Chapter Ten – The Truth About the Silence
Memory came back in fragments.
Her father's voice, low and sharp.
The way Daniel clung to her at night.
The way the fire started downstairs—too fast.
Claire remembered waking in the hospital, her father's hand gripping hers too tightly. Remembered how Daniel was never mentioned again.
Mark showed her the records: sealed documents, falsified death notices, a private facility.
Daniel had grown up believing one thing:
She had abandoned him.
"He found you months ago," Mark said. "The notes weren't meant to scare you. They were meant to wake you up."
Claire's silence suddenly made sense.
It had been survival.
Denial.
Cowardice.
That night, alone in her apartment, she whispered his name into the dark.
"Daniel."
The door creaked.
Her heart stopped.
A voice answered from behind her.
"I remember everything."