Chapter 55: An Unexpected Visitor
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Richard sighed, standing from his chair. "I had hoped your time away would have given you perspective. I see you still need convincing."
He moved to the door, pausing before he exited. "There's someone else here who might change your mind. Someone who's been waiting a very long time to meet you."
After he left, I renewed my efforts to free myself from the restraints, but they were too tight. Whatever Richard had planned, I needed to be ready. I had to find a way to signal Liam, to let him know where I was being held.
Hours passed before the door opened again. This time, a woman entered—tall and elegant, with silver-streaked dark hair and eyes that were hauntingly familiar.
"Hello, Charlotte," she said, her voice soft but steady. "I'm Elizabeth. Your mother."
The shock was like a physical blow. "That's not possible," I whispered. "You're dead. Richard said you died protecting my father."
"Richard has said many things over the years," she replied, approaching the bed cautiously. "Not all of them true."
She looked to be in her sixties, her face lined but still beautiful. And her eyes—they were my eyes, the same unusual shade of amber-brown.
"If you're really my mother," I said, fighting to keep my voice steady, "then why did you abandon me? Why let me believe you were dead all these years?"
"I never abandoned you by choice," she said, pain flashing across her features. "After your father was killed, Richard captured me. I've been his prisoner for thirty years, used for his research because of my… unique situation."
"What situation?" I asked, though I was beginning to suspect the answer.
"I'm like you," she said simply. "Half human, half werewolf. My mother was a Hayes, but she fell in love with a werewolf and kept their relationship secret. When Richard, my half-brother, discovered the truth after our mother died, he was furious. He saw me as an abomination, but also as a research opportunity."
