The Diary Keeper ["The Dark Legacies" Series]

Chapter 53: A story of evil

I showed Kaira the family photo I had discovered. She gently took the photo from my hand and began to study it carefully. Her eyes scanned the image, tracing the contours of the faces captured within, as if searching for some hidden meaning in the frozen moment.

I couldn't recognize her feelings. Her face remained composed, almost like a mask concealing any emotions that might be stirring beneath the surface. For a while, there was nothing but silence in the room, broken only by the distant sound of a clock ticking.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, my friend spoke, her voice soft and distant. "It's been a long time since I've seen this picture."

"I stumbled upon this by accident," I explained.

Kaira hesitated for a moment before confessing, "It was taken by my father."

"So, Mrs. Coleman..."

"Yes, she is my and Harper's mother. Harper is actually my half-sister. I think you need to know the truth, don't want to deceive you, Lia."

"How... How can this be?"

I never saw this coming. It was completely unexpected.

"This story is long," she began.

"I see..." I rolled my eyes.

"Well, Harper's mother is Grace Coleman, a powerful and cunning witch. Her story was one of both love and conflict. Grace had captured the heart of William Everglenn, a young man who had fallen deeply in love with her despite the reservations of his family. He was just young and foolish, to be honest.

All in all, Grace and William married, and she was brought into the Everglenn Manor, a place where her presence was met with discontent. Then, they had Harper, their lovely daughter. Tragically, William's life was cut short at a young age when Harper was just two years old."

"But why? Don't tell me he also had some mysterious disease!" I said sarcastically.

"No, it was much more complicated," Kaira continued, "William had been a dedicated policeman. It was a fateful day when he crossed paths with a notorious local gangster, Ray Clark. William went to arrest him, but the criminal just shot Harper's father right in the head."

I fell into silence. In all my encounters and attempts to understand the situation, this turn of events was by far the most unpredictable.

"OK... What happened next?" that was everything I managed to ask.

"Then there was another tragedy. The Everglenns stripped Grace of her parental rights to Harper, evicted her from the manor, and then, when Grace began to voice her dissatisfaction, they forged and showed her a death certificate for the child."

"W-what?"

"That's right. The Everglenns wanted Mrs. Coleman to disappear from their lives forever and not be involved in Harper's upbringing. Grace moved from Ravenwood to Hazelford to escape all this horror."

"And Grace didn't even inquire about her daughter's grave?"

"I don't know. Maybe she was too shattered to ask such a question. I can't say for sure."

It was like a sudden storm on a clear day, catching me off guard and leaving me searching for shelter amidst the chaos. It made me realize that life's twists and turns can be truly astonishing, defying any expectations I may have had.

"All right, let's continue," I sighed, nearly overwhelmed by what I had just heard.

"Harper possessed an extraordinary gift for magic from a young age, her potential shining brightly even as a child. However, her physical health was a stark contrast to her magical prowess. She faced the cruel reality too early.