Chapter 6 - The Secret in the Walls That afternoon, Elena began to notice things.
A panel in the wall that didn’t sit flush. A draft coming from behind the bookcase. A section of hallway that seemed unnaturally reinforced. This mansion was not only grand—it was engineered.
It was built to hide things.
Julian led her through a corridor lined with family portraits. Every face was severe. Every smile looked practiced.
At the end of the hall, he stopped in front of a painting covered by a dark cloth.
“What is this?” Elena asked.
Julian pulled the cloth away.
Beneath it was a portrait of a woman standing beside the same staircase. She wore a pale dress and held a little girl by the hand.
Elena froze.
The woman in the painting looked exactly like her.
“That’s not possible,” she whispered.
Julian studied her face. “Her name was Marianne Vale.”
Lily stepped closer, staring up at the painting.
“She looks like Mommy.”
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Julian did not answer right away.
Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, he said, “That’s because she was your mother.”
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