The Bride Pushed Her Future Mother-in-Law Off the 82nd-Floor Rooftop—But the Secret She Was Hiding Was Far More Terrifying

The police separated us.

Victoria was escorted into a private room near the elevators, still wearing her wedding dress. Her diamond necklace glittered beneath the fluorescent lights.

I sat beside Eleanor in the hotel's security office.

Nathaniel stood by the window, staring down at Manhattan.

Nobody seemed to know what to say.

Finally, I broke the silence.

“Why didn't you find me?””

Eleanor turned toward me.

“Rose…”

“You knew my name. You knew my mother. You knew I existed. Why did you let me grow up believing I had nobody?””

Her lips trembled.

“I searched for you.””

“When?””

“After the fire.””

“What fire?””

“The fire that killed Daniel.””

I stared at her.

“That's what killed my mother, too.””

Eleanor shook her head.

“No. Grace was already missing.””

My stomach tightened.

“Missing?””

She nodded.

“Daniel died in a fire at the Sterling family estate. The police identified several belongings that supposedly belonged to Grace. They told us she had died with him.””

“Supposedly?””

Eleanor reached into her handbag and removed a folded document.

“I never believed it.””

Nathaniel turned from the window.

“Mother, what aren't you telling us?””

Eleanor looked at him.

“I was warned not to investigate.””

“By whom?””

She looked down at the document.

“Your grandfather.””

Nathaniel frowned.

“My grandfather died twenty years ago.””

“I know.””

“Then who warned you?””

Eleanor's voice dropped.

“Your grandfather's attorney. Harold Whitmore.””

I recognized the name.

Whitmore Holdings.

A law firm that had appeared in several newspaper articles about the Callaway family's property empire.

Nathaniel approached the desk.

“Harold handled my grandfather's estate.””

“He also handled the documents surrounding Grace's disappearance,” Eleanor said.

I leaned forward.

“What documents?””

Eleanor unfolded the paper.

It was a hospital record.

The date was November 14, 1997.

My birthday.

At the top was the name of the hospital.

St. Catherine's Medical Center.

Below it were two birth certificates, both carrying Grace Callaway's name.

One was for a boy.

The other was for a girl.

But there was something strange about the second certificate.

The mother's signature looked different.

I pointed at it.

“That's not my mother's handwriting.””

Eleanor nodded.

“I know.””

Nathaniel picked up the paper.

“Who signed it?””

Eleanor hesitated.

“Harold Whitmore.””

The room seemed to shrink.

“Why would a lawyer sign a birth certificate?”” I asked.

“He didn't just sign it,” Eleanor replied.

“He arranged for the hospital to issue a replacement certificate. The original records were altered.””

Nathaniel's face hardened.

“Why?””

“To separate you from your sister.””

I stared at the documents.

“And Victoria knew?””

Eleanor looked toward the closed door.

“Yes.””

“How?””

“Her father told her.””

Nathaniel rubbed his forehead.

“Mother, I need you to stop speaking in riddles. Tell us everything.””

Eleanor took a shaky breath.

“Your grandfather, Richard Callaway, believed that the Callaway fortune should pass through a male heir. When Grace became pregnant, he was furious that she intended to marry Daniel Sterling.””

“Why?”” I asked.

“Because Daniel came from a family he considered beneath ours. He owned a small construction company. Richard wanted Grace to marry someone from an established family.””

“But she married him anyway?””

“Yes. And when she discovered she was having twins, Richard saw an opportunity.””

Eleanor's eyes filled.

“He decided to take one child.””

I felt sick.

“Which one?””

Nathaniel looked at her.

“Me?””

Eleanor nodded.

“Richard arranged for you to be registered as my child. He told Grace that the boy had died.””

“And Rose?””

“He told Daniel that the girl had died.””

I stared at her.

“So both my parents believed I was dead?””

“Yes.””

“And you went along with it?””

Eleanor's face crumpled.

“I was twenty-eight years old. Your father had threatened to destroy Grace's marriage, take the children, and have Daniel arrested on fabricated charges. I thought I could protect you by keeping quiet.””

“You thought?””

“I was wrong.””

I stood up so abruptly that my chair scraped across the floor.

“You let my mother mourn a child who was alive. You let Nathaniel grow up without knowing his twin sister. You let me grow up without knowing I had a family.””

Eleanor didn't defend herself.

She simply lowered her head.

“You're right.””

That answer somehow hurt more.

Nathaniel approached me.

“Rose, I know this is a lot.””

I turned toward him.

“Don't.””

“I didn't know.””

“I know.””

“I swear to you, I didn't.””

I looked at his face.

His eyes were red. His hands were shaking.

For the first time, I saw something familiar in him.

The same small crease between the eyebrows that appeared whenever I was trying not to cry.

My mother used to make that expression.

I sat down again.

Nathaniel pulled out the chair beside me.

“Can I ask you something?””

I nodded.

“Did you have a good childhood?””

The question caught me off guard.

I looked down at my hands.

“My mother made it good. Even when we had almost nothing.””

“What happened after she died?””

“My aunt raised me for a while. Then I moved into a small apartment and worked wherever I could. Hotels, restaurants, cleaning jobs.””

Nathaniel's face tightened.

“You were working here tonight?””

I gave a humorless laugh.

“Apparently, I was serving champagne at my brother's wedding.””

He looked away.

“I wish I'd known.””

“So do I.””

Eleanor reached for my hand.

“Grace would have been proud of you.””

I pulled my hand away.

“Please don't tell me what my mother would have wanted. You didn't know her well enough to make that decision.””

Eleanor nodded.

“You're right.””

A knock interrupted us.

Marcus entered with a police officer.

“Mr. Callaway, there's something you need to see.””

Nathaniel stood.

“What?””

Marcus held up a tablet.

“We checked the footage from the service corridor. Mrs. Sterling made a phone call approximately twenty minutes before the incident.””

“Who did she call?””

Marcus hesitated.

“Harold Whitmore.””

Eleanor closed her eyes.

Nathaniel took the tablet.

“Play it.””

The recording showed Victoria standing near the elevator, her back against the wall.

Her voice was clear.

“She's here. The girl is here.””

A man's voice answered through the phone.

“Are you certain?””

“I'm looking at her.””

“Then you need to get Eleanor to sign before tonight ends.””

Victoria laughed.

“She won't sign anything.””

“Make her understand what happens if she refuses.””

“And if she tells Nathaniel?””

A pause.

Then the man's voice said something that made Eleanor gasp.

“Then neither child leaves that building.””

The recording ended.

Nathaniel looked at Marcus.

“Who is Harold Whitmore?””

Marcus answered carefully.

“Your family's attorney for thirty-five years.””

“Where is he?””

“According to the event staff, he arrived an hour ago.””

Nathaniel stared at the screen.

“Find him.””

Marcus nodded and left.

I turned toward Eleanor.

“What does he want you to sign?””

She looked at me for a long time.

Then she reached into her handbag and removed another envelope.

Inside was a document with the Callaway family seal.

Nathaniel picked it up.

His eyes moved across the first page.

“What is this?””

Eleanor whispered, “Your grandfather's original will.””

He looked up.

“I thought the estate was settled.””

“It was supposed to be.””

She pointed to a paragraph near the bottom.

“The will says that the Callaway fortune belongs to the descendants of Grace Callaway. Both children. Equally.””

Nathaniel's face changed.

“How much?””

Eleanor gave a bitter smile.

“Everything your grandfather owned.””

I looked at the document.

“And Victoria?””

“She married you because she believed you were the sole heir. If you died without a legitimate heir, the estate would pass according to the secondary provisions.””

Nathaniel slowly lowered the paper.

“Which means?””

Eleanor looked toward the door.

“Harold would control the company until the next heir was legally established.””

I frowned.

“Why would Victoria help him?””

Eleanor's voice became almost inaudible.

“Because Harold promised her a share of the fortune.””

A sudden noise came from the hallway.

Someone shouted.

Then Marcus's voice rang through the office.

“STOP! DON'T LET HIM LEAVE!””