I didn't waste any time.
By the time the sun began to set, I was already standing in front of that old house again.
This time, I didn't hesitate.
I knocked.
The door opened almost immediately.
The same elderly woman stood there.
But her expression changed the moment she saw me.
"You came back," she said quietly.
"I need the truth," I replied. "All of it."
She looked at me for a long moment.
Then stepped aside.
"Come in."
The air inside felt heavier than before.
Like the walls were holding secrets that were finally ready to be released.
I sat down.
My hands clenched tightly together.
"I know about the case," I said. "About the accusations."
Her face darkened.
"They said Nusrat was involved in fraud," I continued. "But something doesn't make sense."
The woman sighed deeply.
Like she had been waiting years to say what came next.
"She was innocent."
My heart skipped.
"I knew it…" I whispered.
"She worked for a company," the woman began. "A powerful one. People with money. Influence."
My chest tightened.
"She discovered something she wasn't supposed to," the woman continued. "A large amount of money being moved illegally."
My mind raced.
"She wanted to expose them," she said. "She thought the truth would protect her."
A bitter silence filled the room.
"But she was wrong."
A chill ran down my spine.
"They framed her," the woman said. "Made it look like she was the one behind everything."
My hands curled into fists.
"And when she refused to stay silent…"
The woman paused.
"They came after her."
My heart pounded loudly.
"That's when she brought you to your parents," she said softly.
I froze.
"What…?" I whispered.
"She trusted them," the woman explained. "They were close to her. She believed they would keep you safe."
Tears filled my eyes.
"She didn't give you away," the woman said gently. "She saved you."
Everything inside me shattered again.
But this time…
In a different way.
All this time—
I thought I was taken.
But I wasn't.
I was protected.
"She planned to come back for you," the woman continued. "After she cleared her name."
My voice trembled.
"Then why didn't she?"
The woman looked down.
Silence.
And that silence said everything.
"They found her," I whispered.
The woman closed her eyes.
A tear rolled down her cheek.
"She disappeared shortly after," she said softly.
My chest felt like it was breaking.
"She kept coming back here," the woman added. "Hoping for news. Hoping for a chance to see you again."
Tears streamed down my face.
"She never stopped loving you."
I covered my mouth, trying to hold back the sob that escaped.
All those years…
All that pain…
And I never knew.
I took a shaky breath.
"Who did this?" I asked. "Who framed her?"
The woman hesitated.
"You don't want to go down that path," she said.
"I already have," I replied.
My voice was stronger now.
"I need to know."
She looked at me carefully.
Then spoke a name.
A name I had never heard before.
But one that would change everything.
"They're powerful," she warned. "And they don't forgive."
A chill ran through me.
Suddenly—
My phone buzzed again.
I froze.
Slowly, I looked at the screen.
Another message.
"You were told to stop."
My heart dropped.
They knew where I was.
I looked up at the woman.
Fear filled her eyes.
"It's starting again," she whispered.
And in that moment—
I realized something terrifying.
This wasn't just my mother's story anymore.
It was mine.