Chapter 9: The Truth Chloe Was Forced to Tell
The stadium screens showed Chloe’s face.
Thousands of people stared up at her.
Fans who had come to hear music were now watching a family secret unfold in real time.
For a few seconds, nobody spoke.
Not because we were shocked that Chloe was involved.
We already knew she had been used.
We already knew she had hidden things.
But seeing her there…
Sitting in front of a camera.
Speaking to the entire world.
That was different.
“Maya,” Adrian said quietly.
I couldn’t answer.
My eyes stayed fixed on the screen.
Chloe looked terrified.
Not confident.
Not proud.
Terrified.
She sat in a dark room with a camera pointed at her.
Her hands were shaking.
Then she began speaking.
“I know everyone thinks they know what happened tonight.””
Her voice echoed through the arena.
“But they don’t.””
The crowd was silent.
The entire stadium was watching.
Chloe looked directly into the camera.
“My name is Chloe Whitmore.””
A pause.
“And I need to tell the truth about Maya Bennett.””
My father appeared behind us in the doorway.
He had followed.
Finally.
But his face wasn’t angry.
It was broken.
“Turn it off,” he whispered.
Nobody moved.
Because we couldn’t.
The screens weren’t controlled from backstage anymore.
Someone had hacked the system.
Someone wanted this seen.
Chloe continued.
“Maya and I grew up together.””
She swallowed.
“She was always the talented one.””
My chest tightened.
Because that wasn’t how Chloe used to describe me.
“She was the person everyone noticed.””
The video showed old photographs.
Me and Chloe as children.
My mother standing between us.
My father smiling beside us.
A picture of a family that no longer existed.
“I spent years being jealous of her.””
Chloe looked down.
“I hated admitting that.””
Nobody expected honesty from her.
Not like this.
“But it was true.””
My father closed his eyes.
Chloe continued.
“I thought Maya had everything.””
The screen changed.
Photos of my company.
The label.
The artists.
The tours.
The success.
“I thought she was lucky.””
She laughed sadly.
“But I never understood what she lost to get there.””
My throat tightened.
Because for the first time, Chloe was seeing the full picture.
Not the success.
The sacrifice.
The nights alone.
The rejection.
The fear.
“The person who contacted me knew exactly what to say.””
Her voice became smaller.
“They told me Maya didn’t deserve what she had.””
I looked at Clara.
She was standing beside me.
Completely still.
“They told me I could finally have my own chance.””
Chloe looked into the camera.
“And I believed them.””
The crowd murmured.
She deserved the anger.
She knew it.
“I helped them.””
The words echoed.
My father looked down.
“I helped them get information.””
Chloe continued.
“I helped them understand Maya’s schedule. Her company. Her family.””
My hands curled into fists.
Even knowing she had been manipulated didn’t erase the betrayal.
“But I didn’t know the full plan.””
Her voice cracked.
“I didn’t know they wanted to destroy her.””
The screen flickered.
Then another video appeared.
A recording of Chloe talking to someone.
Clara’s voice.
“You just need to keep Maya distracted.””
Chloe’s voice:
“What happens after?””
Clara:
“After that, she loses control.””
The video ended.
The stadium erupted with noise.
People shouting.
Phones recording.
The story was already spreading.
Chloe appeared again.
“I know nobody will forgive me.””
She wiped her eyes.
“But I need Maya to know something.””
The camera moved closer.
“I never wanted your mother’s work.””
I froze.
“What?””
Everyone looked at the screen.
Chloe continued.
“I found the letter because Clara asked me to.””
My heart raced.
“She told me it was proof that Maya was hiding something.””
A pause.
“She lied.””
The screen changed.
A photo of the original letter.
My mother’s letter.
The one Clara had kept.
“She told me Maya would never forgive me.””
Chloe looked down.
“And she was right.””
The video stopped.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the screens went black.
The stadium remained silent.
Nobody knew what to do.
Then Rebecca’s phone rang.
She answered quickly.
Her expression changed.
“What?””
A pause.
Then she looked at me.
“She’s broadcasting from somewhere inside the building.””
My stomach dropped.
“Chloe?””
Rebecca shook her head.
“No.””
She looked toward the stadium.
“Clara.””
Everyone turned.
The woman beside me disappeared.
I spun around.
She was gone.
The hallway was empty.
“She ran,” Daniel said.
My father moved.
“I’ll find her.””
I looked at him.
For the first time tonight, I didn’t see the man who failed me.
I saw the man who was finally trying.
“Dad.””
He stopped.
His eyes met mine.
“Bring her back.””
He nodded.
Then he left.
I turned toward the screen.
A new message appeared.
Not a video.
Just words.
*MAYA BENNETT.*
Then:
*IF YOU WANT THE REST OF YOUR MOTHER’S LETTER, COME TO THE OLD RECORDING ROOM.*
My heart stopped.
The old recording room.
There was only one place that could mean.
The abandoned studio my mother used before she died.
The one that had been closed for years.
Daniel saw my expression.
“No.””
“You know that place?””
“Yes.””
“Then you know I’m going.””
His face hardened.
“Maya, that studio is where everything started.””
“Exactly.””
He shook his head.
“You don’t understand.””
“Then explain.””
He hesitated.
Finally, he said:
“That’s where your mother recorded her last song.””
I froze.
“My mother had a last song?””
Daniel looked away.
“She never released it.””
“Why?””
His voice lowered.
“Because it was about the person who betrayed her.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“Clara?””
Daniel didn’t answer.
He didn’t need to.
I started walking.
“Maya.””
I stopped.
My father was back.
Without Clara.
Without the letter.
Just himself.
He looked exhausted.
“I need to tell you something before you go.””
I waited.
He looked at Daniel.
Then at me.
“Your mother didn’t trust Clara at the end.””
I nodded.
“I know.””
“No.””
His voice cracked.
“She didn’t trust me either.””
That surprised me.
“What?””
He swallowed.
“Your mother changed the ownership of everything before she died.””
Daniel looked at him.
“You knew?””
My father nodded.
“She told me.””
My heart started beating faster.
“What did she change?””
My father looked at me.
“She made you the only person who could access her final recordings.””
I stared.
“Me?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
His eyes filled.
“Because she knew someone would try to take them.””
The hallway went quiet.
Daniel whispered:
“The final song.””
My father nodded.
“The final song.””
I looked toward the direction of the old studio.
The place where my mother left something behind.
Something Clara had been trying to find for four years.
Something worth destroying a family over.
“I’m going.””
Nobody stopped me.
Because they knew.
This time, it wasn’t about proving myself.
It wasn’t about my father.
It wasn’t about Chloe.
It was about my mother.
The walk to the old recording room felt longer than it should have.
Every step carried memories I never had.
A mother I barely knew.
A past I never saw.
A battle I inherited without choosing.
When I reached the door, it was already open.
Inside, everything was covered in dust.
An old microphone sat in the corner.
A piano rested against the wall.
And on the table in the center of the room was a small recording device.
Beside it…
The missing piece of my mother’s letter.
I reached for it.
Then a voice came from the darkness.
“You always were more like her than you knew.””
I turned.
Clara stepped out.
But she wasn’t holding a weapon.
She was holding a folder.
“What is that?””
She looked at me.
“The proof.””
“Proof of what?””
Her eyes filled with regret.
“Proof that your father wasn’t the person who betrayed your mother.””
I frowned.
“Then who was?””
Clara looked at the recording device.
Then at me.
And whispered:
“The person who ordered everything.””
A pause.
“The person who has been controlling this entire situation from the beginning.””
The studio door slowly closed behind her.
And Clara said the words I never expected to hear.
“Maya, your mother’s biggest enemy was never outside your family.””
May you like
She looked directly into my eyes.
“It was someone who shares your blood.””
