For several seconds, I couldn't breathe.
My eyes remained fixed on the photograph.
My father.
Victor.
Elara.
A young Kael.
And behind them, my mother.
Not the woman I buried emotionally years ago.
Not the woman whose betrayal destroyed our family.
But a younger version of her.
Smiling.
Standing among them.
Impossible.
My hands trembled slightly.
"Where did you get this?" I asked.
Kael's father watched me carefully.
"Your father gave it to me."
I lifted my eyes immediately.
"Why was my mother there?"
His expression became serious.
"Because she wasn't supposed to become your enemy."
Those words made no sense.
"What does that mean?"
Before he could answer, Victor entered the room.
The moment he saw the photograph, the colour disappeared from his face.
"No," he whispered.
For the first time since I met him, Victor looked afraid.
Real fear.
"Victor," I said quietly.
"What aren't you telling me?"
He closed his eyes briefly.
Then looked at Kael's father.
"You promised never to reveal this."
Kael's father sighed.
"That promise died the moment someone attacked both our worlds."
My pulse quickened.
"Tell me the truth."
Silence filled the room.
Then Victor finally spoke.
"Your mother once worked with us."
Everything stopped.
Nora's voice echoed in my memory.
Do you think Mom knew?
Yes.
She knew.
She knew everything.
"But why betray us?" I asked.
Victor's eyes showed sadness.
"Because something happened."
"What?"
His answer came slowly.
"She fell in love with the wrong person."
My heart pounded.
"Who?"
Neither man answered immediately.
That silence terrified me.
Finally, Kael's father spoke.
"Not your father."
The room became cold.
"No," I whispered.
"No."
But deep inside, I already knew.
Because suddenly everything made terrible sense.
The jealousy.
The bitterness.
The destruction.
My mother wasn't angry because she lost money.
She wasn't angry because of business.
She was angry because of heartbreak.
And heartbreak destroys people differently.
"Who was it?" I asked again.
Victor lowered his eyes.
Then quietly answered:
"My son."
I stared at him.
"What?"
"Your mother loved Kael's older brother."
Silence.
Then another bomb exploded inside me.
"Hadrian."
The name escaped Victor's lips softly.
I froze.
Because I had heard that name before.
Years ago.
During one of my father's feverish final days.
He had whispered it.
At the time, I thought it meant nothing.
But now, Everything changed.
"Where is he now?" I asked.
Neither man answered.
And suddenly, I understood why.
My voice became barely audible.
"He's dead."
Kael's father closed his eyes.
"Officially."
Officially.
That word made my blood run cold.
"What does that mean?"
He looked directly at me.
"It means someone wanted the world to believe he died."
My heart nearly stopped.
Because if Hadrian were alive, then the impossible would have become possible.
And if he were alive, then maybe
My mother wasn't gone.
Maybe she had never disappeared.
Maybe she had simply gone underground.
Then another terrifying thought hit me.
The explosion.
The stolen photograph.
The attacks.
My eyes slowly widened.
"No…"
Victor immediately noticed.
"What?"
I looked between both men.
"They're not attacking me because of business."
Silence.
"They're attacking me because they're looking for someone."
Kael's father became very still.
"Who?"
My voice shook.
"My mother."
The room fell silent.
And nobody denied it.
Because for the first time, Everyone had arrived at the same terrifying conclusion.
The attacks.
The secrets.
The lies.
None of it started with me.
None of it started with my father.
This war had started years ago.
Long before I was old enough to understand.
And somehow, my mother was standing at the centre of it.
Then Victor's phone rang.
He answered immediately.
His face changed.
Then he slowly lowered the phone.
"What happened?" I asked.
Victor looked directly into my eyes.
"It's Nora."
My heart stopped.
"What about her?"
His voice became almost a whisper.
"She's missing."
Do you think Nora was kidnapped because of Lena, or because Nora herself knows something she doesn't remember?