PART 2 The Wife Who Was Never Buried
Arthur stared at the screen.
His mind refused to accept what his eyes were seeing.
ELEANOR VANCE — STATUS: ALIVE
The words remained there.
Cold.
Impossible.
For three years, he had visited a grave.
For three years, he had told Lily stories about her mother.
For three years, he had carried the pain of losing the woman he loved.
And now...
A woman with Eleanor's face was standing in front of him.
Telling him everything he knew was a lie.
"Who are you?"
Arthur's voice was barely controlled.
The woman in the lab coat looked at him.
"My name is Eleanor."
His heart stopped.
"No."
She shook her head.
"Not the Eleanor you knew."
Arthur stepped back.
"What does that mean?"
She walked toward the computer.
"It means the woman who died three years ago was not your wife."
She clicked a file.
A photograph appeared.
Arthur recognized the woman immediately.
The same face.
The same smile.
But something was different.
The eyes.
The expression.
The coldness.
"This woman was a clone."
Arthur stared.
"A what?"
The woman looked at him.
"A biological copy."
Silence filled the room.
Arthur almost laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was impossible.
"You expect me to believe someone replaced my wife with a copy?"
"No."
She looked at him.
"I expect you to believe the evidence."
She opened another file.
DNA reports.
Medical records.
Private research documents.
"The woman you married was Eleanor's genetic duplicate."
"Created by a private research group funded by people who wanted control over powerful families."
Arthur looked at Lily.
The little girl stood silently beside him.
Confused.
Afraid.
"But why?"
The woman answered:
"Because your family owns something more valuable than money."
Arthur frowned.
"The shipping company?"
"No."
She looked at the child.
"Her."
Arthur felt his stomach tighten.
"Lily?"
The woman nodded.
"Lily is not just your daughter."
"She carries a genetic inheritance that your grandfather spent decades protecting."
Arthur stared.
"What inheritance?"
The woman hesitated.
Then answered:
"The Vance bloodline."
Arthur frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"It means your family discovered a rare genetic marker connected to immunity against certain diseases."
"Your grandfather wanted it protected."
"But others wanted to control it."
Suddenly, everything connected.
The strange interest in Lily.
Victoria's obsession with guardianship.
The hidden documents.
The attack.
They weren't trying to destroy his family.
They were trying to take control of the only person who could continue it.
"But Eleanor..."
Arthur looked at the woman.
"If you're really my wife..."
Her expression softened slightly.
"Then you deserve to know the truth."
She touched the screen.
A video appeared.
A younger Eleanor.
His real Eleanor.
Sitting in the same underground laboratory.
Arthur's breath caught.
She looked tired.
But alive.
The recording began.
"Arthur..."
Her voice shook.
"If you are watching this, then something went wrong."
Arthur's eyes filled.
He hadn't heard her voice in three years.
"I need you to know something."
"I discovered Victoria's plan."
The video continued.
"She never loved you."
"She married you because she needed access to the Vance company."
"She knew about Lily."
"She knew about the research."
Arthur clenched his fists.
The recording continued.
"Victoria tried to force me to cooperate."
"When I refused..."
"She arranged my disappearance."
Arthur froze.
The woman beside him looked away.
"She didn't kill me."
"She couldn't."
"Because someone else saved me."
The video ended.
Arthur turned.
"Who saved you?"
The woman looked at him.
"Me."
He stared.
"What?"
"I am Eleanor's sister."
The revelation hit harder than anything else.
"My sister?"
She nodded.
"My name is Clara Vance."
Arthur said nothing.
Because suddenly...
The impossible became possible.
Eleanor had a twin.
A sister nobody knew existed.
A sister hidden from the world.
"Why didn't Eleanor tell me?"
Clara looked down.
"Because our family had enemies."
"Powerful enemies."
"She believed keeping me hidden would keep Lily safe."
Arthur looked toward the door.
"And Victoria?"
Clara's expression hardened.
"Victoria was only a piece."
Arthur frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"She didn't create this plan."
"She was recruited."
"Someone much more powerful gave her the resources."
Before Arthur could ask another question...
The lights flickered.
Clara immediately became alert.
"They found us."
Arthur grabbed Lily.
"Who?"
Clara looked toward the entrance.
"The person who has been controlling everything from the beginning."
The vault door slowly began to open.
Arthur prepared himself.
Then a voice echoed through the underground chamber.
A voice he recognized.
A voice that made his blood run cold.
"Arthur."
The figure stepped into the light.
Arthur froze.
Because the person standing there...
Was someone who had attended Eleanor's funeral.
Someone who had comforted him after her death.
Someone he trusted completely.
His own father.
Richard Vance.
Arthur stared in disbelief.
"You're dead."
Richard smiled.
"No, son."
"I just needed everyone to think I was."
Lily held onto Arthur's hand.
Clara moved protectively in front of them.
Richard looked at the child.
"The heir."
He smiled.
"Finally."
Arthur's voice turned cold.
"What did you do?"
Richard looked around the hidden vault.
"What I had to do."
"Your grandfather built an empire."
"But I built something greater."
He stepped closer.
"I built the future."
Then Arthur noticed something.
Richard wasn't looking at him.
He wasn't looking at Clara.
He was looking at Lily.
Like she wasn't his granddaughter.
Like she was an asset.
And Arthur finally understood.
The entire family betrayal.
The fake death.
The hidden laboratory.
The attack.
Everything...
Was never about money.
It was about controlling his daughter.
Richard smiled.
"Bring me Lily."
Arthur tightened his grip.
"No."
Richard sighed.
"Then I suppose I'll have to take her myself."
The vault doors locked behind them.
May you like
And Arthur realized...
They were trapped underground with the one person who knew every secret of the Vance family.
