CHAPTER 15
Laura
Xavier’s words kept echoing in my head, driving deep like a nail whose presence only becomes clear after years of being embedded in the wall of memory. About my father–who might still be alive because his body was never actually buried.”
And then about Maureen.
That accident. I thought it was a tragedy. Something destined by nature or sheer bad luck. But now, it doesn’t sound like fate anymore. Not after I remembered how that accident really happened.§
We used a car that had been serviced. Routinely. I was the one who took it to the shop the day before. And the mechanic said everything was fine–especially the brakes.N
But that night, Maureen was driving… and the brakes failed. We crashed through a guardrail, and the car flipped into a shallow ravine. Maureen died instantly. I was in a coma for two days.
Back then I thought, I should have died too. But now, I realize… maybe that was the point.}]
One name flashed through my mind. Burning the back of my neck like ice touching scorched skin.
Amber.
That woman once said something to me before I left the Hudson house. “You should’ve died with Maureen. So you wouldn’t stand in the way of what’s mine.”
A woman with a gaze that never explained what she really knew, but always seemed to believe she knew more than anyone else. She came back after Maureen’s death, like she knew the perfect time to slip into the empty space.}
And the triplets–the way they treated me. I used to think it was just part of the transition, children unready for a new presence in their lives.&
But they knew.
They knew who their real mother was.
Even though no one should’ve told them–except Oliver or me. We had agreed from the start. Only when they were old enough and strong enough.
“It couldn’t have been Oliver who told them,” I murmured. “That would’ve been an outright declaration of war.”
Amber. The only one with enough motive, enough ambition, and enough vengeance.
My hands curled into fists. But before my thoughts could spiral further, Xavier’s voice broke the silence.
“What are you thinking about?“}
I turned quickly. Xavier was standing behind me. Not as tense as usual, but his eyes still held the same depth–piercing, quiet calculation.”
“I… I’m fine,” I replied briefly.”
Xavier stepped closer. “Were you thinking about what I said yesterday? About looking into your father’s and sister’s deaths?” He stopped near me, then whispered, “Say it, Laura. You can ask anything of me.“}]
I nodded slowly. “Look into it. All of it.”
Three days later, Xavier sat across from me. His hair was a bit messy, his face sleepless. But in his eyes, there was something more than fatigue.
He tossed a thick folder onto the table.}
“This… is everything,” he said quietly. “I started with the car Maureen was in. Shop reports, service payment receipts, and-“}
He drew a breath, opening a page that showed a receipt dated two days before the accident.
“The car had its brakes replaced two days before the incident. Brand new.“}]
I stiffened. “But…?”
“But when I checked the scene, and spoke to an independent technician who’s handled similar crash cases, he said the brakes weren’t broken. They were removed. Intentionally.”
My blood felt like it turned to ice.
“And someone paid cash to replace the brakes. But the name listed as the owner… wasn’t Maureen. It was a woman using a fake ID. The shop’s CCTV had been wiped. But I got a backup recording from a former employee.”
He handed me a flash drive. “We can open it later. But that’s not even the worst part.“W
Xavier opened a second folder. This time, the photos were black and white–satellite images and fire department documents. My old house The one that burned down
“The fire didn’t come from an electrical short like the report said. This is the real cause.”
He handed over the forensic lab results: traces of an accelerant–a type of liquid commonly used to fuel fires. Found in three locations: the living room, my father’s bedroom, and near the staircase.
“It was arson.”
I swallowed hard. My voice barely came out. “But… why? Why burn down our house?“%
Xavier looked me straight in the eyes 8
“There was someone who wanted Maureen back in that town. And who would be most likely to make her return, if not her own family?”
