ALONE ROAD

ALONE ROAD Episode 8: THE DEAD WOMAN The key sat on Amara’s palm. 17. The same number had followed her from the mysterious account, to the old road, and now to David. She drove to the storage facility. Unit 17 was registered under an old company connected to the Cole family. Inside, she found dusty boxes, a metal cabinet and dozens of files. One folder stopped her cold. ELENA COLE. Her hands trembled as she opened it. An old identification document read: Name: Elena Victoria ColeStatus: DECEASED. But beneath it was a passport issued eight years after her supposed death. Amara stared at it. Her mother had been alive. Someone had deliberately kept her death on record. Then she found a photograph. It was the same woman from the mysterious photograph she had received before her wedding. But the name underneath it was: SARAH ADEYEMI. A newspaper clipping revealed the truth. WOMAN PRESUMED DEAD AFTER 2007 ROAD ACCIDENT. Elena had been travelling with another woman that night. Sarah. Her body had never been identified. THE TRUTH David arrived later that afternoon. “You knew?” Amara demanded. He looked at the documents. “Yes.” “Who is Sarah?” “Your mother’s younger sister.” Amara froze. “My aunt? Why have I never heard of her?” “Because your family erased her.” “Why?” “Sarah knew what happened the night of the accident.” Amara’s voice shook. “Then where is my mother?” David handed her another file. Inside was a recent photograph of an older woman standing outside a hospital. Elena. Alive. Amara covered her mouth. “Where is she?” “I don’t know. She contacted Daniel before your wedding.” “Why didn’t he tell me?” “Because Elena told him not to. She believed someone close to you was still working against her.” Amara thought of Nadia. Daniel’s father. Her own father. Then she found one final document. A birth certificate. AMARA VICTORIA ADEYEMI. Under Mother’s Name was: SARAH ADEYEMI. Amara’s hands began shaking. “David… why does this say Sarah was my mother?” He said nothing. “If Elena is my mother… then who is Sarah?” David’s face went pale. “That is what Daniel was trying to find out.” Her phone buzzed. An unknown number. “Stop looking for Elena.” Another message followed: “The dead woman you're searching for isn’t your mother.” Then the final message: “She’s your aunt.” Amara stared at the screen. For nineteen years, she thought she knew the truth. Now she didn’t even know who her mother was. TO BE CONTINUED…

Contributor Points

Points-to-Coupons

Referral Earning