Chapter 3 - The Sealed LettersElena looked around the ballroom.
"You told everyone my mother abandoned the family."
Victor swallowed.
"You told them I died."
The orchestra remained silent.
Every guest listened.
Elena's voice never rose.
That made it more frightening.
"When my mother became sick, you sent us away to the old estate. No doctors. No visitors. No family."
Her fingers tightened around the ring.
"Just locked doors and lies."
Victor closed his eyes.
Vanessa shook her head.
"She's lying."
Elena turned toward her.
"My mother kept this ring hidden inside the lining of her coat."
She paused.
"On the night she died, she told me something."
Elena's eyes became glassy.
"She said, 'If they ever make you feel small, show them who you are.'"
A murmur traveled through the crowd.
Vanessa desperately searched for an escape.
"She stole that ring!"
Elena smiled sadly.
"From where?"
Vanessa said nothing.
"From my mother's grave?"
Silence.
"Or perhaps from the locked drawer where you kept her letters?"
Vanessa froze.
Victor's head snapped toward her.
"What letters?"
She couldn't answer.
That silence condemned her more effectively than any accusation.
Then the old family steward stepped forward.
His eyes were wet.
"I saw them."
Everyone turned.
"Madame Isabelle wrote to the family for years."
His voice cracked.
"She begged them to come."
Victor stared at Vanessa.
"You told me she wanted no contact."
Vanessa's lips trembled.
"You told me the child was dead."
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Elena whispered:
"And you believed her."
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