Victoria did not say another word to her husband. She scooped her little niece up into her arms, completely ignoring Richard's furious shouts as she ran straight toward the ballroom doors. The guests parted quickly to let her pass, whispered rumors spreading like wildfire behind her back. Victoria burst through the heavy glass exit doors and ran down the grand concrete stairs into the cool night air.
Her private driver saw her running and immediately opened the rear door of the black sedan. Victoria slid into the soft leather backseat, pulling the trembling little girl onto her lap and wrapping the pink blanket tightly around her small shoulders.
"Drive to the old river cabin in upstate New York right now!" Victoria ordered the driver, her voice shaking with adrenaline. "And break every single speed limit to get us there!"
The heavy car accelerated quickly, its tires screeching as it pulled away from the bright hotel lights. Behind them, Victoria could see Richard running out of the lobby, frantically yelling into his cell phone while rushing toward his own sports car. He was going to try to reach the house first, and Victoria knew she could not let that happen.
As the sedan sped down the dark highway, Victoria looked down at the little girl resting against her side. She gently wiped a smudge of mud from the child's small cheek with her thumb, feeling her heart ache with intense guilt. For fifteen long years, she had believed her twin sister had abandoned her to live an independent life. She had no idea that her own husband had been secretly managing her family's massive trust fund and keeping Sarah completely isolated in poverty.
"What is your name, sweetie?" Victoria asked softly, stroking the child's messy hair.
"My name is Lily," the girl whispered back, her eyelids heavy with extreme exhaustion. "Mommy talks about you every night. She showed me pictures of your school days. She said you would save us if you knew where we were."
"I am so sorry, Lily," Victoria choked out, tears rolling down her face once again. "I am so sorry I took so long to find you. But I am never letting anyone hurt you or your mother ever again. I swear it on my life."
The drive felt like it took an eternity, but within forty minutes, the black sedan turned onto a bumpy dirt road surrounded by tall dark trees. In the distance, near the edge of the rushing river, stood a small rundown wooden cabin with no lights on inside. The entire place looked abandoned and completely dark. Victoria's heart sank into her stomach as the car slammed to a stop in the mud.