Chapter 3: The Brother Who Forgot
The lights returned.
But Adrian was no longer looking at me.
He was looking at the open doorway.
A man stood there wearing a gray suit.
Older.
Calm.
Smiling.
I recognized the voice.
Vincent Kane.
Adrian immediately stepped in front of me.
“How did you get inside?””
Vincent smiled.
“You always were dramatic, Adrian.””
Marco reached inside his jacket, but Adrian raised his hand.
Not yet.
Vincent looked at me.
“So this is her.””
My skin crawled.
“You knew?””
“Of course I knew.””
He walked closer.
“The question is whether Adrian did.””
I looked at Adrian.
His jaw was tight.
“Leave.””
Vincent ignored him.
“Do you remember the night of the fire, Isabella?””
The room seemed to shrink.
“I’m not Isabella.””
Vincent smiled.
“That’s what they taught you to believe.””
A sharp pain moved through my head.
Then suddenly—
Fire.
Smoke.
A staircase.
A little boy holding my hand.
“Don’t cry, Bella. I’ll get help.””
I gasped.
Adrian noticed.
“Wren?””
I grabbed the table.
“I remember…”
Everyone went silent.
Vincent’s smile disappeared slightly.
“What do you remember?””
I closed my eyes.
The memory came in pieces.
A woman screaming.
A man carrying a suitcase.
A golden necklace around my neck.
And Adrian.
Young Adrian.
Standing outside the burning mansion.
I opened my eyes.
“You were there.””
Adrian froze.
“What?””
“You.””
My voice shook.
“You were a child.””
Vincent looked at Adrian.
“And now she remembers.””
Adrian stepped forward.
“What did you do?””
Vincent laughed.
“What did I do?””
His expression hardened.
“I saved this family.””
“You killed them,” Adrian said.
The room went silent.
Vincent’s smile vanished.
“You have no idea what happened that night.””
“Then explain.””
Vincent looked at me.
“Your parents discovered someone inside their company was stealing millions.””
My stomach tightened.
“And?””
“And they planned to expose him.””
Adrian stared.
“Who?””
Vincent didn’t answer.
Instead, he looked at Adrian.
“You were fourteen. You saw something you weren’t supposed to see.””
Adrian’s face went pale.
“I remember the fire.””
“Yes.””
“You told me Bella died.””
“Yes.””
Adrian stepped closer.
“You lied to me.””
Vincent sighed.
“I protected you.””
“By letting me believe my sister was dead?””
Vincent’s voice turned cold.
“By keeping you alive.””
Nobody moved.
Then Marco’s phone buzzed.
He checked the screen.
His expression changed.
“Boss.””
Adrian looked over.
“What?””
Marco swallowed.
“We found the original investigation files.””
He turned the screen around.
“There was another survivor.””
My breath stopped.
A name appeared.
Adrian looked at it.
Then looked at me.
The name was:
Wren Parker.
I stared.
“What does that mean?””
Marco answered quietly.
“After the fire, a woman found a young girl outside the property.””
I touched my chest.
“A woman?””
“Yes.””
Marco looked uncomfortable.
“She changed the child’s identity.””
Adrian looked at me.
“Who was she?””
Marco hesitated.
Then he said:
“The woman’s name was Clara Parker.””
My heart stopped.
I remembered.
Not fire.
Not the mansion.
Her.
A woman with kind eyes.
A woman who held me while I cried.
A woman who whispered:
“Your real family will come back for you someday.””
I covered my mouth.
“She wasn’t my mother.””
Adrian watched me carefully.
“Who was she?””
I shook my head.
“I don’t know.””
Then my phone rang.
Everyone froze.
I didn’t have a phone.
Not until Adrian gave me one earlier that day.
The screen showed an unknown number.
I answered.
A woman’s voice whispered:
“Wren?””
I couldn’t breathe.
“Who is this?””
The woman started crying.
“I thought you were dead.””
My fingers tightened around the phone.
“Who are you?””
A long silence followed.
Then the woman said the words that changed everything.
“I’m Clara Parker.””
Adrian stepped closer.
“Put it on speaker.””
I did.
Clara’s trembling voice filled the room.
“Wren… listen carefully.””
The sound of fear was obvious.
“Vincent Kane is not the only person who wanted Isabella Whitmore gone.””
Adrian frowned.
“What are you talking about?””
Clara answered:
“The person who ordered the fire…”
She paused.
“And the person who owns half of New York today…”
A crash sounded through the phone.
Clara screamed.
Then the call went dead.
May you like
And on the screen, one final message appeared:
*RUN. HE KNOWS YOU’RE ALIVE.*
