Chapter 2: The Name He Gave Me
Everyone in the room went still.
William's voice had dropped so low I almost didn't hear it.
But I heard it.
My name.
My real name.
The one only my mother ever used.
"How do you know that name?" I whispered.
His eyes didn't leave my face.
"Because I gave it to you."
Victoria laughed from behind him.
"William, she's a server.
Don't embarrass yourself."
He didn't turn around.
"Get out, Victoria."
"Excuse me?"
"I said get out."
She grabbed his arm.
He pulled free without looking at her.
He was still holding the broken pendant.
His thumb moved slowly over the cracked photo inside.
A younger version of himself.
A tiny baby wrapped in white.
"I looked for you," he said quietly.
"For twenty-three years."
My throat closed.
"Your mother told me you d—" He stopped.
Swallowed.
"She told me you were gone."
The room felt like it was tilting.
Victoria's voice came sharp from the doorway.
"Whatever she told you, William, this girl is nobody.
Look at her."
He finally turned.
And the way he looked at Victoria made her step back.
"She's my daughter."
The silence that followed was the loudest thing I had ever heard.
Then Victoria's phone rang.
She looked at the screen.
And her face went white.
---
What was on that phone?
And what has Victoria been hiding all these years?
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The full story is in the link below — and the truth is darker than anyone in that room expected.
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