CHAPTER 4 — The Truth Emily Protected Until Her Last Breath
After the ballroom emptied, Adrian invited the maid into his private study.
Neither spoke for several minutes.
Finally, she unfolded a weathered envelope.
"My mother told me to give you this only if we ever met."
The handwriting stopped Adrian's heart.
Emily's.
He opened the letter carefully.
"Adrian, if you're reading this, I couldn't protect our daughter any longer."
His breathing stopped.
"Your father paid people to tell you I abandoned you."
"He threatened to destroy our child if I ever contacted you again."
"So I disappeared."
Tears blurred Adrian's vision.
"Please don't hate me for choosing her life over our happiness."
Inside the envelope rested one more document.
A birth certificate.
Father:
Adrian James Whitmore.
Mother:
Emily Carter.
His eyes slowly lifted toward the young woman.
"Your name?"
She smiled sadly.
"Grace."
"My mother wanted me to choose whether I ever looked for you."
She reached into her purse.
"I waited until after she passed away."
Adrian covered his face.
Twenty-five years.
Gone.
May you like
Stolen.
By his own family.
