Chapter 10 - The Restoration
Two months passed, and the brutal winter slowly gave way to a beautiful, blooming spring at Willowbrook Estate.
Andrew fully recovered from his stab wound and cooperated entirely with the federal authorities.
He handed over the location of Vanessa’s buried clothes, securing her a permanent cell in a maximum-security federal prison.
Arthur and his entire crime syndicate were dismantled, leaving my property completely safe and secure once again.
I had the destroyed structural beam professionally repaired, and the historic study was meticulously restored to its original, breathtaking glory.
I sat in my husband’s favorite leather armchair, sipping hot tea and looking out at the vibrant rose garden.
Andrew had come to visit me earlier that morning to say his final goodbyes.
I had forgiven him for his terrible mistakes, recognizing that he had ultimately risked his own life to save mine.
However, I told him he could no longer live under my roof or rely on my wealth to solve his problems.
He agreed, packing his bags to move across the country and rebuild his life entirely on his own merit.
The estate was finally peaceful, quiet, and completely mine again.
I smiled, feeling a profound sense of victory and closure that I hadn't felt since Richard passed away.
I placed my teacup on the desk and reached for the carved wooden box I had kept locked in my own secure vault since that terrifying night.
I had been too overwhelmed with the police investigations and Andrew's recovery to fully examine its contents until now.
I opened the box and took out the folded piece of old paper, spreading it flat on the desk.
It was an original birth certificate, dated thirty-two years ago.
I read the name of the child, and my heart completely stopped in my chest.
The name on the document was Andrew Thomas Sterling.
But as I moved my eyes down to the section listing the biological parents, a cold wave of absolute horror washed over me.
My name, Eleanor Sterling, was nowhere to be found on the official government document.
The name listed under 'Biological Mother' was Victoria Vance.
Victoria was my younger sister, who supposedly died in a tragic car accident exactly thirty-two years ago.
I stared at the paper, my hands shaking violently as the reality of my husband's ultimate betrayal shattered my entire reality.
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Tucked underneath the birth certificate was a short, handwritten note in Richard's familiar handwriting.
"Eleanor, if you are reading this, it means Victoria finally woke up from the coma, and she is coming back to claim her son and this estate."
