Chapter 2: The House Remembered Everything
Police officers arrived within minutes.
Detectives sealed the east wing.
Hidden behind an antique bookshelf, they discovered a narrow staircase leading to a forgotten section of the mansion.
Inside were only three rooms.
A tiny bedroom.
A bathroom.
A classroom.
No windows.
Only locks.
Every wall was covered with childish drawings.
One drawing showed a little girl crying behind bars.
Another showed a woman wearing a bright red dress.
Written underneath in uneven handwriting were the words:
"She says Mommy forgot me."
Several officers quietly looked away.
Then the head detective noticed something unusual.
The old hallway still contained security cameras.
"They shouldn't work," one officer muttered.
The technician shook his head.
"They do."
"The recorder was disconnected from the monitors..."
"...but not from the hard drives."
Hours later...
Everyone gathered inside the mansion library.
The recovered footage began playing.
Eight years earlier.
Little Lily chased a puppy through the garden.
Victoria smiled warmly.
She offered Lily a cookie.
The child followed her inside.
That was the last time anyone had officially seen Lily.
The next camera showed Victoria carrying the sleeping child through a servants' hallway.
Straight into the hidden wing.
The timestamp continued.
Day after day.
Year after year.
Victoria brought food.
Books.
Clothes.
She never let Lily outside.
She repeatedly told the child:
"Your family abandoned you."
"They don't love you anymore."
The detective stopped the recording.
The room fell silent.
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Charles collapsed into a chair.
His entire world had just shattered.
