Chapter 12: The Person Behind The Mask
I didn’t sleep.
Not that night.
Not the next morning.
Every answer created three more questions.
Michael was dead.
Someone had pretended to be him.
Vanessa had secrets.
Rachel had secrets.
And somewhere in the middle of it all was Lily.
The child everyone claimed they were protecting.
But nobody protected.
By sunrise, I had made a decision.
I was done believing anyone.
I needed proof.
I needed facts.
I needed to know who was lying.
Vanessa was being questioned by investigators.
Rachel agreed to stay.
Lily refused to leave my side.
That alone told me everything.
We drove to Vanessa’s old family home.
The house had belonged to her mother.
According to Rachel, it had been empty for years.
But when we arrived, the front door was unlocked.
I looked at Rachel.
“Were you expecting this?””
She shook her head.
“No.””
I stepped inside.
The house smelled old.
Dust.
Wood.
Memories.
Lily held my hand.
“Daddy.””
“Yeah?””
“I don’t like this place.””
I squeezed her fingers.
“We won’t stay long.””
But the second we entered the living room, I knew this place held answers.
There were photographs on the wall.
Vanessa as a child.
Her mother beside her.
And one picture caught my attention.
A little Vanessa.
Standing beside another girl.
Same age.
Same face shape.
Almost identical.
“Who is that?””
Rachel looked.
Her expression changed.
“I don’t know.””
I walked closer.
There was writing on the back.
I flipped it over.
Two names.
*Vanessa and Victoria.*
“Victoria?””
Rachel went pale.
“No.””
“What?””
She shook her head.
“Vanessa never had a sister.””
A sound came from upstairs.
Everyone froze.
I moved immediately.
“Stay here.””
I climbed the stairs.
Every step creaked.
At the top was a hallway.
Three doors.
The last one was slightly open.
I pushed it.
Inside was a bedroom.
A child’s bedroom.
But not Lily’s.
Another child’s room.
On the desk was a stack of papers.
I picked them up.
My hands started shaking.
They were medical records.
Psychological evaluations.
And one name appeared repeatedly.
*Victoria Reed.*
I looked closer.
The date.
Twenty-five years ago.
Then I saw the note at the bottom.
*Patient transferred after incident involving twin sibling.*
Twin sibling.
My breath stopped.
I ran downstairs.
“Rachel.””
She looked at my face.
“What?””
“Vanessa had a sister.””
Rachel shook her head.
“No.””
“Yes.””
I showed her the paper.
She read it.
Then whispered:
“Victoria.””
Lily looked confused.
“Who is Victoria?””
Nobody answered.
Because we didn’t know.
Not yet.
Then my phone rang.
A video call.
Unknown number.
I answered.
The screen turned on.
A woman appeared.
I froze.
Because she looked exactly like Vanessa.
Older.
Tired.
Terrified.
“Daniel?””
My voice disappeared.
The woman looked at Lily.
Then whispered:
“I’m sorry.””
A pause.
“I’m Victoria.””
The call continued.
And then she said the words that changed everything:
“Vanessa didn’t hurt Lily because she became like our mother.””
May you like
She looked directly into the camera.
“She hurt Lily because she was trying to protect her from me.””
