Chapter 5: The Mother Who Carried The Blame
The room became completely silent.
Not quiet.
Silent.
The kind of silence that felt like the world itself was waiting for someone to speak.
I stared at my father.
Then at my mother.
Then back at him.
“No.””
My mother’s eyes filled with tears.
“Lucienne…”
“No.””
I stepped away from both of them.
“That’s not possible.””
My father looked down.
“I wish it wasn’t.””
My heart was beating so hard I could hear it.
My mother.
The woman who had disappeared.
The woman I had spent twenty-five years missing.
The woman whose absence shaped every decision I ever made.
She had betrayed my sister?
The word felt impossible.
“You’re lying.””
My father didn’t react.
“You think I want this to be true?””
I looked at him.
“You came back after twenty-five years and expect me to believe my mother destroyed our family?””
My mother whispered:
“I didn’t.””
I turned toward her.
“Then explain.””
Her lips trembled.
“I made a mistake.””
A bitter laugh escaped me.
“A mistake?””
I pointed toward the photograph of Elena.
“A woman disappeared.””
My voice rose.
“My sister disappeared.””
My mother closed her eyes.
“And you’re calling that a mistake?””
She covered her face with her hands.
“I was trying to save her.””
The words made me stop.
“What?””
My mother lowered her hands.
“I was trying to save Elena.””
I stared at her.
“That makes no sense.””
“I know.””
“Then make it make sense.””
My father walked toward the desk.
“Your mother did something she thought would protect Elena.””
“And it got her taken.””
My father didn’t answer.
That was enough.
I turned away.
For years, I had imagined my mother’s disappearance.
I imagined she left because she was tired.
Because she wanted a new life.
Because she stopped loving us.
But this?
This was something else.
This was a betrayal buried underneath another betrayal.
I picked up Elena’s photograph again.
She looked happy.
She trusted the people around her.
She trusted Victor.
She trusted my mother.
And somehow, all of that had been destroyed.
“What did you do?””
My mother stared at the photograph.
“I gave Victor information.””
My stomach dropped.
“What information?””
“Elena’s location.””
The words were barely audible.
I looked at my father.
He didn’t deny it.
“You told him where she was?””
My mother started crying.
“I didn’t know what he would do.””
“You didn’t know?””
My voice cracked.
“You knew he was dangerous.””
“Yes.””
“You knew he was threatening our family.””
“Yes.””
“Then why?””
She looked at me.
And the pain in her eyes was real.
That almost made it worse.
“Because he told me he could save you.””
I froze.
“Me?””
My mother nodded.
“He told me Elena had gone too far. He told me if I didn’t cooperate, he would come after you next.””
My hands went cold.
“He threatened me?””
“Yes.””
“And you believed him?””
My mother looked down.
“I was a mother.””
The answer hit me harder than I expected.
Because I understood it.
And I hated that I understood it.
A mother’s fear.
A mother’s desperation.
A mother making a terrible choice because she thought there were no good ones left.
But understanding wasn’t forgiveness.
Not yet.
“What happened after you gave him the information?””
My mother looked at my father.
Neither spoke.
“Tell me.””
My father took a deep breath.
“Victor found Elena.””
My chest tightened.
“And?””
“He convinced her to meet him.””
My father’s voice became quieter.
“She never came home.””
I looked at the photograph.
“Did she die?””
The question hung in the air.
My mother started crying harder.
My father looked away.
“I don’t know.””
The answer shocked me.
“You don’t know?””
“No.””
“How can you not know?””
“Because Victor made sure nobody knew.””
I walked toward the window.
The city stretched beneath me.
Millions of people.
Millions of stories.
And somewhere in that endless crowd, my sister’s story had been buried.
“What happened after Elena disappeared?””
My mother wiped her tears.
“That was when I realized what I had done.””
She looked at me.
“Victor didn’t keep his promise.””
My jaw tightened.
“Of course he didn’t.””
“He told me if I wanted you safe, I had to disappear too.””
I turned around.
“So you left.””
“Yes.””
“You abandoned me.””
Tears rolled down her face.
“Yes.””
The honesty hurt.
But somehow, it hurt less than another excuse.
“I thought if Victor believed I was gone, he would stop watching you.””
“And did he?””
My mother looked at my father.
“No.””
My father answered.
“He watched you your entire life.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“What?””
My father nodded.
“Your first company investment. Your first major contract. Your expansion into Europe.””
My eyes narrowed.
“What about them?””
“Victor knew.””
I stared at him.
“How?””
My father’s expression hardened.
“Because he had access.””
“To what?””
“To everything.””
I felt anger replacing confusion.
“My business?””
“Yes.””
“Are you saying Victor has been influencing my company?””
“For years.””
I thought about every meeting.
Every recommendation.
Every time Victor appeared with advice exactly when I needed it.
Every time he acted like a mentor.
A guide.
A supporter.
I felt sick.
“He helped me.””
My father shook his head.
“No.””
The word was immediate.
“He positioned himself close to you.””
I looked down.
“He wanted control.””
“Yes.””
“Over my company?””
My father hesitated.
“Over you.””
That was the sentence that frightened me most.
Not money.
Not power.
Me.
My phone vibrated again.
Another message.
This time, I didn’t want to look.
But I did.
Unknown number.
*Your parents are telling you only the parts that make them look innocent.*
My breathing stopped.
A second message appeared.
*Ask your father where he was the night Elena disappeared.*
I looked up.
Slowly.
My father saw my expression.
“What did he send?””
I didn’t answer.
I turned the phone around.
My father read the message.
And something changed.
Not fear.
Recognition.
“You knew.””
My voice was quiet.
My father looked away.
“You knew what happened that night.””
“Lucienne—”
“No.””
I stepped closer.
“Don’t.””
My mother looked confused.
“What is it?””
I looked at my father.
“Where were you the night Elena disappeared?””
The question destroyed the room.
My father didn’t move.
He didn’t blink.
He just stood there.
Like someone who had spent twenty-five years running from one moment.
Finally, he whispered:
“I was with Victor.””
My mother gasped.
“What?””
My father closed his eyes.
“I followed Elena.””
My heart stopped.
“You followed her?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because I thought she was going to expose Victor.””
“And?””
His silence answered.
“And?””
My voice shook.
“What happened?””
My father’s face changed.
The powerful businessman disappeared.
The confident man disappeared.
All that remained was someone carrying unbearable guilt.
“I got there too late.””
“Too late for what?””
He looked at me.
And for the first time since I met him again, I saw genuine fear.
“I saw Elena’s car.””
My stomach twisted.
“What about it?””
“It was at the edge of a cliff.””
Nobody spoke.
“My father’s voice became barely audible.
“The doors were open.””
I felt my mother grab the back of the chair for support.
“And Elena?””
My father looked at the floor.
“She was gone.””
The room spun.
“But you told me she disappeared.””
“She did.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“You’re hiding something.””
My father didn’t respond.
“Dad.””
He finally looked at me.
And the sadness in his eyes terrified me.
“Because when I found Elena’s car…”
He swallowed.
“There was another person’s blood inside.””
I froze.
“Whose?””
My father looked at my mother.
Then back at me.
“The blood was not Elena’s.””
A cold silence followed.
“Whose was it?””
May you like
My father’s voice broke.
“Mine.””
