Chapter 6
The car glided through the massive iron gates, and my heart sank. The estate stretched endlessly before me–manicured lawns, fountains sparkling under the evening sun, and a grand mansion perched at the end of the driveway.
My breath hitched as I noticed the symbol etched into the gates and embroidered on the flags flanking the driveway: a gold teardrop encased in a circle. My stomach twisted.
“The Colen family?” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “Why am I here?”
The man sitting beside me, the same one who’d caught me when I ran, didn’t answer. His gaze stayed fixed ahead, his jaw
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set in an expression of quiet authority.
The car stopped in front of the grand entrance, and before I could ask again, the door swung open. A woman in her mid–fifties stepped out of the mansion, her elegant
frame cloaked in a silk dress. Her beauty was striking, her features regal, but what caught me off guard was the emotion in her eyes.
She was smiling. No, beaming.
“Welcome home, Amber!” she exclaimed, her voice trembling with emotion.
Before I could react, she rushed forward and wrapped me in a warm embrace.
“I-” I froze, my hands pressed against her shoulders, forcing her back. “I’m sorry, but there’s been a mistake. My name is Harriet.”
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Her smile didn’t falter. Instead, she cupped
my face with gentle hands. “Yes, darling, you‘ re Harriet now. But before that, you were Amber Colen, my daughter. The heir to the Colen family.”
I stared at her, my heart thundering in my chest. “That’s impossible. I grew up in an orphanage. My parents-”
“-died in a fire,” she finished, her tone soft, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “That’s what they told you. That’s what we thought too, for twenty–five years. But you survived. You were taken to an orphanage without us knowing.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “That can’t be. You’ve made a mistake.”
“We’ve made no mistake,” she said firmly.
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Her smile didn’t falter. Instead, she cupped my face with gentle hands. “Yes, darling, you‘ re Harriet now. But before that, you were Amber Colen, my daughter. The heir to the Colen family.”
I stared at her, my heart thundering in my chest. “That’s impossible. I grew up in an orphanage. My parents-”
“-died in a fire,” she finished, her tone soft, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “That’s what they told you. That’s what we thought too, for twenty–five years. But you survived. You were taken to an orphanage without us knowing.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “That can’t be. You’ve made a mistake.”
“We’ve made no mistake,” she said firmly.
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“We were the ones who bumped into you. When we saw the birthmark on your heel, we knew. And the DNA test confirmed it.”
My legs wobbled beneath me, and I grabbed the doorframe for support. Birthmark? DNA test? It all felt too surreal, too overwhelming.
“I’m not your heir,” I said, my voice trembling. “I don’t know anything about being a Colen. I don‘ t belong here.”
The woman’s eyes softened, her smile turning bittersweet. “You do, Amber. You always have. And now you‘ re home.”
Later that evening, I sat in a lavish sitting room, my hands wrapped around a cup of tea I couldn’t bring myself to drink. My mind reeled as I tried to process everything she‘ d told me.
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I was Amber Colen. Heir to one of the
wealthiest families in the country. The missing daughter of a family that had searched for me for decades.
It didn’t make sense. How could the universe pull me from one nightmare only to throw me into another life I didn’t
understand?
My phone buzzed on the coffee table, breaking the silence. My heart sank as Zack‘ s name lit up the screen.
I stared at it, debating whether to answer. A voice in my head screamed to ignore him, to block him again, but another, darker thought crept in.
Revenge.
I picked up the phone, my voice cold as ice.
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“What do you want, Zack?”
“Harriet,” he hissed, his tone dripping with anger. “You think running away solves anything? You can’t hide from me. That child–my heir–is mine, and I’ll do whatever it takes to get them back.”
My jaw tightened, his words igniting a spark of defiance in my chest. He didn’t care about me. He never had. All he cared about was securing his precious inheritance.
“You’ll never see me again, Zack,” I said, my voice firm. “And you’ll never see your so- called heir.”
Before he could respond, I hung up, my hands trembling. The room spun as a horrifying idea took root in my mind.
I could stop this. I could end it for good.
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The hospital felt cold, sterile. Every step I took felt heavier than the last. My hands pressed against my stomach, my heart aching even as my resolve solidified.
This wasn’t just about me anymore. This was about freedom–about cutting every tie that Zack could use to control me.
The doctor’s voice was soft, kind, but I barely heard her words. My focus stayed on the forms in front of me, my pen hovering over the dotted line.
I swallowed the lump in my throat, forcing myself to breathe. Do it, Harriet. End it. Protect them from him.
The ink bled across the page as I signed my
name.
Later that night, I sent Zack a single photo–a
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copy of the signed abortion papers–and a message that sealed my decision.
You don’t have any right to see me now, Zack. Your heir is gone.
I turned off my phone, my chest heaving as I stared out the window at the sprawling estate.
No more Harriet. I’m now Amber Colen.
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