Layla's POV
I opened the encrypted attachment with a pounding heart, half-expecting a threat, half-praying for a clue. What I saw… wasn't something simple.
It was everything.
The document unfolded like a secret life unraveling in front of me. At first, just a few grainy photographs — old, faded. My mother as a child. But not the version I knew. She looked regal. Perfect posture, sharp eyes, dressed in ornate silk, like a painting come to life. In one photo, she stood between two other children — a boy and a girl — and behind them, a man and a woman with crowns not of gold, but of cold, authority-woven steel.
It looked royal. No — it was royal. Palaces, ceremonial halls, emblems engraved into the marble floors. Tapestries with the sigil of a black serpent wrapped around a crown. These weren't just old family photos. These were the receipts of a bloodline I'd never been told about.
My mom had always been a ghost when it came to her past. I had never met her side of the family. She and dad never spoke of them. I always thought it was just… trauma, or pain, or distance.
But this was something else. This was hidden on purpose.
I kept scrolling, and then my breath caught in my throat.
Me.
Photos of me, of my siblings. Lily at the bookstore. Lev playing basketball. Lara asleep on the bus. Even me, walking through a market clutching a coffee cup. These were taken without our knowledge.
Next to each photo — our full names. Our birthdates. Notes. Coordinates.
It looked… official. Governmental. Confidential.
Or worse — something old families with power use to track blood.
I quickly called Noah.
"No update on where she is exactly," he said, breathless, like he hadn't slept. "But I found this. I don't think it's everything, though. Layla, you should ask your dad."
I swallowed hard. "I know. I want to. But not now. Not like this. We need to know more first. Let's meet."
Noah hesitated. "You gonna tell the others? Ace, Aster, Sofia, Summer, Valerie? You'll need them."
"I know. But before I pull them into this mess… I have to tell them why I left. Why I disappeared. I owe them that much."
He went quiet. Then softly, "Even I still don't understand why you left."
I stared out the window, my voice cracking. "I'll tell you. Everything. Just meet me first."
When the call ended, I tried to breathe — but it felt like my lungs were full of water. I stood up too fast, dizziness blurring the edges of my vision.
That's when I ran into Dad.
His face changed instantly. "Are you okay? You look pale."
I forced a shaky smile. "I'm fine."
"You're not."
I hesitated. Then finally asked, "Dad… is there something you've never told us? About you and Mom? About her family?"
His expression shattered for a second. Just one flicker of fear — then it was gone. He opened his mouth, but a call rang out from his phone. Without a word, he answered it and walked away.
I stood there, ice dripping down my spine.
He knows something. He's hiding something.
I couldn't wait anymore. My fingers trembled as I dialed.
Ace answered on the third ring.
"Can you just… gather everyone?" I blurted out. "Please. I'll explain everything. Why I left. What's happening. Just — everyone. Your house?"
A beat of silence. "Okay. My house."
Click....
And just like that, I was committed.
And terrified.
What would Summer and Sofia think of me? We used to be inseparable. The twins with fire in their hearts.
What would Valerie, my best friend — say after all this silence? Would she slap me or hug me?
And then there was Ace.
Our last conversation wasn't a goodbye. It was a storm. He was cold. Distant. Hurt.
And Aster…
He'd messaged. Called. Reached out like a lighthouse through my storm. And I ignored every flare. We weren't close in the beginning, but that changed. I think it changed for both of us. But now — I left him. I vanished. He probably hates me.
The weight of all of it crushed down on me. I ran to my room, shut the door, and finally… broke.
Sobs shook my body. My chest felt carved open. I wanted to scream, but all that came out were shattered gasps.
I wanted my mom.
I needed her.
She was everything. My compass. My calm. My anchor. Now she was gone — taken — and I had no idea if she was safe or suffering or still alive. But I knew one thing:
Celeste Celine Valemont-Forbes does not break.
So she must be alive. Somewhere. Waiting.
I wiped my face, still shaking. Then I stood and walked to my parent's room. My mother's walk-in closet was still filled with her scent — vanilla and spice, and something sharp like jasmine. I reached for one of her favorite dresses — soft ivory lace with sapphire threading and held it to my chest like armor.
I sat there on the floor, surrounded by her world, and cried until my body couldn't hold it anymore.
But even in tears, one truth burned clear:
I had to get her back.
I had to protect my siblings.
And I had to face everything even the people I left behind.
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