Chapter 1
Chapter One — Eight Years Later
Eight years ago, I watched a girl disappear.
Tonight, I walked into her family’s house.
And nobody recognized me.
The rain came down heavily as I stood outside the enormous black gates of the Gonzales residence, my fingers wrapped tightly around the handle of my suitcase.
For a moment, I considered turning around.
Walking away.
Getting into the taxi waiting behind me and disappearing into the night before anyone could see my face.
It would have been easier.
But I had spent eight years running.
I was tired of running.
I looked up at the mansion.
Nothing had changed.
The tall white walls.
The dark glass windows.
The fountain in the middle of the driveway.
Even the old mango tree beside the eastern wing was still there.
Eight years.
And somehow, it felt like yesterday.
I closed my eyes.
A girl’s scream.
A broken bracelet.
Blood on white fabric.
A car disappearing into the darkness.
And a voice whispering—
“Aurora, don’t tell anyone.”
I opened my eyes quickly.
No.
I couldn’t think about that night.
Not here.
Not now.
I had one job.
Get inside.
Find the truth.
And leave.
I pulled my suitcase toward the gate.
A security guard stepped out of the gatehouse.
“Who are you?”
I forced myself to smile.
“Aurora Lopez. I’m the new house assistant.”
He looked down at the paper in his hand.
“Aurora Lopez…”
“Yes.”
He looked at me again.
For one terrifying second, I thought he recognized me.
Then he opened the gate.
“Go in.”
I exhaled quietly.
The gates opened.
I stepped inside the Gonzales residence.
And with every step toward the mansion, memories I had buried for eight years came rushing back.
I remembered running across this same driveway.
I remembered Elena grabbing my hand.
I remembered her crying.
I remembered promising her I would help.
And I remembered failing.
I stopped walking.
My chest tightened.
“No,” I whispered.
I couldn’t do this.
I had come here for answers.
Not memories.
A woman in a black dress hurried toward me from the entrance.
“You must be Aurora.”
I nodded.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I’m Mrs. Laura. I manage the household.”
She smiled warmly.
“Come inside before you catch a cold.”
I followed her into the mansion.
The interior looked exactly as I remembered.
Marble floors.
Crystal chandeliers.
Paintings covering the walls.
Everything was expensive.
Everything was perfect.
But there was one thing missing.
Elena.
Eight years ago, her laughter used to fill this house.
Now there was only silence.
Mrs. Laura noticed me staring at a large family portrait hanging above the staircase.
She followed my gaze.
“That is the Gonzales family.”
My heart stopped.
There they were.
Mr. and Mrs. Gonzales
Miguel, and Elena.
Elena was smiling in the picture.
Her hair was pulled back, and she wore the silver bracelet I’d given her for her seventeenth birthday.
I stared at it.
My throat tightened.
“You knew them?” Mrs. Laura asked.
I quickly looked away.
“No.”
It was a lie.
A terrible lie.
But it was the only answer I could give.
Before Mrs. Laura could say anything else, footsteps sounded from upstairs.
Slow.
Heavy.
Confident.
She immediately straightened.
“Mr. Gonzales.”
I turned.
A man appeared at the top of the staircase.
Miguel Gonzales.
I had seen pictures of him before.
But pictures hadn’t prepared me for the real thing.
He was tall, dressed in a black shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. His dark hair was slightly messy, and his expression was cold enough to make the entire room feel smaller.
His eyes moved from Mrs. Laura to me.
Then stopped.
On me.
He didn’t speak.
Neither did I.
Something strange happened.
His expression changed.
Only for a second.
Confusion.
Recognition.
Then it disappeared.
“Who is she?”
Mrs. Laura answered.
“The new house assistant. Miss Aurora Lopez.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Aurora?”
“Yes, sir.”
He slowly walked down the stairs.
I kept my hands at my sides, trying not to show how badly they were shaking.
When he reached the bottom, he stopped a few feet away from me.
“What part of the city are you from?”
“Granada.”
“Family?”
I swallowed.
“I don’t have any here.”
“Parents?”
“Dead.”
The lie came easily.
I’d had eight years of practice.
His eyes remained fixed on mine.
“What did you do before this?”
“Different jobs.”
“What kind?”
“Whatever I could find.”
He studied me.
It felt like an interrogation.
Then his gaze dropped to my left wrist.
I instinctively covered it with my other hand.
Too late.
His eyes returned to my face.
“Have we met before?”
My heart stopped.
“No.”
He continued staring.
“You look familiar.”
I forced a small smile.
“Maybe I resemble someone you know.”
His expression hardened.
“Maybe.”
Silence filled the room.
Then he turned to Mrs. Laura.
“Keep her away from the east wing.”
My heart skipped.
The east wing.
The exact place where Elena disappeared.
“Why?” Mrs. Laura asked.
“Because I said so.”
He walked away.
I watched him disappear down the hallway.
Only when he was gone did I breathe again.
Mrs. Laura touched my arm.
“Don’t take it personally. Mr. Gonzales has been different since his sister disappeared.”
I looked at her.
“His sister?”
She nodded.
“Elena.”
My stomach twisted.
“What happened to her?”
Mrs. Laura’s expression changed.
“She disappeared eight years ago.”
“I see.”
“She was never found.”
I lowered my eyes.
“I’m sorry.”
Mrs. Laura sighed.
“So are we.”
She picked up my suitcase.
“Come. I’ll show you your room.”
I followed her.
But halfway up the stairs, I heard something.
A faint sound.
From the east wing.
Three knocks.
My entire body froze.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
I knew that sound.
My breathing stopped.
There was only one person who used to knock like that.
Elena.
I slowly turned toward the dark hallway.
Mrs. Laura was already walking ahead.
“Aurora?”
I didn’t answer.
The knocking came again.
Three times.
My heart began pounding.
Eight years ago, Elena had taught me that signal.
Three knocks meant—
I’m here.
I took one step toward the hallway.
Then another.
“Aurora!”
Mrs. Laura’s voice startled me.
I turned around.
“Coming.”
I forced myself to walk away.
But before I reached the stairs, I glanced back.
The hallway was empty.
Still.
Dark.
Silent.
Then my phone vibrated.
I pulled it from my pocket.
One new message.
Unknown number.
I opened it.
My blood ran cold.
There was only one sentence.
YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE COME BACK, ISABEL
I stared at the screen.
Someone knew my real name.
Someone knew I had returned.
And suddenly, I realized something terrifying.
Maybe I hadn’t come back to find Elena.
Maybe…
Elena had been waiting for me to come back.
