Chapter 7 - THE SISTER WHO STOOD BESIDE MY ENEMY
I had a sister.
For thirty-five years, nobody told me.
And the woman I'd watched smiling while Dominic struck me was apparently related to me by blood.
I stared at the adoption record.
"That's impossible."
Rebecca answered carefully.
"The document requires authentication, but the original records support a biological connection through Rose Bennett."
I looked toward the photograph.
Two babies.
Two mothers.
One promise.
My chest tightened.
"Why didn't Mom tell me?"
Nobody answered.
Adrian sat beside me.
"Claire, you don't have to process everything tonight."
I looked at him.
"She's my sister."
He nodded.
"And she watched Dominic hit me."
His expression hardened.
"I know."
For a moment, I wanted to hate Vanessa.
It would've been easier.
But the adoption record changed everything.
Why had my mother given up a child?
Why had Vanessa grown up under another name?
And why had she spent years helping Conrad steal from a trust connected to our mothers?
Rebecca arranged an independent review of the adoption records.
The original file showed Victoria Bennett had been born six years before me.
Rose was listed as her mother.
The father was not identified.
Shortly after birth, Victoria was placed with a wealthy family connected to Conrad Vale.
My stomach tightened.
"Conrad?"
Rebecca nodded.
"He appears in the guardianship paperwork."
I stared.
The man who threatened my mother had been connected to my sister since infancy.
Then Rebecca found something unusual.
A note from a social worker.
The adoption had been contested.
Rose Bennett wanted her child returned.
But the request was denied after a financial investigation accused Rose of misconduct.
My hands began shaking.
"What misconduct?"
Rebecca turned the page.
"Misappropriation of charitable funds."
I almost laughed.
The same accusation now connected to the stolen ninety million dollars.
Someone had used financial fraud allegations to separate my mother from her first daughter.
Then another document appeared.
A letter.
Rose had written it to Victoria when she was six.
My mother's handwriting filled the page.
My beautiful girl,
I didn't give you away because I stopped loving you.
I covered my mouth.
I fought for you.
I will always fight for you.
Tears blurred my vision.
The final paragraph broke me.
Someday, I hope you'll meet your little sister Claire.
She has your smile.
I began crying.
My mother had wanted us to know each other.
But someone had made sure we didn't.
Then Julian received a call.
His expression changed.
"What?"
He listened.
Then looked toward us.
"Vanessa has agreed to speak with investigators."
I sat upright.
"And?"
Julian swallowed.
"She says Conrad told her Rose abandoned her for money."
My heart tightened.
"That's a lie."
Julian nodded.
"She may be starting to realize that."
Then he revealed the final detail.
Vanessa had kept a letter Conrad gave her seven years earlier.
It contained instructions about my disappearance.
And at the bottom was a handwritten note.
CLAIRE MUST NEVER LEARN WHO HER SISTER IS.
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Someone had spent decades keeping our family separated.
And Vanessa had been helping without knowing the whole truth.
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