The entire master bedroom fell into a sudden and totally dead silence.
Eleanor froze completely in place as if frozen by a cold winter wind.
Her wild eyes stared down at the teardrop-shaped green gem on glass.
The aggressive look on her face instantly melted into absolute pure terror.
Her hands began to tremble violently at her sides as she gasped.
Eleanor: No... It cannot be true... This is impossible...
Julian: Mother, what is wrong? Why are you staring like that?
Clara held her torn wedding dress against her chest while sobbing loudly.
She reached out her hand to retrieve her precious lost green stone.
Clara: Please do not break it. My birth mother left that with me.
Eleanor's face lost all of its natural color within a single second.
She dropped straight to her knees on the hard, cold reflective floor.
Her expensive dress crumpled beneath her as she crawled toward the table.
She ignored her son completely as he tried to speak to her.
Her wrinkled, trembling fingers reached out toward the smooth green emerald stone.
She picked up the locket with extreme care as if it were glass.
Her thumb brushed against a hidden tiny notch on the silver side.
The locket opened with a small click, revealing two tiny internal photos.
One photo showed a young Eleanor smiling softly with a tiny baby girl.
The second photo held a small date engraved in tiny gold letters.
Tears began to stream down Eleanor's wrinkled cheeks in heavy waves now.
Her chest heaved violently as she tried to catch her shaky breath.
Eleanor: My daughter! My poor baby girl is alive right here!
Julian: What are you talking about? Clara is not your daughter!
Eleanor: I lost my baby girl twenty-three years ago at the hospital!
Clara stopped crying and stared at the older woman in total shock.
The room seemed to spin around her as the words hit her.
She had searched for her biological family for her entire grown life.
She never imagined her mother was the monster standing right before her.
Clara: You... You are the woman who left me alone?
Eleanor: I never left you! You were taken from my hospital room!