" What I still don't understand though, is how did she do all this? I mean, I understand that I was just a child, it must've been really easy to pretend to be someone else in front of me but how did she manage to sign the documents of adoption in Stella's name. Stella's dead right? Wouldn't the system have known that already? Or wouldn't they have at least checked into every detail before giving her my custody? And why even do that? Why didn't she just kill me? " I was ranting out as all these questions and theories clouded up my brain.

We were all sitting at the dining table now and Jenny was standing near the kitchen counter with Victoria, Evan's stepmom. Jen was very fond of Victoria. She had stuck to her side ever since she entered the house, obviously also happy for the distraction from all this madness.

Victoria, or Rory as everyone liked to call her here, was a beautiful woman who didn't look like she could be in her late 40s at all. She had beautiful sea-green eyes and skin as pale as a sheet. Her chocolate hair complimented her skin tone greatly. She was very easy to talk to and was a calm and compassionate woman.

She didn't really know me but she did recognize my mother in my features. She said it was the same reflection she saw in Evan's face every day. At first, I thought I sensed a little bitterness in her voice as she talked about our mother but Evan was quick to burn my doubts down.

He told me that Victoria only felt sad over the idea that she could never bear a child of her own due to her infertility. She had always longed for a little daughter. I had quickly gathered her up in my arms and told her that she had a daughter in me now. That made her cry a little but she only pulled me into her tighter and whispered in my ear, " And you have a mother in me. "

Yup, I had a family again.

Michael sighed loudly, pulling me out of my sideward thoughts. I looked up into his chocolate brown eyes that were laced with confusion and frustration. " I don't understand either, Eve. One thing I'm sure of is that Katherine would have no problem pretending to be Stella because her daughter was an identical copy of hers the only slight difference being their hair color but that can obviously be fixed in today's world. My only question is if Stella is alive or not. "

" You think aunt Stella could be alive? " Evan cheered up. I cringed at the amount of love and respect in his voice for the woman. It was hard to separate that name from the face in my head. It was hard to not cringe at the mention of Stella just yet.

" It is a possibility. I mean if Eve's death was faked, maybe her's was too. " Michael said in a slow voice as if he was mulling over the thought himself. " Why was my death faked though? Isn't that the real question here? I was only two years old. And my parents were obviously in on this if my memories are correct. What was the motive behind it then? "

Ryan suddenly sat up and placed his hand into mine that was resting on the tabletop. I looked up into his eyes. " What's wrong, Ry? " I frowned. He sighed before answering, " I was thinking something. "

My eyebrows were still furrowed. What was he thinking? " And what's that? " Evan narrowed his eyes. " Also can you please keep your hand off my sister for now? " He added. I couldn't help but snort at that and Ryan joined me. " She's my girlfriend, Evan. And let me remind you, you were clapping my back proudly this morning when I delivered you the news. " Ryan chuckled mischievously and Evan scoffed. " I didn't know she was sister then, " Evan mumbled. I threw my head back in laughter at hearing his weak defense.

" He's just holding my hand in support, Evan. Don't sweat it, brother, " I said, barely holding my laughter in. Evan sighed, " Yeah, yeah okay. Just tell us what you were thinking Ryan. " Ryan snickered and then put his hand around my waist pulling me towards him along with my chair. Evan's eyes narrowed and I laughed laying my head on Ryan's shoulder which was rumbling due to his own booming laughter. " Oh, this is gonna be so much fun. I love having a brother. " Michael joined Ryan in laughing at my words and Evan had the biggest scowl on his face. However, I knew him well enough to know that he was probably holding his own laughter back. Teddy bear.

" Okay, okay, jokes aside, I was thinking something. Eve, you told us that you were in the room when that.... unfortunate event happened, yeah? " I nodded my head in answer. " Who found you? " He asked in a strained voice. I could hear the pain in his voice. He hated the idea of what I went through.

" One of the maids did and I guess two days had passed by till that time. As I told you earlier, the sound of the gunshots had frozen me in my place. My... My dad was lying just a few feet away from me and I had wanted to reach out and hold his hand in mine but I was too scared and shocked to move or even to make any noise at all. I wonder how the maid even found me? I remember the bodies were long gone by the time she did. " I whispered in a low voice. I resisted the strong urge to let out the tears that were stinging at the back of my eyes. I won't cry anymore.

" I'm so sorry, baby, " Ryan whispered slowly. I smiled and laid my head on his shoulder again. " It wasn't your fault, " I whispered back.

Ryan took a deep breath before continuing, " How did Stella...er... I mean Katherine find you then? " I lifted my head slowly and looked at his sullen face. " I... I don't remember. I think she had come looking for me in my room where the maid had taken me. As I said before, everyone thought that my parents had died in a car accident. She had introduced herself as my aunt and even though I wanted to ask her why I didn't know her, I was too disoriented at that time to do that. I'm not sure if it was Katherine who.... who killed my parents or not. "

" Tell us everything you remember about that night, Evie. " Evan urged. I leaned into Ryan's side taking a deep breath inhaling his calming scent and prepared myself to recite to them my worst nightmare. How many more times will I have to do this?

I sighed deeply and began telling them the horrid account that had given me nightmares for years now.

" It started like a pretty normal day as far as I remember. We were all in the kitchen, laughing together. I was sitting on the counter and dad was tickling me. Mom was making us breakfast and I remember she was smiling at us. She looked like an angel when she smiled, " I whispered. My eyes were stinging more fiercely now but I held it back. I knew if I let my tears flow now then I wouldn't be able to stop.

" Everything seemed okay, till the bell rang. Dad had opened the door and it was a small woman on the other side. I only remember that because it had seemed comical to me at that moment. She had looked like a dwarf in front of dad and that had made me giggle. I don't remember anything else about her. I wish I did."

" Mom had been furious on seeing the little lady and I don't know why. She had told me to go play upstairs while she talked to the 'guest'. I don't know why I did what I did next but instead of going to my room, my little feet carried me to my parent's room where I knew they would take our guest. This wasn't the first time she had come, after all, only the first I had actually seen her. "

" I had hidden inside the closet just as I had heard my mom enter the room with the lady. That was the biggest mistake I ever made in my life. Soon enough my mom was shouting at the lady and the lady was shouting right back at her. This turned violent in no time. They crashed glass vases and china plates all around the floor. All of this was making me anxious now. I was crying loudly but they obviously didn't hear me over the commotion. "

" At that moment Dad entered the room and shouted at them to stop. He made a move to come forward to stop them but the next thing I know gunshots were fired and I choked on my sobs as I saw both my parents fall to the ground. I can still hear the loud piercing evil laugh that had echoed in the room right after that. "

" I was so shocked because of what I had seen that I was frozen in my place. I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I couldn't even cry. Just minutes after that cruel woman had left the room, some men in black uniforms entered and they threw the bodies of my parents in some large black bags. I wanted to scream and shout at them to not take them away from me but all I could do was stare. With wide-open eyes. Frozen in my place. "

" I don't remember much after that. There was a funeral. I was with Stella. She was holding my hand firmly in hers and we were standing so far back that I couldn't even see properly. When they lowered the caskets in the ground, I thrashed and pulled from her fast grip to just run over and place a last white rose on their coffins but she didn't let me. Ah, and we were wearing black veils. I never understood why, but maybe now I do. We were supposed to be dead in other's eyes, after all. "

I looked over at the faces of the men in front of me. Each of their eyes were filled with tears on hearing my story. Ryan lifted his hand and swept his fingers under my eyes. I realized then that some treacherous tears had fallen down my own cheek after all.

" You're so brave, my love, " Ryan whispered stealing a small weak smile from me. " Yes, Evie. You're so brave, Sis. You were so small to have witnessed something so cruel and devastating. " Michael nodded his head at Evan's words.

I lowered my head and sighed deeply. " But I don't understand Mike. If Mom let that lady inside the house, that means she already knew her right? " I asked, my voice trembling with emotions.

" I think you're right. And you say she was furious at seeing her? " I nodded my head.

" Hmm, this means that they had known her for a while and whoever she was, she had been troubling them. If I know anything for certain, it is that Sam would have never let Katherine in his home under any circumstances. "

" So that means Dad didn't let Katherine inside the house, he let Stella in, " I pondered over the idea.

" If she was disguised as Stella, why would your mother fight with her like that. Better yet, wasn't Stella dead to them? " Michael countered.

" No Mike, I think mom and dad were well aware of the fact that our deaths were staged. Maybe they even had a part in it? " I mused.

" But how would they have staged your deaths? " Michael said in an exasperated manner.

" Better yet, why would they stage the death of their own daughter? Isn't that a bigger question here, Dad? " Evan chimed in.

He was right. That was the bigger question here.

Why would have they faked my death?

Why would they have run away to New York without telling the truth even to their extended family members here?

This mystery was sinking us in like quicksand. We were falling into it fast with no clue for a way out.

Oh God, please show us some sense in this messed-up situation!

**********

•Author's note •

Pfft, it feels like we have more questions than answers after this one, don't you think? Let's see where this is going. What do you think about Katherine? Lemme know in the comment section.

Much love

M :)