Chapter 5 - The Web of Lies
Silence suffocated the study. The grandfather clock in the hallway ticked with deafening volume.
"A twin sister?" Martha whispered, shaking her head. "You never told us you had a twin, Elise. You told us you were an only child."
"Because I was ashamed!" Elise cried out, burying her face in her hands. "Chloe was an addict. She ruined everything she touched. She stole from me, she lied, and she destroyed my family. When I met Damien, I wanted a fresh start. I didn't want to carry her ghost into our new life."
Damien let out a harsh, bitter laugh. "Do you really expect us to believe this? A convenient twin sister who just happens to be dead and can't testify? You're lying to save your own skin."
"I have proof!" Elise pleaded, looking desperately at Martha. "My birth certificate, old family albums... they're in my apartment back in the city. I can prove Chloe existed. I can prove she had my car that night. She came home covered in blood and told me she hit a deer. I didn't know it was a person! I didn't know it was Maya!"
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Thomas stepped away from the window, his expression unreadable. "This is quite a story, Elise. But if you covered up a crime—even unknowingly—you're still an accessory."
"I will get the proof," Damien said, his voice dropping to a dangerous, icy register. "Thomas, lock the estate gates. No one leaves this property. If she’s lying, she will pay for what she did to Maya. Every single drop of pain my sister felt, Elise will feel a thousand times over."
