CHAPTER 11 The Uncle I Never Knew
CHAPTER 11
The Uncle I Never Knew
The room fell silent.
"My uncle?"
Helen nodded.
"Grace's younger brother."
"He searched for you for years."
Every word felt impossible.
"He knew where I was?"
"He knew you had been adopted."
"Then why didn't he come for me?"
Helen looked away.
"Because someone convinced him you were happy."
She handed me another letter.
Unlike the others...
this one had never been opened.
The envelope was addressed to Richard Whitmore.
Not me.
Inside was a single page.
Richard,
I know Grace trusted you.
But Natalie is still my family.
If she ever wants to know where she came from, tell her I'm waiting.
I'll never force my way into her life.
The choice should always be hers.
— Lucas
The letter was dated...
Twenty-two years ago.
My hands trembled.
"He wrote this..."
"When I was twelve?"
Helen nodded.
"There were more."
"Every birthday."
"Every Christmas."
"He never stopped writing."
I felt something break inside me.
Not because my adoptive parents had lied.
Because someone...
had spent two decades hoping to hear from me.
And I never even knew he existed.
That afternoon, Ethan managed to locate Lucas Bennett.
He owned a small vineyard in Northern California.
No corporate empire.
No luxury lifestyle.
Just a quiet business.
"He never married," Ethan said.
"He has no children."
I stared out the window.
"He waited."
Ethan didn't answer.
"He spent all these years alone."
Before either of us could speak again, Evelyn rushed into the office.
"The forensic team found something."
She plugged a flash drive into the conference room screen.
A list of deleted emails appeared.
Most had been permanently erased years ago.
But one had been recovered.
The sender...
Margaret Whitmore.
The recipient...
Lucas Bennett.
May you like
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The subject line read:
Do Not Contact Natalie Again.
