All Chapters of The Return of The Forgotten Son: Chapter 11
- Chapter 20
28 chapters
The Fall
Victoria's POVMother disappeared into darkness.One moment she stood by the window. The next, the floor opened beneath her feet like a hungry mouth. She didn't scream. Just fell, silent and resigned, into the black.Detective Chen grabbed my arm before I could run to the hole. "Don't. The whole floor is unstable."We backed toward the door. The cracks spread faster now, racing across the ceiling and walls. The house was collapsing. The entity was taking its final payment."We have to get her," I said. My voice was high and panicked. "She's down there. She might still be alive.""If we go after her, we'll die too. Is that what you want?"No. I didn't want to die. But I couldn't just leave Mother in the darkness either.The decision was made for me. The doorway we'd come through crumbled. Stone and wood crashed down, blocking our exit."There has to be another way out," Detective Chen said. She was trying to stay calm, but I heard the fear in her voice.I thought fast. The house had do
Last Updated : 2025-10-21
New Beginning
Victoria's POVDetective Chen drove me back to the hotel. Neither of us spoke. What could we say? We'd just watched a house collapse and a corpse walk and something impossible save us from death.She parked in front of the hotel but didn't turn off the engine. "What are you going to do now?""I don't know. Leave town, I guess. Start over somewhere.""That's probably wise." She pulled out a business card and wrote something on the back. "This is my personal number. If you need anything, call me. And I mean anything. Nightmares, questions, someone to talk to who won't think you're crazy."I took the card. "Thank you. For believing me. For not leaving me there.""We're survivors now. That creates a bond." She looked at me seriously. "What happened today doesn't go in my report. As far as anyone knows, Margaret Ashbourne died when the structurally unsound house collapsed. Natural disaster. Terrible tragedy. The Ashbourne line ends here.""And the truth?""The truth stays between us. Some
Last Updated : 2025-10-21
Shadows in Daylight
Victoria's POVThree months passed in the coastal town.I changed my name. Not legally, not yet, but in practice. I became Victoria James, using my brother's middle name. A small tribute. A way to carry him forward without carrying the weight of Ashbourne.I got a job at the bookshop below my apartment. Mrs. Patterson, the owner, was a widow in her seventies who asked no questions about my past. She just needed help with inventory and customers, and I needed something to do with my hands.The work was simple. Peaceful. I'd spent my whole life in that massive manor with servants and expensive things. Now I shelved books for minimum wage and felt happier than I'd ever been.But the past doesn't let go easily.The nightmares started in the second month. Always the same. The chapel. The fire. Elias screaming while I watched through a crack in the door. Then his face would turn toward me, black-eyed and accusing.*You could have stopped them. You should have saved me.*I'd wake up sweating
Last Updated : 2025-10-21
Dr. Iris Morgan
Victoria's POV The therapist's office was nothing like I expected.No leather couch. No diplomas covering the walls. Just a comfortable room with two armchairs, soft lighting, and windows overlooking the sea. Plants everywhere, green and alive. It felt more like someone's living room than a place to discuss trauma.Dr. Iris Morgan was younger than I'd imagined. Maybe late forties, with dark skin, grey-streaked braids, and the kindest eyes I'd ever seen. She wore flowing clothes and smiled when she greeted me."Victoria. Thank you for coming. I'm Iris."Not Doctor Morgan. Just Iris. Like we were equals meeting for tea instead of patient and professional.I sat in the chair she indicated. My hands twisted in my lap. I didn't know where to start. How do you explain supernatural revenge and ritual murder to a therapist?"Detective Chen told me a little about your situation," Iris said. Her voice was gentle. "She said you've experienced significant trauma. Multiple losses in your family.
Last Updated : 2025-10-21
The First Grant
Victoria's POVTwo months into therapy, I received an invitation.The Elias Ashbourne Memorial Fund was giving away its first grants. They were having a ceremony in London to honor the winners. Since I'm the founder, I was invited to go and make a speech.My first instinct was to say no. Going to London would be leaving my safe coastal village. Would be confronting people who would recognize the Ashbourne name. Would be talking in front of strangers about my dead brother."I can't do it," I told Iris during our session. "It's too much.""What are you afraid of?""Anything. That I'll have to unravel. That someone will ask me that I won't be able to answer. That I don't deserve honor when I was with the family that killed him."Iris was silent for a moment. "Victoria, you've been doing the work. You've been confronting your trauma and learning to bear it differently. This is a chance to take the next step. To stand up in public and acknowledge your brother and remind yourself that you c
Last Updated : 2025-10-21
The Return of the Shadows
Victoria's POVThree months of peace. Three months of work and therapy and gradual healing.I should have known it wouldn't last.The shadows came back on a Tuesday night. I'm closing up the bookshop, counting the till while Mrs. Patterson cleans the store room. Everything's fine. Everything's secure.Then the lights flickered.I looked up. The fluorescent lights buzzed and flickered. The air grew cold so fast I could see my breath."Not again," I breathed softly.Mrs. Patterson emerged from the back. "Did a fuse blow?""Something like that."The shadows in the corners began to move. Not shadows cast by something, just moving on their own. Stretching. Spreading like ink spreading in water.Mrs. Patterson saw my face. "Victoria, what's wrong?""You have to get out. Now.""I'm not going to leave you alone when you're looking so frightened."A presence formed among the bookshelves. Long, tall proportions, head at that same impossible angle. The same entity which had materialized in my ap
Last Updated : 2025-10-21
The Letter
Victoria's POVTwo weeks since the shadows returned, and there was a package.Mrs. Patterson knocked on my door after work. "This was brought to the shop. To you, with a note that said personal."The postmark made my blood run cold. Ashbourne Manor. But that was impossible. The manor had collapsed months ago. Nothing remained but rubble."Are you okay?" Mrs. Patterson asked. "You turned white.""I'm fine. Just surprising."She left reluctantly, glancing back twice as she went down the stairs. I closed the door and stared at the box for ten minutes before being brave enough to open it.Inside the box was a metal box, its age and patina making it appear unsightly. No lock, but a simple latch. And a message on paper I wasn't familiar with.Miss Ashbourne, I'm the property inspector that was commissioned to assess the manor ruins for demolition. When recording the property, I found this box among the remains of the chapel foundation. With its personal items, I thought you ought to have it
Last Updated : 2025-10-22
The Journalist
The journalist appeared on a Thursday morning.She walked into the bookshop with the confidence of someone who always got the story. Mid-thirties, sharp suit, recording device already in her hand."Victoria Ashbourne?" she asked. Not Victoria James, my new name. My old name. My real name.My stomach dropped. "Who's asking?""Rachel Morrison. I'm an investigative journalist with The Guardian. I'm writing a piece about prominent families who've fallen from grace. The Ashbourne story is fascinating. Multiple deaths in one weekend, a manor that mysteriously collapsed, millions donated to charity seemingly out of guilt. I'd love to hear your side."Mrs. Patterson moved closer to me. "The young lady is working. If you'd like to make an appointment…""I don't need an appointment. I need answers." Rachel pulled out a folder. "I've been digging into your family's history. Your brother Elias died twenty years ago in what was ruled an accidental fire. But I talked to the fire inspector from back
Last Updated : 2025-10-22
Going Public
The article published on Sunday.I didn't read it at first. Just saw the headline trending on social media. "The Dark Secret of the Ashbourne Family: Wealth Built on Ritual Murder."My phone exploded with notifications. Messages from people I hadn't spoken to in years. Former classmates, distant relatives, strangers who thought they knew me.Detective Chen called first. "Don't read the comments. Don't engage. Let me handle this."Too late. I was already scrolling through the article.Rachel Morrison had done her homework. She'd found the original fire inspector's report, the one that questioned Elias's death. She'd interviewed former servants who whispered about strange ceremonies. She'd connected Mother's family history to documented occult practices.But she didn't have proof. Just speculation presented as investigation. Dots connected with assumptions instead of evidence.The article painted my family as monsters. Which wasn't wrong. But it also painted me as either a victim or an
Last Updated : 2025-10-22
The Scholar's Warning
Dr. Helena Marsh was exactly what I'd imagined an Oxford professor would look like. Silver hair pulled back, elegant but expensive clothing, eyes that missed nothing.She ordered tea and placed a leather portfolio on the table between us."Thank you for seeing me," she said. "I know this must hurt.""You said you know what ritual my mother performed.""Yes. I've spent thirty years researching occult practices among affluent families. Your family is not the only one, I'm sorry to say. Horrible things are done by people when they are desperate. And there are certain old books that provide desperate people with answers."She opened the portfolio and pulled out photocopies of ancient pages. The text was in Latin, with disturbing illustrations."This is the Codex Tenebris. The Book of Darkness. Your great-great-grandmother acquired it in 1847. It has been in your family library ever since, though most people thought it was no more than a curiosity."I recognized the symbols from the ritual
Last Updated : 2025-10-22