Chapter 27

"you've got the wrong person"

She tried to free herself.

"What? I know you know what I'm saying, why did you leave me in the hotel? Do you know what happened to me?"

"You're... you're alive? Is that you Danielle?"

She blinked her eyes a few times indicating surprise.

Still holding her, I nodded, about to tear up.

"Let's talk somewhere else"

I paid for the groceries, texted Summer I need to see someone and we left in a taxi.

The taxi ride was silent and heavy with unspoken words. Sophia sat with her arms crossed, her gaze fixed out the window. Her face was expressionless, but I could feel the weight of her emotions hanging in the air.

Why isn't she saying anything? After all these years?

As the taxi pulled up to Sophia's apartment building, I noticed that it was located in a quiet, tree-lined neighborhood. The building itself was an older brick structure, and as we walked up the steps to the front door, I could see that the paint was peeling in places. I followed Sophia inside, and the lobby was filled with the scent of old carpet and stale air. As we rode the elevator up to her floor, I wondered what kind of apartment she lived in. Was it small and cramped, or large and spacious? What happened? 17 years...

Sophia's apartment was small and cozy, with soft lighting and eclectic furnishings. The walls were painted a warm cream colour, and the floors were covered in patterned rugs. There was a tiny kitchenette in one corner, with a small refrigerator and stovetop, and a few shelves filled with mismatched dishes and utensils. The living room was dominated by a large, overstuffed couch, and there were stacks of books and magazines on every surface.

I sat on the edge of the couch, my hands clasped tightly together in my lap. I had so many questions for Sophia, but I wasn't sure where to begin. I finally managed to say, "Sophia, I need to know what really happened that day, Why did you disappear?"

Sophia's eyes softened, and she reached out to take my hand. "I know this is a lot to take in, Danielle," she said.

"No, my name is Drea not Danielle"

" Oh...sorry, I promise I'll answer all of your questions. I'm so happy to finally found you, I've been looking for you for years, my efforts were in vain"

"What do you mean you were looking for me? You LEFT me!"

She sat beside me and held my hands.

"I didn't leave you, something happened that day, I was in coma for two years, when I finally woke up, I looked for you Danielle, sorry... Drea"

"What happened? Just tell me everything!"

"I was on my way to get you drugs when someone attacked me, it was the Dominic's family detective, Mark, he hit me with a block on my head, he hit me so hard that blood was rushing, I didn't know I would survive it, luckily, someone saved me"

"Mark? Why would he do that?"

"A lot happened in the Dominic's house that I was aware of, let me start from the beginning, Granny told me to forge your death certificate so the family conflict will settle, it's wider than you think, she told me she'd come get you after two months. As you know I worked there for 14 years"

"You are not answering my question, why would Mark do that?"

"Where do I begin? Let me tell you everything from the beginning. I was cleaning the house one day, I over heard Joseph, Mr. Dominic arguing with someone over the phone in his study room that, he already burned the Taylors and that he won't blink an eye to kill someone else, I was so shocked"

"Ok..."

"Months later, I came across a flash drive while cleaning, I don't know what drove me to play what I found inside. I played it, it was a full video of Joseph murdering The Taylors and burning them in a house to make it look like a gas explosion, people didn't know it was arson"

"Who are the Taylors and what do they have to do with what I want to know?"

"They were your parents"

"Wha...what?"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I wanted to scream, to cry, to throw something. But I was frozen in place, unable to process the words that were coming out of Sophia's mouth. "I'm so sorry, Drea," she said, all I could see was the fire, and the fear and pain my parents must have felt. I felt sick to my stomach.

"Why would he kill them? What did they do?"

"That part isn't clear, but I'm sure he murdered them"

So Justin wasn't lying, we are not siblings. What?

"Don't believe what you see"

"I...don't understand"

"After I saw the clip, I started treating you differently, if you noticed, I pitied you, I wanted to know why he killed them and why you were living with them but they were paying my niece hospital bills that had cancer so I did not want..."

"How did you know they are my parents?"

"Mark and Joseph were talking in his study room, I happen to hear their argument, Mark threatened Joseph for some money and told him if he didn't send the money in three days, he would reveal to everyone that Danielle is the daughter of the Taylors he burned in their house"

I was in shock. The father I had known for over a decade had taken my real parents from me, and I couldn't even begin to comprehend how that was possible. How could someone who seemed so kind and caring be capable of such a terrible act? I felt a wave of emotions wash over me, and I struggled to keep my composure. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I fought to keep them at bay. I wanted to scream, rage and break something, but I knew that wouldn't help anything. I just sat there, staring at Sophia, feeling numb.

"Wow, I've been lied to my whole life"

I buried my face in my hands.

"I'm so sorry"

"Don't be"

I wiped the tears falling.

"What happened to you? Why were you in coma?"

"I don't know why Mark attacked me, I think they found out I knew something, I assumed that"

I took a deep breath.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't find you. I recently moved here with my family, I'm opening a restaurant in the area soon"

"Family?"

If I can vividly remember, she never had a family, they were all dead, I think.

"I married the man that saved me and we had a son"

"Oh, I guess life wasn't so bad after all"

"Yeah, I guess... What will you do now?"

"I really don't know, I'm confused. I will go home for now, can I get your number incase I want to know anything"

"No problem"

I gave her my phone and she put in her number.

"Thank you for being alive, you are pretty"

I smiled.

She held my face in between her hands.

I left her apartment.

After learning the horrible truth about my past. The people I had thought were my parents had actually murdered my real parents. I couldn't understand why they had done such a terrible thing. Why hadn't they killed me too? What made me so special that they spared my life? I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something I didn't know, something that would change everything.

Everything about my life had been a lie.