusing the man who destroyed two families.”
Chloe looked between them.
“My mother and your father…”
Sarah nodded.
“They were connected.”
Victor’s instincts screamed that something was wrong.
Someone was manipulating the situation.
But one thing bothered him.
Sarah knew details nobody should know.
Details about Chloe.
Details about his family.
Later that night, Chloe sat alone in the guest room.
Her entire life felt like a lie.
Victor knocked.
She didn’t answer.
He opened the door anyway.
Normally, nobody would dare enter without permission.
But Chloe wasn’t normal.
Not anymore.
“You believe her?” Victor asked.
Chloe stared at the floor.
“I don’t know.”
“That’s dangerous.”
She looked up.
“Why?”
“Because sometimes people tell you the truth in the middle of a bigger lie.”
Chloe studied him.
“You really think everyone lies.”
Victor didn’t answer.
Because he did.
Almost everyone.
She looked away.
“My mother used to sing when she cooked.”
Victor froze.
“What?”
“She had this terrible voice.”
A small smile appeared.
“But she didn’t care.”
Victor watched her carefully.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because Sarah knew that.”
Silence.
Victor understood.
Sarah didn’t just know facts.
She knew memories.
And that made everything more complicated.
At midnight, Victor received a call.
His security chief sounded nervous.
“Boss…”
“What?”
“We checked Sarah Collins’ fingerprints.”
“And?”
A long pause.
“She doesn’t exist.”
Victor’s eyes narrowed.
Impossible.
Nobody disappeared that completely.
Unless someone powerful helped them.
Then another message arrived.
A photograph.
Victor opened it.
And his blood turned cold.
It showed Chloe’s mother.
Alive.
Standing beside Victor’s father.
The date was taken three years after her supposed death.
Victor stared at the picture.
Because if it was real…
May you like
His entire family history was a lie.
TO BE CONTINUED…
