The Thorne Heiress Unveiling Shadow novel Chapter 102

They didn't show the video to Lillian right away. It would have been an act of profound cruelty, a shock she was not prepared for. Instead, Evelyn and Kaelen found Arthur Thorne in his study, the weight of his own past still heavy on his shoulders.

He looked up as they entered, his expression weary. "Is there more?"

Evelyn closed the heavy oak doors behind them. She took a deep breath. "Yes," she said quietly. "Claudia sent one last message."

She placed the tablet on his large, mahogany desk but did not play the video. She simply described it. She told him about the cold, sterile room, the cryogenic pod, and the woman inside.

"She looks... exactly like my mother," Evelyn finished, her voice steady. "But younger."

Arthur listened, his face growing paler with every word. He stared at the dark screen of the tablet, his mind clearly racing, trying to make sense of the impossible. "A lookalike?" he whispered, his voice hoarse. "Another one of her sick games?"

"We don't think so," Kaelen said, his tone firm but respectful. He relayed the final, taunting words of the message. "*...where the real Sutton baby ended up?*"

The words hit Arthur like a physical blow. He slumped back in his leather chair, the last of his strength seeming to drain away. He finally understood. This was not a new attack. It was the final, missing piece of the original one.

"It can't be," he murmured, shaking his head. "She was gone. We all thought she was gone."

"Who?" Evelyn asked gently, though she already knew the answer.

Arthur finally looked up, his eyes filled with a fresh, terrible grief. "Lillian's sister," he said, his voice cracking. "Her twin."

They found Lillian in the winter garden, tending to her beloved roses. She looked peaceful, a small, genuine smile on her face for the first time in weeks. The sight of it made what they were about to do feel even more brutal.

Arthur walked to her side, taking the pruning shears from her hand. "Lillian, my love," he began, his voice impossibly gentle. "We need to talk to you. There's something you need to see."

They led her to a private sitting room, the afternoon sun streaming through the tall windows. Evelyn held the tablet, her heart pounding with a strange mixture of dread and anticipation.

She knelt in front of her mother. "Mom," she said softly, "Claudia is gone. But she left something behind. A message. It's... difficult. But you need to see it."

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