Beach House, Hamptons
When Emily left the bathroom after she had barricaded herself for an eternity, she found that Daniel had left the house. Tears of helplessness and frustration ran down her cheeks. He knew about David Clarke. How long would it be until he learned that she was his daughter? And what would it mean for her marriage? Would he forgive her for keeping her true identity a secret for years? She'd tried all those months to make up for the wrong she had done to him. Was everything in vain now? Had she lost everything by revealing her true identity? A thousand questions were buzzing through her head and to which she knew no answer. She only knew that she couldn't bear to lose him again. For that she loved him too much. And she hoped that Daniel would love her enough to forgive her. She was still absorbed in her thoughts when she heard someone pounding against the door. Quickly she wiped the tears from her cheeks, ran down and opened. "Charlotte?" She exclaimed in astonishment. This was not a friendly visit, Emily recognized immediately, as she glanced at Charlotte's face. "What happened?" She asked worried.
"It... it's so terrible," Charlotte exclaimed, despairingly. "I wish I had never overheard their conversation." She pressed her hand against her forehead and groaned. "I'm sorry about the invasion! But I didn't know where to go."
"Come on in!" Emily opened the door. "And then tell me what happened." She gently stroked a strand of hair from Charlotte's forehead. "You're completely unsettled!"
"My father..." she said slowly, after she had taken a seat on the sofa. "My father and... David Clarke... they had an argument that got out of control."
"What did they say?" Emily asked cautiously. She could see how upset Charlotte was and knew she had to make a careful approach.
"David claimed that my father was responsible for his arrestment. And not only that..." She raised her head and looked at Emily with wide eyes. "He has evidence that he'd hired a contract killer to eliminate David." She shook her head slightly. "I always knew my father was without scruple, but I would never have thought he was capable of a crime like that."
Emily bit nervously on her lower lip. She knew all this and much more. But should she entrust herself to Charlotte to demonstrate her loyalty?
"But David isn't much better," Charlotte continued. "He's blackmailing my father and saying he's been keeping him a prisoner all the years. And my mother sticks by him." She rolled her eyes. "He's lying, I know that. I overheard a conversation between him and my mother..." She cleared her throat. "At that time, he told her that he'd escaped from the hospital and had stayed abroad all the years. He was afraid of the police. That's why he didn't show up sooner." She quickly glanced over at Emily and saw her nod. "You know about it?" She asked, surprised.
"He... saved my life a few days ago, when I swam too far," she began hesitantly. "After that I returned the favor by inviting him to coffee and cake. We talked, and he told me about his escape and that he was abroad."
"Why is he lying to my father?" Charlotte asked, frowning, looking at Emily questioningly.
"He wants revenge." The words had already been lying on her tongue, but she was shocked that she had actually said them out loud.
"Revenge?" Charlotte echoed.
"He says the truth," Emily said quietly, raising her head to look at Charlotte. "Conrad really tried to kill him. He wanted to prevent the truth from coming out, who had really been responsible for the terrorist attack on Flight 197. It wasn't David, it was..."
"My father," concluded Charlotte in a low voice as she recognized the truth.
Emily nodded. "Yes, it was Conrad. But he is not your father, David is," she rectified.
"It doesn't matter. They are both liars and deceivers!" She jumped up from the sofa and paced nervously back and forth. "And my mother had once covered her husband's wrongdoing, and now she's changing sides!" She shouted furiously. "She's not a bit better. It's all lies!" Her hands had involuntarily clenched into fists. "My whole life is a lie! There is no one I can trust!" Tears of rage and despair welled in her eyes.
"You can trust me." Emily also jumped up and took a step towards Charlotte.
"Can I really?" She eyed Emily suspiciously. "You know, at that time on Rebun Island, Ava told me that your father had been murdered," she began, not letting Emily out of her eyes. "But you told Daniel that your parents had died in a traffic accident. Was it a lie?"
Emily felt her mouth becoming dry. It was time to tell her the truth. She took a deep breath and then reached for Charlotte's hands. "I... thought he'd been murdered," she began. "But as it turned out, he still lives." She cleared her throat and then raised her head to look at Charlotte. "I'm Amanda," she confessed. "David Clarke is also my father." She forced herself to a smile. "We are sisters, Charlotte."
"No!" Horrified, Charlotte snatched her hands away and backed off. "You're lying!"
"I'm not lying." Determined, Emily took another step towards her, but defensively raised her hands as she noticed Charlotte's frightened look. "I've lied all these years," she said urgently. "But now I don't lie anymore. After regaining my memory, I decided to start a new life. I wanted to be free of lies and intrigues. I wanted to be part of the Grayson family. I wanted it so much, for Daniel and also for Julian. And of course for you too, my sister."
Charlotte wrapped her arms around her body. "You... you're telling the truth?" She asked unsure.
Emily nodded. "I'm telling the truth. Until a few days ago, I didn't even know that our father was still alive. When he suddenly stood in front of me, it was also a shock for me."
"Did you know what he was up to?"
"I suspected," Emily admitted. "He was talking about that he wanted to get back everything they had stolen from him. When I saw him with your mother, I realized the meaning of his statement."
"He wants to destroy my father," Charlotte stated objectively. "There's no doubt about that."
"And he uses your mother to pursue it."
Charlotte nodded and then looked at her thoughtfully. "Does Daniel know who you really are?"
Emily hastily lowered her head. "No," she admitted quietly. "And he must never know." She raised her head and looked at Charlotte pleadingly. "Promise me not to tell him!" She begged.
"I promise. But why did you tell me?" She looked at her sister, frowning.
"Because I trust you and you are my family," Emily said truthfully. "I wanted to tell you sooner that we are sisters. But it just wasn't the right time. But I think now is the perfect time."
"Perfect... for what?"
"To join forces against David Clarke," Emily replied resolutely. "I know you're pretty angry with your parents right now, but I don't believe you want their lives to be destroyed forever."
Hesitantly, Charlotte shook her head. "No, you're right. I don't want that. And what are we going to do about it?"
"I've already asked Nolan for help," Emily explained to her sister. "He wants to talk to David. We should go to him and offer him our help, too."
Charlotte lifted her arms helplessly and then dropped them. "He's gone," she said softly. "After the dispute with my father, he was ordered to leave. No idea where he is now."
"What did he say before he left?" Emily asked.
Charlotte thought for a moment. "That matters were not finished with my father. It was meant as a threat."
The uneasy feeling that had accompanied her seemed to be confirmed. He really wanted to take revenge on Conrad. And from what Charlotte had just confided to her, he wouldn't stop at nothing to get back what he once had lost. She shoved Charlotte towards the front door. "Go back to the Manor! Not that anyone will get suspicious. I'll try to get in touch with Nolan again. Maybe he has a clue where David could be."
Before Charlotte went, she turned to Emily. "Amanda..." she said thoughtfully. "If you have more time, you have to tell me everything why you came to the Hamptons under a false name."
Emily nodded. "I promise. But now we have to take care of more important things."
Charlotte hesitated for a moment before she moved closer to Emily and hugged her. "I always wanted a sister," she said softly. "I couldn't have asked for a better one." With these words, she left the beach house, leaving Emily in a chaos of emotions behind.