Chapter 70: Between truths

Clara felt a knot in her stomach, as if the words she was about to reveal could tear down everything they knew and change their reality forever. She had already shared so much, but there was still a hidden truth, something she couldn’t keep holding back. Shopia’s eyes never left her, full of curiosity and concern, but Clara couldn’t shake the feeling of uncertainty that surrounded her. Even so, she knew she had to speak, that she couldn’t keep silent anymore.

Shopia, frowning, waited in silence, noticing Clara’s hesitation, as if she were struggling with what she was about to say.

"Shopia... there’s something else I need to tell you," Clara began, her voice barely a whisper.

Shopia looked at her curiously, noticing the seriousness on her face. The last time Clara had that expression, she had revealed something that would change their lives forever.

"What happened now?" Shopia asked, feeling a growing concern.

Clara took a deep breath, feeling how her words got stuck in her throat before escaping. Finally, she let them go.

"I think mom isn’t dead," she said, and the words seemed heavier than she had anticipated.

Shopia stared at her, not fully understanding.

"What? Clara, are you sure of what you’re saying? How can that be possible?"

Clara nodded slowly, remembering the conversation she had overheard.

"The other night, when I was near dad’s office, I overheard his phone conversation. He was talking about continuing the investigation into mom... as if she were still alive."

Shopia stood frozen, disbelief reflected on her face.

"Investigate mom? What do you mean by that?"

Clara looked at her sister, feeling the knot in her stomach.

"That’s not all. After dad told me that mom was a spy, he mentioned something about a 'contingency plan.' I don’t know what it means, but... it seems like we didn’t believe him enough. Apparently, mom left for some reason, and now he’s trying to find her or maybe protect her."

Shopia jumped up suddenly, pacing back and forth across the room.

"This is crazy. If mom were alive, why hasn’t she told us? Why did she leave us to live all these years with this lie?"

Clara watched her, feeling the same confusion.

"I don’t know, Shopia. But something doesn’t add up. If mom was really involved in all of that, then dad never told us the whole truth. And now it seems like he’s still looking for answers... I don’t understand, but something inside me tells me that mom wasn’t dead when they told us she was."

Shopia stopped, looking at her sister with a mix of anguish and desperation.

"So, what do we do? Should we talk to dad? Or... do you think mom left us by her own will?"

Clara lowered her gaze, the weight of the unanswered questions crushing her.

"I don’t know what to think, Shopia. But I need to know more. Something inside me tells me we have to find out, even if we risk discovering something much worse."

Shopia sighed, walking over to Clara and hugging her tightly.

"I promise you won’t be alone in this. We’ll figure it out together."

Clara took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she was about to say. She knew she couldn’t keep it anymore. She lifted her gaze toward Shopia, who was watching her closely, noticing the agitation on her face.

"There’s something else," Clara began, nervously intertwining her fingers. "A few weeks ago, I received a strange message. It was from a woman."

Shopia frowned, leaning forward a bit.

"Who was this woman?"

"I don’t know," Clara admitted. "She asked me to meet her at a café. She said she had something important to tell me, something related to mom."

Shopia’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"And did you go?"

Clara nodded slowly, lowering her gaze.

"Yes, I went. But when I arrived, the woman seemed... nervous. She didn’t give me her name, just said I had to be careful, that mom wasn’t really dead and that there were people looking for anyone who dared to investigate her."

Silence fell between them, dense and filled with unanswered questions.

"Why didn’t you tell me this before?" Shopia whispered, trying to process what she had just heard.

Clara looked her in the eyes, her voice trembling.

"Because I don’t even know if I believe it. But now... I can’t ignore it anymore."

Clara swallowed hard as she leaned in closer to Shopia, trying to organize her thoughts.

"It’s not just that she told me those things," she continued, her voice lower as if fearing someone else might hear her. "Before she left, she gave me an envelope."

Shopia raised an eyebrow, her curiosity growing.

"An envelope? What was inside it?"

Clara took a deep breath, as if each word she was about to say drained her.

"Among several papers, there was a letter... a letter written by mom."

Shopia’s face tensed, and her eyes began to fill with questions, but Clara didn’t give her a chance to speak.

"The letter was addressed to dad," she said, pulling a folded paper from her bag. She had read it so many times that she could recite the words by memory, but she needed Shopia to see it for herself. "This is what it said."

Clara unfolded the paper and read aloud, her tone trembling:

"Vincent,

I can’t keep living this lie. There are things you’ll never understand, and it’s better that way. I just want you to know that everything I did was for our daughters. Please, protect them.

With love,

Elena."

A chill ran through the room as the meaning of the words settled.

"Protect them?" Shopia repeated, almost in a whisper. "From what? From who?"

Clara shook her head, her face full of anguish.

"I don’t know. But if mom wrote this, it means she knew something was going to happen. And if dad is still investigating, maybe there’s more he hasn’t told us."

Silence fell between them once more, but this time, both were too aware of the storm that was approaching.