Chapter 3 The Truth in shadows

Anna's fingers tightened around the hospital coffee cup, the warmth seeping into her palms, but doing nothing to thaw the cold sitting heavy in her chest.

"She said I looked like someone she once loved..."

The words echoed endlessly in her head, looping through her thoughts like a ghost that refused to rest. They weren't just strange-they were personal. And the man who'd whispered threats over that woman's unconscious body? He didn't just radiate menace; his presence promised something darker.

Somehow, it all connected to her.

---

At Home – Confrontation with Margaret

Anna's key jammed in the lock before the door gave way with a reluctant groan. She entered, slamming the door behind her louder than she intended. Margaret looked up from the kitchen table, startled, her hand frozen above a pot of yam porridge.

"Where were you?" she asked, her voice strained.

"At the hospital," Anna replied, her voice tight.

Margaret's face lost all color. "Why?"

Anna dropped her bag to the floor. "Because the woman from the accident recognized me. She looked at me like I was someone she lost."

Margaret stiffened, then slowly set the spoon down.

"Anna, I-"

"And a man came in-he threatened her. Over her unconscious body. It was like watching a scene from a movie, except... I was in it. And it was real."

Margaret swallowed hard, retreating to sit.

Anna approached, her tone hardening. "I need the truth. Not the version you think I can handle. Not the watered-down version you've told me my whole life. The real one."

"You are my daughter," Margaret whispered.

"No," Anna snapped. "I'm someone else's, aren't I?"

Margaret's shoulders collapsed. She sat down heavily at the table, staring into nothing.

"You were given to me. Seventeen years ago. I worked as a maid at the Blackwell estate. When she gave birth, they told me to take you and disappear."

"She? You mean the woman in the hospital?"

Margaret nodded slowly. "Her name is Eniola. She loved you... but she had no power. Your father-Richard Blackwell-wanted the problem gone."

Anna felt the air leave her lungs. Her voice trembled. "So he just... gave me away?"

Margaret's eyes filled with tears. "She begged to keep you, but Richard wouldn't allow it. His marriage. His image. Everything mattered more than you."

"And you just took me? Raised me like I was yours?"

"I loved you like you were mine. Every day. But I couldn't protect you from this forever."

Anna turned away, her hands trembling. The silence between them stretched until Margaret spoke again.

"I wanted to tell you, so many times. But I thought if I loved you hard enough, maybe the truth would never matter."

Anna wiped at her cheeks, eyes red. "But it does matter. Because now I don't know who I am anymore."

"You're still you," Margaret whispered. "You're Anna. You're my girl."

Anna gave her one long look-full of hurt, betrayal, and love-and walked out the door.

---

Blackwell Mansion – Ethan's Restlessness

Ethan stood at the large window of his bedroom, the rain misting against the glass. He hadn't been able to shake her image since the hospital.

Anna Hartley.

A barista with a fire in her eyes, and now somehow involved in his father's tightly sealed secrets. He hated loose ends-and she was becoming one.

Jake entered without knocking, holding a soda can. "I'm starting to think you've joined a monastery. Haven't heard from you in days."

Ethan didn't look away. "She came to see my father."

"She?"

"Anna. The coffee shop girl."

Jake raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"She's not just a coffee girl. She's... she's something else."

Jake frowned. "You're into her."

"I don't know. But I can't stop thinking about her."

"That's new."

Ethan turned. "There's something he's hiding. My father. And she's the key."

Jake sobered. "Then maybe it's time you started digging."

---

Eniola's Mind – Flashback in a Coma

In the sterile silence of her coma, Eniola wandered through her memories. The pain of that night never dulled.

The baby in her arms, still damp with life. Margaret standing quietly beside the bed. Richard, cold and expressionless, delivering his verdict.

"You will vanish."

"She's mine," Eniola had cried.

"You want to destroy everything? Take her. But you'll leave. Tonight."

Eniola remembered the warmth of her baby's cheek against hers.

> "I'm so sorry, baby girl."

And just like that, they were gone.

---

Blackwell Study – Anna Confronts Richard

The mansion's corridors were too quiet, like the house itself held its breath.

Anna stood at the door of Richard Blackwell's study. This time, she didn't knock.

Richard looked up from behind his massive oak desk. "You again."

"Me again," she said, stepping inside.

He sighed and set down his pen. "You found Margaret."

"And she told me everything. About Eniola. About you. About me."

"Then you know you shouldn't be here."

"But I am. And you're going to look me in the eye when I ask: Why did you throw me away?"

He stared at her. "Because I had to."

"That's not good enough."

"You were born from a mistake. A weakness."

Anna's heart thudded. "You mean love?"

He shook his head. "Eniola let love get in the way. She forgot who we are."

"And what are you? Monsters?"

"Survivors."

"You took my life before I had a chance to live it."

Richard stood slowly. "What do you want, Anna? Money? A place in the will?"

She stepped back. "I want to know who I am."

"You're Eniola's daughter. You're not my heir. That place is already taken."

Anna's voice cracked. "By someone who isn't even yours."

He froze.

"You knew," she said. "About Ethan. That he's not your son."

Richard didn't deny it.

"And yet you raised him as your own. Why not me?"

He turned away. "Because the world would never have accepted you."

---

Scene – Anna and Ethan at the Garden Path

As Anna stormed out of the study, she nearly collided with Ethan outside. The garden lights cast soft shadows across his face.

"You went to him," he said.

She looked away. "I had to."

"Did he tell you the truth?"

"Enough of it."

Ethan studied her, then touched her arm. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head, biting her lip. "No."

He offered a weak smile. "You're stronger than any of us."

She looked up at him. Their eyes locked.

"Why do you even care?"

"Because I know what it's like to live a lie."

Anna turned to leave, but not before she whispered, "Then maybe we're not so different."

---

Scene – Richard Alone with the Folder

The study was quiet again.

Richard sat down, staring at the folder in front of him.

> Anna Hartley – Blood Type: B+ – Mother's Name: Eniola

> Ethan Blackwell – Paternity Status: Non-Biological

He poured himself a glass of whiskey.

> "One mistake," he whispered. "And everything begins to fall apart."

---