Chapter 7: The Woman Who Stole My Name
"Because Charlotte has been pretending to be you.""
My mother's words hung in the conference room.
I looked at her.
Then at Victor.
Then at the photograph on James's phone.
The woman standing outside the naval archive had my face.
Not a resemblance.
Not similar features.
My face.
The same dark eyes. The same shape of nose. The same small scar beneath the left side of her chin.
I touched my own chin instinctively.
"Who is she?""
Denise shook her head.
"She's dangerous.""
"Who is she?""
"Charlotte.""
I stood so quickly that my chair scraped against the floor.
"You said she was my father's daughter.""
"She is.""
"Then why does she look exactly like me?""
Denise closed her eyes.
Victor took the phone from James.
"Robert, how long ago was this photograph taken?""
The attorney checked the timestamp.
"Approximately twenty-three minutes ago.""
"Has she left the facility?""
"I don't know. The security team is trying to establish that.""
Victor immediately turned toward James.
"Contact the commander. Tell him nobody enters or leaves that facility until we know what's happening.""
James nodded and stepped into the hallway.
I stared at the photograph.
"Mom, what did you mean when you said she's been pretending to be me?""
Denise sat down slowly.
Her hands were trembling.
"Charlotte knows your identity. She knows your history. She knows the records that were changed.""
"How?""
"Because she was involved in changing them.""
Madison moved closer.
"Mom, stop speaking in riddles.""
Denise looked at her.
"You remember when I told you that your father had another daughter?""
Madison nodded.
"Charlotte was born before I met Daniel. Her mother died shortly after giving birth. Daniel never spoke much about her.""
Victor interrupted.
"That's not true.""
Denise looked at him.
"Excuse me?""
"Daniel spoke about Charlotte constantly. He was trying to get custody of her.""
Denise's face tightened.
"He couldn't have raised another child while serving overseas.""
"He had a family. He wanted both daughters.""
I felt a sudden wave of anger.
"Then why was Charlotte taken away?""
Victor looked toward the photograph.
"Because her mother had family connections that Daniel didn't understand. When he tried to obtain legal custody, the records disappeared.""
James returned.
"The commander is sending a team to the archive.""
Victor nodded.
"Good.""
I turned back to Denise.
"How did Charlotte get my fingerprint?""
My mother rubbed her forehead.
"Because she lived in our house.""
The room went silent.
"What?""
"Not recently. Years ago.""
I shook my head.
"I don't remember anyone named Charlotte living with us.""
"She used another name.""
"What name?""
Denise looked at Madison.
Madison's face changed.
"No.""
Denise nodded.
"Yes.""
Madison backed away.
"That's impossible.""
I looked between them.
"What?""
Madison's voice broke.
"She was our babysitter.""
I stared at her.
"Who?""
"Claire.""
The name meant nothing to me.
Madison wiped her cheeks.
"Claire worked for Mom when we were children. She stayed with us for almost two years. She used to braid my hair. She took us to school.""
I remembered someone.
A woman who used to bring sandwiches to our kitchen table.
Someone who had a small scar beneath her chin.
Someone who disappeared one summer without explanation.
I had been six.
Madison had been nine.
"Claire was Charlotte?""
Denise nodded.
"Yes.""
I felt dizzy.
"Why didn't you tell us?""
"Because Daniel had warned me not to let her near you.""
Victor shook his head.
"Daniel trusted Charlotte.""
"Then why did he hide her identity?""
"Because someone was looking for her.""
Denise stood.
"Exactly! And I was trying to keep both girls safe.""
I stared at her.
"You hired her.""
"I didn't know who she was at first.""
"How could you not know?""
"She came through an agency. She used a different name. She had references.""
Madison shook her head.
"Mom, you told me Claire left because she stole jewelry.""
Denise looked away.
"That was easier than explaining.""
I laughed once.
It was an ugly sound.
"Everything was easier than explaining, wasn't it?""
Nobody answered.
My phone suddenly vibrated.
An unknown number.
I looked at the screen.
One message.
*NIA, STOP TRUSTING VICTOR. HE KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FATHER.*
I showed it to James.
He read it twice.
"Can you trace this?""
"Not immediately.""
Another message arrived.
*COME TO THE OLD MARINA. COME ALONE. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY YOUR FATHER NEVER CAME HOME.*
I looked at Victor.
He had seen the message.
"You're not going anywhere alone.""
I shook my head.
"Someone has my identity. Someone is accessing records under my name. And everyone keeps telling me what I can and cannot do.""
"Nia," Victor said carefully, "this could be a trap.""
"Then why does it know something you haven't told me?""
Victor went silent.
I looked at him.
"What happened to my father?""
He lowered his eyes.
"Daniel disappeared during the operation. We received a final transmission suggesting his team had been compromised.""
"Was he captured?""
"We don't know.""
"Did you search for him?""
"For years.""
"Did you ever find evidence he was alive?""
Victor didn't answer quickly enough.
My chest tightened.
"Victor?""
He finally nodded.
"Yes.""
The room seemed to shrink.
"When?""
"Seven years ago.""
I stared at him.
"You found him seven years ago?""
"We found a photograph. It was taken in another country. The man in it looked like Daniel.""
"Why didn't you tell me?""
"I couldn't confirm it.""
"Did you tell Grandma?""
"Yes.""
"What did she say?""
Victor looked toward the screen.
"She said we should keep searching.""
I stepped backward.
"You knew there was a chance he was alive, and you let me believe he was dead.""
"I didn't want to give you false hope.""
I shook my head.
"Everyone has been making that decision for me.""
Madison took my hand.
"Nia, please. We need to stay together.""
I looked at the message again.
The marina.
The place where my grandmother's car had supposedly been found twenty years earlier.
The place where everything had begun.
"I want to go.""
Victor hesitated.
Then he nodded.
"We'll go together.""
The old marina was almost empty when we arrived.
A cold wind moved across the water.
The wooden docks creaked beneath the pressure of the waves.
A row of abandoned boats sat beneath faded covers.
Victor's security team remained near the entrance.
James stayed in the vehicle, coordinating with the naval commander.
Madison walked beside me.
Denise had refused to come.
She had been taken to the legal office to provide a formal statement.
I looked at the dark water.
"Do you think Charlotte is here?""
Victor shook his head.
"I think she wants us to believe she is.""
A light appeared at the far end of the dock.
Then a woman stepped out from behind a storage building.
Dark coat.
Shoulder-length hair.
A small scar beneath her chin.
My face.
She stopped several feet away.
"Nia.""
Her voice was softer than I expected.
I couldn't move.
Madison whispered, "Claire?""
The woman looked at her.
"Hello, Madison.""
Madison began crying.
"You lied to us.""
Charlotte lowered her eyes.
"I know.""
"You told me you were leaving because you had another job.""
"I did.""
"You told me Mom stole your money.""
Charlotte looked toward me.
"Your mother did a lot of things.""
Victor stepped forward.
"Charlotte, we need to talk.""
She shook her head.
"Not with you.""
"Where have you been?""
"Trying to find our father.""
I felt my heart stop.
"Our father?""
Charlotte nodded.
"Daniel is alive.""
I gripped the railing.
"Where?""
She looked directly at me.
"He's been waiting for us.""
"Where is he?""
Charlotte reached into her coat and removed a small photograph.
It showed an older man sitting beside a window.
His hair was gray.
His face was thinner.
But the scar near his chin was unmistakable.
My father.
I touched the photograph.
"Where was this taken?""
"Three days ago.""
Victor stepped closer.
"That's impossible.""
Charlotte turned toward him.
"Is it?""
Victor's face tightened.
"Daniel would have contacted me.""
Charlotte gave a sad smile.
"Perhaps he doesn't trust you anymore.""
I looked at her.
"Why?""
She turned the photograph over.
There was a handwritten message.
Ask Victor what happened on the night the operation was compromised.
I looked up.
Charlotte's eyes were filled with tears.
"Your father didn't disappear because someone took him.""
She paused.
"He disappeared because someone inside his own family betrayed him.""
May you like
Victor went completely still.
And Charlotte pointed directly at him.
