Speechless
She had been sitting in the room for hours. She was left speechless as she remained in the darkness of a house that was supposed to be a fresh beginning for her. Years had passed since she last saw her daughter, and she had never truly accepted the fact that she would never see her again.
Trying to convince herself to look into the dark chest again, she trembled. Her discovery would crack a seven-year-old cold case.
Diana Wall
Diana Wall had no idea that she would be in this position when she agreed to take over the house that had tormented her for most of her adult life.
After Diana's daughter's disappearance and her husband's death, Diana and her mother-in-law, Nancy, rarely saw eye-to-eye. But when Nancy's lawyer called and told Diana that her mother-in-law had left her the house, she knew she'd have to visit it eventually.
Their Family
She was a loving and dedicated mother to her beautiful daughter, Genesis. As a couple, she and her husband Rob had vowed to live a life filled with love and laughter, pouring everything they had into their family.
Diana had always wanted a big family. It was a constant topic of conversation between her and Rob that they would have four or five children. Unfortunately, their plan was doomed to failure.
One Problem
Despite having a beautiful house, great careers, and being madly in love, there was one thing that wasn't going their way. Following their marriage, they tried to get pregnant for a long time.
However, none of their efforts were successful. It was during this difficult period that Diana and Nancy collided for the first time, sparking a feud that ended in the worst disasters of Diana's life.
Nagging
Rob's mother constantly pressed Diana and Rob for a child. After three years of marriage, she complained that they had nothing to show for it.
Diana was blamed for everything. She was even forced to go to the doctor for a checkup. She went just to get Nancy to stop nagging. But the truth broke her heart.
Dreams Crushed
It broke Diana when the doctor informed her that she couldn't have children. After seeing her dreams fade to nothing, she broke down in the doctor's office.
It never occurred to her that something like this could happen to her. In her current situation, her mother-in-law would do everything in her power to ruin her marriage. Diana had to brace herself for that reality.
Disrespect
Throughout Diana's life, Nancy had been overbearing, constantly bulging into her home without permission. No matter how hard Diana tried, Nancy was always finding new ways to disrespect her.
When she heard about Diana's condition, she seemed delighted. But somehow, what began as a nightmare soon turned into a miracle.
A Month Later
In the month following Diana's diagnosis, it happened. She was now being called every name in the book by her mother-in-law, telling her how she was the wrong woman for Rob.
She even lined up a few women she believed would be better matches for her son than Diana. But just then, an unexpected event occurred out of nowhere.
One Morning
Diana awoke one morning feeling like her body no longer belonged to her. As nausea gripped her, her stomach grumbled.
Her throat was seized by an overwhelming force and she ran straight to the bathroom. It was unusual for her to fall ill, so she was alarmed. Was she afflicted with a disease that would make her life even more miserable?
Emergency Room
At the emergency room, Diana couldn't explain what was happening. Diana hadn't even told Rob about the morning's events. In order to avoid giving him another reason not to like her, she didn't want to bother him.
"I don't understand," the doctor replied. Several documents piled up on her desk as a result of Diana's numerous tests. "You're pregnant."
Contradicting News
Diana's lips parted, and she leaned back, thinking this was a cruel joke. Just a month ago, the doctor had said her womb couldn't give life. And now here she was, staring wide-eyed and going against her words.
She slid over the test results before calling other doctors to come and explain what she'd just discovered. Diana's lashes tipped with tears. But her joy would soon turn into sorrow and heartbreak.
One In A Billion
What had happened to Diana was short of a miracle. The universe had given her a one-in-a-billion chance at being a mom. She could finally rest easy knowing that her bloodline would survive.
Rob was speechless when she told him the news. He'd never shed a tear in front of her before. But today, he broke down in her arms, kissing her belly softly. He had no clue what terrors lurked in his future.
Becoming A Mom
Sometimes Diana believed she was cursed. Just when the darkness looming over her life was dissipating, the worst happened.
Diana had cleared her nine months of pregnancy and given birth to a healthy baby girl named Genesis, a new beginning blessed by countless opportunities and chances at happiness. But she'd soon learn that her destiny would be full of pain.
Gone
Diana's life was filled with love and laughter until one fateful day when Genesis mysteriously disappeared. The little girl was only two years old when it happened, and Diana was more than heartbroken.
It all happened so fast that the mom could barely wrap her head around it. One minute her daughter was chasing butterflies in their yard, and the next, she was gone. If only Diana knew that her mother-in-law had something to do with it.
Searching
Diana turned the neighborhood upside down, searching for Genesis. She called everyone she could, from neighbors to the authorities, enlisting any help she could find.
Search parties went out day and night and, for seven days straight, left no stone unturned. But no one could tell where the little girl had gone. If only they went to Nancy's house.
Abducted
Diana's neighborhood had always been a safe place. The crime rate was nonexistent, and the neighbors were friendly. So even the police couldn't understand how a two-year-old girl could disappear without a trace.
From their tracking with K9 units, they knew someone had led the little girl out of Diana's yard onto the road, where they boarded a vehicle. But the police couldn't tell who this mystery person was.
Days, Weeks, And Months
Traffic cameras did little to show which car Genesis had gotten into. The neighborhood had no immediate cameras around, making it a blind spot.
The search went on for days, and the days turned into weeks. Before Diana knew it, three months had passed without the authorities making any significant progress in tracking her daughter. But something else was brewing right under her nose, something equally terrible.
At The Hospital
Diana and her husband, Rob, were so focused on finding Genesis that they didn't see it coming. Rob found himself coughing blood one night, prompting Diana to drive him to the hospital.
The doctors didn't need to run a lot of tests to determine what was happening to him. They brought over the results, and Diana broke down.
It’s Not Looking Good
Rob had stage three lung cancer, tacking on another layer of stress for Diana. She couldn't understand why everything had taken such a dark turn.
She was in tears when her mother-in-law burst into the hospital, blaming her for everything that happened. She even called Diana a witch, saying her family would have fared better without her. But she didn't stop there.
Nothing But Pain
What followed was a blur for Diana. Nancy fought her at every turn instead of helping her work through her loss. The woman became even more hostile after Diana lost Rob a year later.
The pain of his absence, coupled with her missing daughter, made Diana wish for death. Everything weighed heavily on her heart, each of which made her tear up daily. If only she knew what her mother-in-law had done.
Sense
It had been seven years since Genesis's disappearance when everything finally made sense. Diana had spent these years searching tirelessly, wishing for the pain to end.
She'd fixated on the idea that her daughter was still alive somewhere out there. After everything she'd lost, she couldn't bring herself to accept that she'd never see Genesis again.
No Hope
The local authorities had long given hope by now, and most of Diana's neighbors believed the girl was gone forever. Every lead Diana had gone cold, each search taking her to a dead end.
Her life had taken a somber turn, making each day a struggle. Grief had become a constant in her bleak existence. A companion always lurched onto her back. But all this would end one day.
A Call
Diana received a call from a lawyer's office, informing her that her mother-in-law had passed away. The news took Diana aback. She and Nancy had maintained a distant relationship over the years, rarely talking to each other unless they really had to.
So when Diana received the news of her passing, she didn't know whether to be happy or sad. Yet something within her kept screaming that this news would lead to something good.
Related By Marriage
You see, in the many years that Diana had been related to Nancy by marriage, a shadow had always followed her. She had never been at ease, never laying down for a peaceful sleep at night.
She'd long felt like the woman was always watching her, even when the two weren't communicating. What she would uncover would show her that she wasn't wrong for feeling this way.
Burning Questions
Nancy's passing left Diana with many questions. Among the top ones was an analysis of their relationship. Nancy had always been hostile toward Diana.
She always treated Diana as if she wasn't enough. Everything became worse when she learned about Diana's family and what sort of economic background she came from. So why on earth would a lawyer be contacting her?
Blue Blood
You see, Nancy and her family came from money. Nancy owned a textile factory in town, producing some of the most coveted high-end fabrics in the state.
Her company delivered to fashion houses worldwide, from New York and Rio to Paris and Tokyo. So when Rob brought Diana home for the first time, all hell broke loose when Nancy learned that Diana's blood wasn't blue enough.
Her Background
Diana hadn’t come from wealth at all. In fact, she came from the complete opposite. She had grown up in a trailer with a mechanic for a father and a stay-at-home mom.
And even though she had no problem with her upbringing, Nancy did. She felt that her upbringing meant that Diana wasn’t good enough for her son, and she would do whatever it took to stop this union.
A Hidden Fight
Behind closed doors, Nancy confronted her son, asking why he would taint their family this way. Diana was a regular girl with common aspirations and mundane musings.
She hadn't experienced life the way Nancy and Rob had. She didn't have the blood of hardworking folk, according to Nancy. What did Rob have to say about his mother’s opinion?
He Knew It All
Rob was stuck at a crossed road. He understood his mother’s point of view, and he knew that in her day, those things mattered.
But they weren’t in those days anymore. Times had changed, and so had relationships. So he didn’t understand why his mom was making such a fuss. But would it ultimately affect his relationship?
His Saw Past The Money
Rob didn’t care about Diana’s past. He didn’t think that money should dictate his life as his mother believed. And that was where their problems started.
There was only one thing that Rob wanted, and Diana offered him that. But his mother thought that his beliefs were childish and immature. Why was that? What did Rob believe?
A Good Reason
Well, love, of course. For Rob, money and status didn't matter. He had witnessed firsthand what money could do to people and hated it.
Among his family, he was the only one talking to his mom. She'd driven everyone away with her obsessions and theories about what made a person. But Rob should have known that crossing his mother came with dire consequences.
Rattling The Hive
Taking people out of the picture was easy for someone with as much reach as Nancy. She only needed the push, and she would do heinous things.
Seeing her son betray her wishes and wed Diana was too much. Seeing Diana refuse to name Genesis after her was the nail in the coffin. So what did she do? Diana would find out soon enough.
They Should’ve Seen It Coming
Rob and Diana were determined to shut Nancy out, thinking that she would just cut them off as she did with the rest of her family. But they were gravely mistaken.
They had no idea how far Nancy was willing to go in order to get her way. And that would be a lesson they would learn the hard way. What was Nancy capable of?
Years Down The Line
It was only seven years later that Diana learned the truth of what her mother-in-law did. And what she found was devastating.
It had her rethinking everything she thought she knew. But it was acceptance that was the hardest part. What did Nancy do? And how did her house help police officers solve the cold case?
The House
Sitting across from the lawyer, she listened carefully as he read the will. Among the extensive properties that her mother-in-law owned, her home had been the most impressive.
It was a breathtaking Victorian-style two-story building placed in the center of an equally beautiful estate. But although the place always begged Diana's heart to be at ease, the woman it housed constantly made her blood boil.
Her Will
Diana didn't expect her mother-in-law to even mention her in her will. But the lawyer insisted that this wasn't a trick. He wanted to see Diana immediately.
The lawyer explained that Nancy hadn't only listed Diana as one of the beneficiaries but had left her a sizable inheritance. With her curiosity piqued Diana decided to see him. What he had to say would change everything.
To The Point
The meeting was short and to the point. The lawyer asked Diana to take a seat and reached for his documents. He read everything aloud before pushing the papers to Diana's side of the table.
Her lips parted as she took in word after word, internalizing what her late mother-in-law had left her. Although the inheritance was indeed substantial, something else caught her eye.
A Parting Gift
There were words that Nancy had wanted Diana to hear, words she had her lawyer include in her will. They carried sorrow and regret, asking for forgiveness for all the terrible deeds Nancy had subjected Diana to.
Yet Diana could sense a danger that constantly tugged at her soul in those words. She felt like her mother-in-law was mocking her from beyond the grave. What had she done that saw the need to apologize this much?
Feeling Uneasy
As soon as Diana saw the words scribbled across the page, a sense of unease washed over her. She didn’t know what had caused the feeling, but she didn’t like it one bit.
She had no idea what Nancy’s intentions were. But knowing the woman, it couldn’t be anything with good intentions. There was something hidden in those words. And Diana didn’t know if she wanted to find out what that was.
Mockery Or Apology?
Diana didn't know what to think. But she would uncover the truth after taking a tour of the house. She signed all the needed papers and left the lawyer's office, keen on exploring this new home her hateful mother-in-law had seen fit to gift her.
If only she knew what she was getting herself into. That house held secrets that should never have been uncovered.
The Visit
As she entered the grand old house, memories of her husband flooded back. She saw the first night Rob brought her here to see his mom and how badly Nancy had treated her.
The house held harrowing memories for Diana, but she steeled herself and stepped forward. She had no idea what she was walking into.
The Estate
The air inside the house was dead and stagnant, thick and irritating. Diana opened one of the living room windows before she sat to reread the will. To her surprise, Nancy had left the entire estate to Diana and Genesis.
Diana stood up when she read her daughter's name, her brows furrowing. It was an unexpected windfall, but Diana couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to this inheritance. Was she right?
A Locked Door
After spending considerable time pouring through the will, she decided to explore the house. Her heart beat louder with every second as she started considering the fact that Nancy might have had something to do with Genesis's disappearance.
Her search led her through old hallways to a locked door she'd never seen before. She stared at it momentarily, wondering why she'd barely noticed it.
Strange Feeling
A strange feeling developed in the pit of Diana’s stomach. She had been in that house countless times and didn’t understand why she had never seen the door before.
Was it just a case of misguided interest? Or had the door been hidden for all those years? That was something she couldn’t figure out. But now that she was there, she wanted to know what it was hiding.
Locked Tightly
Diana reached for the door's handle, trying it. But it wouldn't move. "Locked," she whispered and stepped back.
If the door was locked, there had to be keys lying around. Diana thought for a minute, putting herself in Nancy's shoes. What was the best place to hide a pair of keys opening a secretive door?
She Needs A Key
Diana started her search on the door itself. She stretched to its top, padding its dusty surface for a key. When she came up short, she hurried to the nearest rooms, looking behind shelves and tables.
Diana didn't know why, but something was pushing her to unlock the door, to reach in and grab whatever secrets it harbored. For whatever reason, opening it would bring her the ease she'd been looking for all her life.
Clueless
Diana had the sense that whatever was behind the door would change her life forever. But she didn’t know in what way. Yes, the room had secrets. And yes, they would change her life.
But would it be for better or worse? Did she really want to find out what her mother-in-law had been hiding for all these years? Would it change anything at all?
A Cold Room
Her search landed her in Nancy's old room, a picturesque space of blacks and grays. Everything here was modern and dark, emitting a cold that made Diana feel out of place.
Still, she searched everything, from books and vases to clothes and shoes neatly tucked into a walk-in closet. She didn't think she'd find the keys when it fell right on her lap out of nowhere.
She’s Got It!
Diana had been searching the top shelves in the closet when the bunch of keys fell on her. She jumped back at first, thinking it was a bug.
With relief washing over her, she picked it up, knowing one of those keys opened the mysterious door. Was she right? Or was her hope getting the better of her?
Couldn’t Wait
Heart pounding with anticipation, Diana hurried and unlocked the door, entering a room frozen in time. But what she saw inside made her eyes run wet. How could her mother-in-law do this to her?
What did Diana find in that room? What secrets did it hold? And what on earth did her mother-in-law do that was so tragic?
Photos
The room was lined with photos of Genesis at various stages of her childhood. She was no longer a baby but a beautiful, blossoming young girl.
Diana studied every photo with trembling fingers. Overwhelmed with joy and disbelief, she realized that this hidden room held the key to Genesis's disappearance. She couldn't call the authorities fast enough.
What Did It Mean?
But what did any of that mean? Some of those photos were taken long after Genesis went missing. How did Nancy get access to those photos? And what did that mean for the young girl?
Was she still alive? And if the answer to that question was yes, then where was she? And how did she end up there? Diana had so many questions and absolutely no answers.
Unbelievable
In the years that Diana had searched for her daughter, she'd never stopped to think that her mother-in-law was involved in her disappearance.
She didn't even understand why Nancy would do such a vile deed. But thinking back, it made sense. She always tried to separate Diana and Rob, and she must’ve thought that losing their child would do just that.
Crying
Diana cried where she sat, her arms cradling Genesis's photos. The authorities found her on the floor when they arrived. They promised they would reunite her and her daughter.
But before they could do that, they needed to find the young girl. And they didn’t have any clues to go on. Would she ever be found?
Getting To Work
A series of investigations started immediately. After closing the case years ago, the authorities felt a burning guilt. They would do anything to clear their name.
With Diana's permission, they scoured the room for anything that could help them pinpoint where Genesis was if she was still alive. What they found was enough to leave any sane mind shattered.
It Was Her
The authorities first uncovered that Nancy had orchestrated Genesis's kidnapping. The woman had given Genesis to a close friend in another state to raise, visiting her whenever possible.
It came as a shock to everyone involved. Even the police officers couldn’t believe that the woman would be cruel enough to hurt her own son like that.
Twisted Mind
She'd stood by quietly as Diana lost her mind, watching with glee. She relished in the fact that Diana and Rob spent so much time searching for their child. And silently hoped it would lead to their demise.
But more than that, the woman had documented everything in a sickening journal that she'd kept hidden in the room.
The Journal
In the journal, Nancy detailed her hatred for Diana. She claimed that Diana stole her son and ruined his life. To her, Diana corrupted and stole Rob from her. In that very sense, she was eager to return the favor.
So she took their child in an act of revenge. She wanted Diana to feel what she felt, and she was successful in her quest.
Finally
Everything came to light, leaving the entire town speechless. The police officers managed to track Genesis down and reunited her with her mother.
The two of them embraced each other tightly. Although Diana didn't know what the future held, she was optimistic it would be perfect. But there was still something that lingered in the back of her mind.
Was She Right?
Diana was concerned that her daughter would resent her. And she was sad that Rob couldn’t be there to share their reunion.
But in the end, everything worked out fine. Genesis adored being back home, and she knew more about her dad than Diana would’ve thought. And she knew that her grandma often lied when she spoke about her mom.