My mum doesn't have cancer!
That was all I had wrapped around my head when she was taken away from me. Thinking of it now, I feel like I have been fooled and was kept in the dark all thanks to my stepmother.
I was yet to unravel the mystery behind the attraction between my father and my stepmother and why he didn't waste time to bring her in just barely two weeks after mum was taken away.
She definitely has a hold of something on my father.
I needed to find out when they met her or how he knew her and that would help me fix the puzzle of knowing the secret behind all she did.
Audrey was born before me and that already gave me a clue that something is fishy.
That woman has a lot up her sleeves and plenty of skeletons in her cupboard and one of them is her devilish act towards my mother.
I sat still, reminiscing over my adorable moments with my mum until his question snapped me back to reality.
“Are you okay? Do you need some water?” He offered.
“No… No. Thank you. I just got carried away for a while,” I smiled feeling uneasy at his stare.
“Can you do me a favor?”
“If I can, I would like to help,” he told me.
“Can I see her? Even if I don't get to speak with her. Please.”
“Uhmmm…… I am sorry but, that's beyond my offer for you. Maybe not today.”
He was really bent on not bulging and I figured it's best I don't persist, for now. But, I still needed to get more information from him and I figured I would need his help.
“And if there's any other information that you will need, I will be willing to let you know.”
“Yes, thank you.” That was it! He just offered me an open check and I needed to cash it out.
*************************************************
“Ma'am. Another parcel for you. It was dropped off while you were away.” The maid sauntered in a few minutes as I entered my room.
I was obviously not in the mood for her get-to-like-me attitude and she observed because she quickly left the room seeing no response from me.
I was mentally fatigued and I needed the cooling effect of the shower or maybe a steaming bath inside the jacuzzi but, the brown envelope just before me on the side table close to the bed was tempting and I knew it was not far from the first one I received before.
I stood up and walked straight to the door and bolted it.
Sitting down again, I quietly took the brown envelope and unsealed it. I poured the contents on my bed and was met with white papers and pictures. There was a pink paper that stood out and was smaller in size and the letters were handwritten and it read.
“Your stepmother is a coven of secrets and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Enjoy!”
I dropped the paper back calmly and took in deep breaths. I needed to be collected to grasp what I was about to read.
It took my brain just a second to take in what I just read.
An adoption agreement between Irene Haddock and Elise Homa!
I read with mouth agape and when I was done. I was blank.
Audrey was adopted from a baby factory when she was barely 3 weeks old and Elise became her new mother afterward.
When my stepmother found out that Irene, the owner of the baby factory wanted to give her up and expose how she faked her pregnancy and adopted a baby afterward just to punish my father and take his money, she decided to play the victim.
Another monthly agreement!
She has been remitting one thousand dollars to a foreign bank account for more than 2 decades just to keep a secret. Top secret!
I picked up another paper and what I saw hit me. My stepmother is barren and can't conceive and apart from that she is suffering from a medical condition that I didn't understand what it meant.
I scrambled through the papers and I found blackmailing text messages that were printed out. She has been blackmailing my father in other to get more money. She was threatening to reveal a secret about my birth to me.
My heart skipped a bit!
I rummaged through and picked another paper. In shock at what I just saw, I jumped off in fright when I heard a knock on the door.
My mother and stepmother are related?
“Whaaaaat?” I screamed in shock and beads of perspiration covered my palms and my forehead.
The knock on the door intensified and I stood up, my legs wobbly and my breathing unstable to check who is it.
I peeped through the hole and seeing Damien, I unlocked the door quietly and collapsed into his arms immediately after he entered.
I had a blackout!
************************
"Uhmmmm... My head hurts!" I whimpered as he tried touching it.
"Shhssh! Easy! Where does it hurt the most? The doctor wants to know."
Doctor?
"Where am I? What happened to the doctor?"
"Oh! You are at home. In my bedroom and the doctor has been here for the past six hours you blacked out in my arms."
I didn't make sense of what he was saying because I could still remember faintly that I came back not just long ago and was in my room and now, I am here.
"The doctor says you need rest. You will come around soon when the effect of the drip wears off," Damien said smiling while stroking my head.
I nodded like a baby and smiled wryly at him and looked away. I didn't notice when the doctor went away leaving just the two of us in the room.
"How are you feeling?" He stroked my hair and his breath fell upon my nose and lips.
"Not so good," I replied weakly, still staring hard at him. "My forehead hurts and I am so tired."
"You need some rest so you can get yourself back. Your stress level is so high."
"Okay. Thank you," I chortled in response.
Then it clicked!
Has he seen the files in my room?