Chapter 8: The Voice From the Past
Nobody breathed.
The phone remained in Damian’s hand.
The screen glowed in the darkness, the name staring back at us.
*LILY.*
A child’s voice came through the speaker again.
“Daddy?””
The sound was small.
Uncertain.
Like she wasn’t sure if she was allowed to say it.
Damian froze.
I watched his face change.
The man who had stared down enemies, who had controlled entire rooms with a single sentence, suddenly looked like a father hearing his child call for him after years of silence.
“Lily?””
His voice broke.
Only slightly.
But I heard it.
Everyone heard it.
The little girl on the other end went quiet.
Then a tiny breath.
“Daddy…?””
I covered my mouth.
Because I knew that voice.
Not because I had heard it before.
Because a mother knows.
Even after years.
Even after being told a child is gone.
Some part of you still knows.
Damian looked at me.
His eyes were filled with questions.
But I couldn’t answer.
I was crying too hard.
“Where are you?”” Damian asked.
A pause.
Then Lily whispered:
“I don’t know.””
The fear in her voice was immediate.
Damian stood straighter.
“Are you hurt?””
“No.””
“Is someone with you?””
Silence.
That silence was the answer.
Damian’s expression darkened.
“Lily.””
A soft voice replied:
“Uncle said I can’t tell.””
My heart sank.
Damian closed his eyes.
Adrian.
“Lily, listen to me.””
His voice became gentle.
The kind of voice I never imagined he had.
“You’re not in trouble.””
“I know.””
“Can you tell me where you are?””
Another pause.
Then:
“I can see the old trees.””
Damian looked at Vincent.
Vincent’s face changed.
“The old estate.””
Everyone looked at him.
“What?”” Damian asked.
Vincent stepped closer.
“Adrian never left the property.””
Damian stared.
“That’s impossible.””
“No.””
Vincent looked toward the window.
“He hid where nobody would think to look.””
I grabbed Damian’s arm.
“Then we go there.””
He looked at me.
“No.””
My anger rose.
“No?””
“It’s exactly what he wants.””
“My daughter is there.””
“I know.””
“Do you?””
The words came out sharper than I intended.
Damian went silent.
I stepped closer.
“You know what it’s like to lose a child?””
His eyes changed.
“Yes.””
“Do you know what it’s like to be told they’re dead?””
His face tightened.
“No.””
I shook my head.
“Then don’t tell me to wait.””
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then Leah stepped forward.
She touched Damian’s hand.
“Mama.””
Both of us looked at her.
She pointed at the phone.
Then at the door.
She wanted to go.
Damian looked at his daughter.
And something inside him broke.
“Prepare the cars.””
His guards immediately moved.
Vincent grabbed his arm.
“You can’t go without knowing the truth.””
Damian pulled away.
“I’ve waited two years.””
“Because you didn’t know.””
Damian looked at him.
“I know enough.””
Vincent’s voice lowered.
“If Adrian has Lily, he has a reason.””
“He has my daughter.””
“And he wants something.””
Damian’s expression became cold.
“Then he can ask me himself.””
Vincent stared at him.
“That’s exactly what he wants.””
The drive to the old estate was silent.
Too silent.
I sat in the back seat beside Leah.
She held my hand the entire time.
I looked at her.
“You knew.””
She stared out the window.
“You knew Lily was alive.””
She didn’t answer.
Of course she didn’t.
But then she slowly nodded.
My heart cracked.
“How long?””
She looked at me.
Then held up two fingers.
Two years.
I looked away.
Tears filled my eyes.
Two years.
Two years my daughters knew about each other.
Two years one of them knew about me.
And I knew nothing.
Damian watched us from the front seat through the mirror.
His expression was unreadable.
But I saw the pain.
Because he was realizing the same thing.
He had lost two years too.
The old Caruso estate appeared after midnight.
It wasn’t abandoned.
That was the first thing I noticed.
Lights were on.
The garden was maintained.
Someone lived there.
Damian stepped out first.
His men surrounded the property.
Then he looked at me.
“Stay close.””
I almost laughed.
“Now you’re worried about me?””
His face softened.
“Yes.””
The honesty surprised me.
Before I could respond, the front door opened.
Adrian stood there.
Alone.
No guards.
No weapons.
Just a man waiting.
“Damian.””
Damian stepped forward.
“Where is she?””
Adrian looked at me.
Then Leah.
Then back at Damian.
“You brought them.””
I felt anger rise.
“You don’t get to act surprised.””
Adrian’s eyes moved to me.
“I knew you would come.””
“Where is my daughter?””
He ignored the question.
Instead, he looked at Leah.
“You got your voice back.””
Leah moved closer to me.
“She was always going to.””
Adrian looked sad.
“She was waiting.””
The words bothered me.
Waiting for what?
Adrian turned.
“Come inside.””
Nobody moved.
Damian’s hand lifted slightly.
A warning.
Adrian sighed.
“You think I’m going to hurt her?””
“You took her.””
“Yes.””
“You lied.””
“Yes.””
“Then why should I trust you?””
Adrian looked at him.
“Because I’m the only reason she survived.””
Damian’s face hardened.
“You keep saying that.””
“Because it’s true.””
I stepped forward.
“Enough.””
Everyone looked at me.
“I don’t care about your family war.””
My voice shook.
“I don’t care who betrayed who.””
I looked at Adrian.
“I want my daughter.””
For the first time, Adrian looked at me with real emotion.
“I know.””
“Then take me to her.””
He nodded.
Inside the house, memories surrounded us.
Photographs.
Old furniture.
A life hidden away.
Then we reached a room at the end of the hallway.
Adrian stopped.
His hand touched the door.
“She’s been waiting here.””
My heart pounded.
He opened it.
And there she was.
A little girl sitting by the window.
Drawing.
Her hair was longer than in the picture.
She looked older.
More grown.
But I knew her.
I knew her before she turned around.
“Lily.””
The name escaped my mouth.
The pencil fell from her hand.
Slowly, she stood.
Her eyes moved to me.
And then everything stopped.
She didn’t run.
She didn’t cry.
She just stared.
Like she was afraid the moment would disappear.
“Mom?””
One word.
One word I had dreamed of hearing.
My legs gave out.
I dropped to my knees.
Lily ran.
Straight into my arms.
The sound that came from me wasn’t a cry.
It was something deeper.
Something that had been trapped for two years.
I held her.
I held my daughter.
Alive.
Warm.
Real.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
Over and over.
“I’m sorry.””
Lily hugged me tighter.
“I knew you’d come.””
I pulled back.
“What?””
She wiped her tears.
“Uncle said you would.””
I looked up.
At Adrian.
My blood ran cold.
“Why?””
Adrian didn’t answer.
Lily did.
“Because he said you were the only person who could stop Daddy from becoming like Grandpa.””
The room went silent.
Everyone looked at Damian.
He stood frozen.
“What does that mean?””
Lily looked down.
“He said Daddy forgot what happened.””
Damian’s face changed.
Forgot.
The word from before.
The missing memories.
I looked at Adrian.
“What did you do?””
Adrian didn’t answer.
Instead, he looked at Damian.
“Your memories were changed for a reason.””
Damian stepped closer.
“Who changed them?””
Adrian’s eyes moved to me.
Then to Lily.
Then Leah.
And he whispered:
“The same person who made you believe your daughter died.””
A cold feeling moved through the room.
“Who?””
Adrian looked at Damian.
And said:
“Your mother.””
Nobody moved.
Because Damian’s mother had died years ago.
But then Lily spoke.
A frightened whisper.
“Daddy…”
Everyone turned.
She was staring at the doorway behind us.
Her face had gone pale.
Because someone was standing there.
Someone who should not have been alive.
May you like
And someone Damian recognized immediately.
“Mom?”” he whispered.
