Chapter 11: The House Beyond the Gate
The second house was nothing like the Whitmore mansion.
That was the first thing I noticed.
No marble floors.
No crystal chandeliers.
No expensive paintings.
Just an old abandoned property sitting behind a rusted gate.
The address had belonged to Charles for years.
But nobody knew it existed.
The police surrounded the building before we entered.
Emma stayed with Evelyn.
Victoria came with me.
I didn’t know why.
Maybe because despite everything, I believed she still wanted to fix what she had broken.
The officer opened the front door.
Dust filled the air.
The house smelled forgotten.
But it wasn’t empty.
Someone had been there recently.
Fresh footprints crossed the floor.
“He knew we would come,” I whispered.
Victoria looked around.
“Yes.””
We entered the living room.
Nothing.
The kitchen.
Nothing.
Then I saw it.
A small wooden box sitting beneath the staircase.
I walked toward it.
Victoria grabbed my arm.
“Claire.””
“What?””
Her face was tense.
“Be careful.””
I looked at the box.
“Why?””
She whispered:
“Because Charles never hides things without a reason.””
I opened it.
Inside was a key.
And a photograph.
The photograph showed Charles.
Not with Victoria.
Not with Evelyn.
With someone else.
A young woman.
I looked closer.
The woman looked familiar.
Then I recognized her.
“My mother.””
Victoria looked shocked.
“What?””
I held the photo.
“That’s my mother.””
Nobody moved.
My mother had died when I was young.
At least, that was what I had always believed.
But why was she with Charles Whitmore?
Why was there a picture of them together?
The officer walked over.
“Who is she?””
I couldn’t answer.
Because I didn’t know anymore.
Victoria looked at the back of the photo.
There was writing.
A date.
And one sentence.
*The first mistake was trusting her.*
My stomach tightened.
A sound came from upstairs.
Everyone stopped.
Footsteps.
Someone was inside.
The officers moved immediately.
“Police! Show yourself!””
Silence.
Then a voice answered.
“You’re too late.””
The voice was old.
Weak.
But familiar.
I looked at Victoria.
She went pale.
“No…”
The officers moved upstairs.
We followed.
At the end of the hallway was a locked room.
The key from the box fit perfectly.
The door opened.
Inside was a small office.
Files covered the walls.
Thousands of documents.
Names.
Dates.
Payments.
And in the center of the desk was a folder.
My name was written on it.
Again.
I opened it.
Inside were records from seven years ago.
Medical reports.
Police notes.
And one document that made my entire body freeze.
*Memory suppression treatment authorization.*
I looked at Victoria.
“What is this?””
She looked devastated.
“I didn’t know.””
The officer grabbed the paper.
“Who authorized this?””
I looked down.
A signature.
Charles Whitmore.
But beneath it was another signature.
A doctor.
A name I recognized.
Because it appeared on Emma’s medical records.
Dr. Caroline Whitmore.
Charles’s sister.
A voice came from behind us.
“You finally found it.””
Everyone turned.
An elderly man stood in the doorway.
The officers raised their hands.
“Don’t move.””
The man lifted his palms.
“I’m not here to fight.””
He looked at me.
“I’m here because you deserve the truth.””
I stared at him.
“Who are you?””
He looked at the folder.
Then at my face.
“I was the doctor who treated you seven years ago.””
My blood ran cold.
“You erased my memory.””
His eyes filled with regret.
“No.””
He shook his head.
“I tried to stop him from doing it.””
The room went silent.
Then he said:
“Your memory wasn’t removed because you discovered Charles’s secret.””
May you like
He looked at Emma’s photo on the desk.
“It was removed because you discovered his biggest one.””
