Chapter 47 Chapter 47

Chapter 47 Chapter 47
_Anya's POV_

The world seemed to stop. For several seconds, I could only stare at her. I was unable to process what I had just heard.

My mother.

The word felt strange and unfamiliar. It was almost impossible.

I had spent so many years accepting that I would never know where I came from. I had forced myself to believe that the questions inside my heart did not matter anymore. That my past was something I had to leave behind.

But now, the woman standing in front of me was telling me that the one person I had spent my entire life wondering about was right here. A mother I had never known....someone I thought I would never find.

My eyes moved toward the baby in her arms. The child looked so peaceful and completely unaware of the pain and secrets surrounding her existence.

My heart tightened.

Was that really me?

Was that the beginning of my story?

Emily looked at me with tears in her eyes, as if she could feel every question running through my mind.

"There were reasons you could not know the truth."

My breathing became uneven. "What reasons?"

Her expression turned sorrowful. "Some truths are hidden because they are dangerous."

The moment she said those words, Maya became alert inside my mind.

Dangerous?

A strange feeling settled over me.

Emily looked back at me. "But hidden does not mean lost."

I opened my mouth to ask what she meant but before I could speak, the room suddenly trembled. The peaceful warmth around me began to disappear. The golden light flickered like a dying flame. The sound of rain became distant and the image of Emily started becoming unclear.

Panic immediately rushed through me. "No."

I stepped forward. "Wait."

I reached toward her. I was afraid that if I looked away for even a second, she would disappear completely.

Emily lifted her hand toward me. Her fingers never touched mine but somehow, I felt warmth spread through my entire body.....a warmth that felt like home.

"You have found the first piece."

I frowned. "The first piece?"

Her gaze moved toward the photograph still held in my hand.

"The memory they tried to hide."

My heart began beating faster. "Memory?"

Emily looked away for a moment as if she was searching for the right words.

"There is more that you need to discover."

My confusion grew. "Where?"

Her expression suddenly became urgent. "The library."

My breath caught. "The library?"

"Find the oldest bookshelf."

Her voice became weaker with every second.

"Count seven books from the left."

I repeated the words quietly, trying to remember every detail.

"Seven books..."

Emily nodded. "Behind it..."

Her figure started fading faster. "There is something waiting for you."

"No...." I stepped forward again. "Please, don't disappear."

But she continued fading. Her voice was becoming softer.

"Something they never wanted you to find."

My heart raced. "Who?"

My voice broke. "Who did this?"

The woman looked at me one last time. And before she disappeared completely, I heard her whisper.

"Trust your heart, Anya."

The next second, everything shattered. The warmth vanished. The golden light disappeared and I was pulled back into reality.

I gasped as my eyes suddenly flew open. The bathroom came rushing back around me. The sound of running water filled my ears, mixing with the sound of my own heavy breathing. For several seconds, I remained completely still. I was unable to understand what had just happened. Then something caught my attention.

The sound of water.

My eyes slowly moved downward. The bathtub was overflowing. Water spilled over the edge and spread across the floor, soaking the tiles beneath my feet. My heart dropped.

The photograph; it had fallen into the water.

"No."

I quickly reached into the bathtub and grabbed it, pulling it out before it could become completely damaged. The old paper was soaked and drops of water fell from its edges onto the floor. My hands trembled as I carefully held it.

What had just happened?

Was that real?

Maybe, a vision?

Or was I finally losing my mind?

Maya's voice was quiet. "Anya."

I swallowed hard. "Did you see that too?"

"Yes."

I stared at the photograph. "Then I am not imagining things."

Maya was silent but I could feel her uncertainty. That scared me more. Because if even Maya did not know what was happening...

Then what was I supposed to believe?

I looked down at the photograph again. The water had blurred some of the image but I could still see them; the woman and the baby.

A part of me wanted to believe everything I had just experienced.....that I had finally found a piece of my past. That sometime in this world, someone had loved me.

But another part of me was afraid. Because if the vision was real...

Then everything I thought I knew about my past was wrong.

___________

Later that evening, I sat across from Jacob at dinner. The restaurant was beautiful. Soft music played in the background and candles flickered on the table. Normally, I would have enjoyed every second. But tonight, I could barely focus.

Jacob was talking about something funny that happened earlier with one of the pack members but my thoughts were somewhere else. I tried my best to listen. I even smiled at the right moments but my attention kept drifting away.

"Anya?"

I blinked and looked up. "Hm?"

Jacob smiled slightly. "You have been staring at your food for the past five minutes."

I immediately looked down at my untouched meal and felt embarrassed.

"Sorry."

He studied me carefully. "Are you sure you are okay?"

I forced a small smile. "I'm just tired."

Jacob reached across the table and gently took my hand. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

Guilt immediately filled my chest. Because I wanted to tell him.....I really did. But every time I imagined telling him the truth, another thought stopped me.

How would I explain it?

How could I tell him that I had gone back to the west wing again after he had warned me not to?

How could I explain that I was following the words of a woman who appeared inside a vision?

And what would he think when he realized that I was still questioning his mother?

I had no proof but only a photograph and a vision that I could barely understand myself.

"I know."
He squeezed my hand gently. "Then why do I feel like you are somewhere else?"

I looked at him. For a moment, I almost told him everything. The words were right there. But then the image of Mom Jess standing in the west wing returned to my mind. My lips parted but no words came out. Instead, I looked away.

"I'm just tired, Jacob."

He watched me silently for a few seconds. I knew that he did not completely believe me. But eventually, he gave a small nod.

"Okay."

The rest of the evening passed quietly. Jacob continued trying to make me smile and I tried my best to be present with him, but my mind kept returning to the same unanswered questions.

By the time we arrived home, I felt more confused than before. I stood outside the bedroom door with my hand resting on the handle.

The vision played inside my mind again. The library.....the oldest bookshelf.....seven books from the left.....a hidden drawer.

I closed my eyes. Maybe it was nothing but just my imagination.

Maybe my mind was creating answers because I wanted them so badly.

But...

What if it was real?

What if the truth was waiting there?

I slowly opened the door and stepped inside.

For the first time, I felt like I was standing at the edge of discovering who I truly was.

Tomorrow.....

I would go to the library and I would find out whether the truth had been waiting for me all along.