David stared directly down into the narrow compartment underneath the solid home floor.
A young woman was sitting quietly inside the small hidden space beneath the wood.
Her pale face showed faint marks and her old clothes looked very dirty.
She looked up toward the bright sunlight streaming through the large glass window.
Her eyes matched the exact bright green shade that David knew so very well.
She reached her pale right hand upward toward the open top of the floor.
Evelyn: I never left this house, brother!
David reached his long arms down into the narrow darkness without any hesitation.
He lifted his small sister out of the floor onto the firm wooden ground.
Evelyn collapsed against his chest while crying soft tears of complete relief.
Clara ran to the kitchen to fetch a fresh glass of cold water.
David wrapped his brown jacket tightly around his cold trembling sister's shoulders.
He could not believe that his sister had been kept so close all along.
He looked toward the grand staircase near the back of the broad foyer.
Standing on the carpeted stairs was their elegant stepmother named Victoria.
Victoria wore a bright gold dress and held a fine silver glass in her hand.
Her face looked frozen in utter fear as she stared at the open floor.
She had pretended to search for Evelyn across the country for three whole years.
She had even collected a vast inheritance meant for Evelyn from their late father.
The entire family legacy had ended up inside Victoria's private bank account instead.
David felt a massive wave of pure anger rise deep inside his chest.
He stood up slowly from the floor while keeping Evelyn safely behind him.
Clara returned with the cold water and gently helped Evelyn sip from the cup.
Victoria took a slow step backward up the stairs with wide terrified eyes.
She tried to speak but no real words came out of her mouth.
The golden dress shimmered under the chandelier as she backed away slowly.
David took three large strides toward the heavy marble stairs across the room.
His shoes made loud echoing sounds against the hard wood floor of the foyer.
The air inside the giant mansion was completely still and tense now.
David pointed his thick finger directly at the woman standing on the stairs.
David: Get out of my house right now!
Victoria dropped her silver glass onto the soft carpet without making a sound.
She knew that her terrible long-held secret was finally fully exposed today.
The life she built on lies was about to fall apart completely.