Lena couldn’t stop staring at the photograph.

Her hands were shaking.

The little girl in the picture was her.

There was no doubt about it.

She recognized the red dress.

She remembered the day.

She had been six years old.

Her father had taken her to a park.

She remembered the sunlight.

The smell of flowers.

Her father’s voice.

But she didn’t remember the woman standing behind them.

The woman who had pretended to be her mother.

The woman who had spoken to them through the hotel speakers.

The woman who had apparently been responsible for Julian’s disappearance.

Lena looked at Adrian.

“Who is she?”

Adrian didn’t answer.

“Adrian.”

“I don’t know.”

“You’ve seen her before.”

“No.”

“Then why do you look afraid?”

He stared at the photograph.

“Because my father knew her.”

Lena’s heart sank.

“Who is she?”

Adrian took the photograph.

He studied it carefully.

“There’s something familiar about her.”

“From where?”

“I don’t know.”

“Think.”

Adrian looked at Lena.

“Maybe from my mother’s records.”

They had to leave the hotel.

The sniper was still somewhere outside.

Julian had disappeared.

And the mysterious woman knew exactly where they were.

Adrian grabbed Lena’s hand.

“Come on.”

They ran through the dark hallway.

At the end of the corridor, they found a service staircase.

They rushed down.

When they reached the ground floor, they heard footsteps behind them.

Adrian stopped.

“Lena, go.”

“What?”

“Go to the car.”

“I’m not leaving you.”

“Now.”

She refused.

“Adrian—”

He pushed her toward the exit.

“Trust me.”

Lena ran.

She reached the car.

Seconds later, Adrian appeared.

He jumped inside.

“Drive!”

Adrian started the engine.

A gunshot shattered the rear window.

Lena screamed.

Adrian accelerated.

They escaped into the darkness.

For several minutes, neither spoke.

Then Lena looked at him.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

“You’re bleeding.”

Adrian looked at his arm.

A small cut.

“Nothing serious.”

Lena reached for his hand.

He pulled away.

“Don’t.”

She frowned.

“Why?”

“Because I need to concentrate.”

“You’re angry.”

“I’m not.”

“Then what?”

Adrian didn’t answer.

Lena looked out the window.

She knew something was wrong.

Finally, Adrian spoke.

“There’s something I haven’t told you.”

Lena turned toward him.

“What?”

“About Julian.”

“What?”

“Before he disappeared tonight, he told me something.”

“What did he say?”

Adrian’s hands tightened around the steering wheel.

“He said your father is the reason my brother disappeared.”

Lena froze.

“My father?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

“Did Julian explain?”

“No.”

Lena stared at him.

“You believe him?”

“I don’t know what to believe.”

“Do you believe my father hurt your brother?”

Adrian looked at her.

“No.”

“Then what?”

“I believe your father knew something.”

Lena looked away.

“My father didn’t abandon us.”

“No.”

“My mother didn’t abandon me.”

“No.”

“Then where were they?”

Adrian didn’t answer.

Lena’s eyes filled with tears.

“I spent my whole life thinking my father didn’t want me.”

Adrian reached for her hand.

This time, she didn’t pull away.

“Maybe he was trying to protect you.”

“From what?”

“From the people who are after us.”

Lena looked at him.

“Who are they?”

Adrian’s voice was quiet.

“I think I know.”

She waited.

“My father’s business partner.”

“Daniel Hart?”

“No.”

“Then who?”

Adrian looked at her.

“The fourth person.”

Lena remembered the documents.

Victor.

Daniel.

Julian.

And the mysterious fourth shareholder.

Evelyn Hart.

Her mother.

But Adrian shook his head.

“Your mother wasn’t the fourth person.”

Lena’s eyes widened.

“Then who was?”

Adrian’s phone rang.

He answered.

A man’s voice spoke.

“Mr. Ashford.”

“Who is this?”

“Someone who wants to keep you alive.”

Adrian’s expression hardened.

“Where is my brother?”

“Alive.”

“Where?”

“Not for long.”

Adrian’s hand tightened.

“Tell me.”

“You want Julian?”

“Yes.”

“Then bring Lena.”

“Where?”

“To the place where it began.”

Adrian frowned.

“Where?”

The caller laughed.

“Your father’s first house.”

The call ended.

Lena looked at Adrian.

“What did he say?”

Adrian told her.

Lena thought for a moment.

“Your father’s first house.”

Adrian nodded.

“I know where it is.”

“Where?”

“Outside the city.”

“Let’s go.”

“No.”

Lena looked at him.

“Why not?”

“Because it could be a trap.”

“Everything is a trap.”

Adrian almost smiled.

“You’re learning.”

“I’ve had a good teacher.”

He looked at her.

Their eyes met.

For a moment, the fear disappeared.

Then Adrian said:

“Lena, if something happens to me—”

“No.”

“Listen.”

“No.”

“Let me finish.”

She shook her head.

“I don’t want to hear it.”

“Lena.”

“I’ve already lost my father. I’ve lost my mother. I thought your brother was dead. Your father died in front of us.”

Her voice broke.

“I can’t lose you too.”

Adrian pulled the car over.

He turned toward her.

“You won’t.”

“Don’t promise me something you can’t control.”

“I can control this.”

He touched her face.

“I can control one thing.”

“What?”

“Whether I leave you.”

He leaned closer.

“I won’t.”

Lena closed her eyes.

Adrian kissed her.

This time, the kiss was soft.

A promise without words.

When they pulled apart, Lena whispered:

“I love you.”

Adrian smiled.

“I know.”

“Arrogant.”

“Honest.”

She laughed.

For a few seconds, they were just two people in love.

Then the reality returned.

They drove toward the old Ashford house.

The mansion stood beyond a forest.

It was older than the Ashford estate.

Much older.

Adrian stopped the car.

“This is where my grandfather lived.”

Lena looked at the house.

“Why did your father leave?”

“He didn’t.”

“What?”

“He was forced out.”

“By whom?”

Adrian looked at the house.

“My mother.”

Lena stared at him.

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

They entered.

The house was abandoned.

Dust covered the furniture.

Adrian walked toward the staircase.

“My father told me never to come here.”

“Did you?”

“Once.”

“When?”

“After Julian disappeared.”

Lena followed him.

“Why?”

“I thought he might have left a clue.”

“Did you find anything?”

“No.”

They reached the second floor.

Adrian stopped outside a bedroom.

“This was my mother’s.”

Lena entered.

There were old photographs on the walls.

Family photographs.

Adrian’s mother.

Victor.

Julian.

Adrian.

And then Lena stopped.

There was another photograph.

Her mother.

Standing beside Adrian’s mother.

They were young.

Lena moved closer.

“When was this taken?”

Adrian looked at the back.

“Twenty-six years ago.”

Lena stared.

“My mother knew your mother.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Adrian shook his head.

A sound came from downstairs.

They froze.

Someone was inside.

Adrian pulled Lena behind him.

They waited.

Footsteps climbed the stairs.

Slowly.

Then a voice called:

“Adrian.”

He recognized it.

His father’s voice.

Adrian’s eyes widened.

“Father?”

Lena’s heart stopped.

Victor was dead.

She had seen him die.

But the voice came again.

“Adrian.”

They stepped into the hallway.

A man stood at the end.

He looked exactly like Victor.

But something was wrong.

Adrian stared.

“You’re dead.”

The man smiled.

“No.”

Adrian stepped forward.

“Who are you?”

The man laughed.

“Your father.”

Adrian raised his gun.

“Don’t come closer.”

The man stopped.

Lena looked at him carefully.

He was identical to Victor.

But then she noticed something.

His eyes.

Victor’s eyes had been brown.

This man’s eyes were blue.

Lena whispered:

“Adrian.”

He looked at her.

“That’s not your father.”

The man smiled.

“Very clever.”

Then the lights went out.

A struggle followed.

Adrian grabbed Lena.

They ran.

But the man was faster.

He caught Lena’s arm.

Adrian turned.

“Let her go!”

The man held a knife to Lena’s throat.

“Drop your gun.”

Adrian obeyed.

The knife pressed against Lena’s skin.

Adrian’s face changed.

“Please.”

The man smiled.

“That’s the first time I’ve ever heard an Ashford beg.”

“Let her go.”

“Do you love her?”

Adrian didn’t hesitate.

“Yes.”

The man laughed.

“Then you will understand the pain.”

He pushed Lena away.

She fell.

Adrian ran toward her.

The man disappeared through a secret door.

Adrian helped Lena stand.

“Are you hurt?”

“No.”

He touched her neck.

A small line of blood.

His expression became furious.

“I’m going after him.”

“No.”

“Lena.”

“Look.”

She pointed toward the open secret door.

Inside was a small room.

There were hundreds of files.

Photographs.

Documents.

And one large map.

The map showed the entire city.

Red lines connected different locations.

The Ashford estate.

The Hart bakery.

The old chapel.

The Bellgrave Hotel.

And the old house.

At the center of the map was one location.

A red circle.

Lena moved closer.

“What is that?”

Adrian read the name.

His face went pale.

“The Hart family home.”

Lena stared at him.

“My house?”

Adrian nodded.

“But that’s impossible.”

“Why?”

“Because my mother sold it years ago.”

Lena looked at him.

“To whom?”

Adrian didn’t answer.

She already knew.

“The Ashfords.”

Adrian nodded.

Lena’s heart sank.

“Why would your family buy my childhood home?”

Adrian looked at the documents.

Then he found something.

A contract.

The buyer’s name was hidden.

But the signature was visible.

Lena recognized it.

Her mother’s signature.

“She sold it.”

Lena’s voice broke.

“My mother sold our house to your family.”

Adrian looked at her.

“And then she disappeared.”

Lena suddenly remembered something.

A locked room in the old house.

A room her mother had never allowed her to enter.

A room she had forgotten about.

“Adrian.”

“What?”

“My mother had a secret room.”

“Where?”

“Under the house.”

They returned to the city before sunrise.

The old Hart house stood exactly as Lena remembered.

Abandoned.

Broken.

Silent.

They entered through the back.

Lena walked toward the kitchen.

Then she stopped.

“Here.”

She moved a cabinet.

Behind it was a hidden staircase.

Adrian followed.

They went underground.

At the bottom was a metal door.

Lena found an old key inside her mother’s handbag.

She inserted it.

The door opened.

Inside was a small room.

And someone was sitting in the darkness.

Lena screamed.

The person slowly stood.

A man.

Older.

Weak.

But alive.

Lena stared.

She knew that face.

She had seen it in photographs.

She had dreamed about it.

Her father.

“Papa?”

The man looked at her.

His eyes filled with tears.

“Lena.”

She couldn’t move.

Then she ran to him.

He held her.

For the first time in twenty years, Lena was in her father’s arms.

She cried.

“Why did you leave me?”

Daniel Hart held her tighter.

“I never left you.”

“Then why?”

“I was protecting you.”

“From who?”

Daniel looked at Adrian.

His expression changed.

“From his family.”

Adrian stepped forward.

“What did my family do?”

Daniel shook his head.

“Not your family.”

“Then who?”

Daniel looked toward the door.

“The woman who raised your daughter.”

Lena froze.

“What?”

Daniel looked at her.

“Your mother is not your mother.”

Lena stepped backward.

“I know.”

Daniel’s face changed.

“You know?”

“Someone pretended to be her.”

Daniel shook his head.

“No.”

“What?”

Daniel’s eyes filled with fear.

“The woman who raised you…”

He paused.

“She is your mother.”

Lena stared at him.

“Then what are you saying?”

Daniel whispered:

“She’s not the woman you think she is.”

A sound came from upstairs.

Someone was entering the house.

Adrian reached for his weapon.

Daniel looked terrified.

“She’s here.”

Lena’s heart stopped.

“Who?”

Daniel looked directly at her.

“The woman who destroyed both our families.”

Footsteps moved above them.

Slowly.

Closer.

Adrian moved in front of Lena.

Daniel whispered:

“Don’t let her see you.”

“Why?”

“Because she has been searching for you for twenty years.”

The footsteps stopped.

A woman’s voice echoed through the house.

“Lena.”

Lena froze.

She knew that voice.

Her mother’s voice.

But Daniel grabbed her arm.

“That’s not your mother.”

The woman called again.

“Lena, my darling.”

Adrian raised his gun.

Daniel whispered:

“She’s here for you.”

The basement door slowly opened.

A woman’s shadow appeared.

Then she stepped into the light.

Lena stared.

The woman looked exactly like her mother.

But this time, Lena noticed something.

A small scar above her eyebrow.

The same scar appeared in every photograph of her mother.

Lena suddenly understood.

There had never been two women.

There had always been one.

Her mother.

The woman who had raised her.

The woman who had lied to her.

The woman who had disappeared.

And the woman who had been controlling everything.

She smiled at Lena.

“Hello, sweetheart.”

Lena stepped backward.

“You.”

Her mother smiled.

“Yes.”

Adrian raised his gun.

The woman looked at him.

“Put it down, Adrian.”

“Don’t move.”

She laughed softly.

“Your father said the same thing.”

Adrian’s face changed.

“You knew Victor.”

“I knew him very well.”

Daniel stepped forward.

“You promised to let her go.”

The woman’s smile disappeared.

“I changed my mind.”

Lena stared at her father.

“What is she talking about?”

Daniel looked at his daughter.

“I made a deal with her.”

“What deal?”

“Twenty years ago, I agreed to disappear.”

Lena’s voice broke.

“In exchange for what?”

Daniel looked at her.

“Your life.”

The woman smiled.

“Your father was willing to sacrifice everything for you.”

Lena couldn’t breathe.

“Why?”

The woman stepped closer.

“Because you’re not just his daughter.”

Lena stared at her.

The woman whispered:

“You’re the last heir to the Hart fortune.”

Daniel closed his eyes.

Adrian looked at Lena.

“What fortune?”

The woman laughed.

“The fortune that can destroy the Ashford empire.”

Suddenly, a gunshot echoed.

The woman fell backward.

Lena screamed.

Adrian grabbed her.

Daniel shouted:

“Run!”

They rushed through the basement.

But before Lena could leave, she heard the woman laughing.

She turned.

The woman was still standing.

Blood covered her shoulder.

And behind her stood another person.

A man.

Lena recognized him.

Julian.

He was holding the gun.

Adrian stopped.

“Julian.”

Julian looked at his brother.

“I’m sorry.”

Adrian stepped forward.

“Why?”

Julian pointed the gun at Lena.

“Because I have to do this.”

Lena stared at him.

“Do what?”

Julian’s eyes filled with tears.

“Give you to them.”

Adrian stepped between them.

“No.”

Julian’s voice broke.

“Adrian, move.”

“Never.”

“She will die if you don’t.”

“Who?”

Julian looked toward the woman.

“Her real mother.”

Lena froze.

The woman smiled.

“Now you finally understand.”

Adrian looked at Lena.

Then at the woman.

And suddenly, Daniel whispered the words that changed everything.

“Lena…”

She turned.

Daniel’s face was full of terror.

“That woman isn’t your mother.”

Lena looked at the woman.

“Then who is she?”

Daniel whispered:

“Your twin sister.”

The world went silent.

Lena stared at the woman.

The same face.

The same eyes.

The same voice.

Her whole life had been a lie.

The woman smiled.

“Hello, Lena.”

Then she whispered:

“Welcome home.”

And somewhere far away, a phone began to ring.

The person calling was the one person Lena thought she had lost forever.

Her real mother.