Chapter 2: The Photograph That Brought the Dead Back to Life
"Nobody touches him!"
My voice echoed through the ballroom with such force that every guard froze in place.
The little boy was shaking uncontrollably.
His fragile chest heaved with every sob.
He could barely breathe.
Slowly, with scratched and dirt-covered fingers, he reached into his pocket.
Carefully wrapped in worn plastic was an old photograph.
Its edges were faded.
Its surface creased from years of being folded and unfolded.
He placed it in my hands.
"Mommy said... I had to find Aunt Claire."
The moment I looked at the picture...
My entire world collapsed.
A young woman smiled brightly while holding a newborn baby.
It was Elena.
My older sister.
The same sister my family claimed had disappeared eight years ago after running away with a criminal and stealing money from the family.
The same sister my father had forbidden anyone to mention ever again.
But the truth was standing right in front of me.
The little boy had Elena's nose.
His striking amber eyes unmistakably belonged to the Bennett bloodline.
My hands began trembling.
May you like
I looked back at him through tears.
"Where... where is your mother?"
