A Wealthy Father Promised To Adopt Me If I Healed His Paralyzed Daughters — Part 2

Previously: When wealthy Edward offered to adopt orphan Harper if she could help his wheelchair-bound daughters walk, she thought it was a miracle. But a shocking family secret changed everything.

The Secrets Behind the Marble Walls

Over the next month, Harper dedicated every waking hour to Audrey and Evelyn. She used the gentle sensory exercises and neurological stimulation techniques her late mother, a brilliant physical therapist, had taught her. At first, the sisters resisted. They threw tantrums, knocked over water glasses, and demanded that the "orphan charity case" leave them alone. But Harper’s patience was infinite; she had walked this difficult road of recovery herself, and she refused to give up on them.

Gradually, the girls' defenses began to crumble. They started laughing during their sessions, and a genuine bond formed between the three of them. However, as Harper spent more time with the sisters, she began to notice strange inconsistencies. When she tested Audrey’s reflexes, the response was incredibly sharp. Moreover, the girls' leg muscles showed no signs of the severe atrophy typical of two years of paralysis.

The shocking truth was revealed late one snowy night. Unable to sleep, Harper crept down the long hallway to fetch a glass of water. As she passed the playroom, she saw a sliver of light beneath the door and heard hushed, urgent whispering. Peering through the cracked door, Harper gasped. Audrey was standing on her own two feet, pacing the room while Evelyn watched from her chair.

"We have to keep pretending, Evelyn," Audrey whispered. "If Father realizes we are cured, he will marry Victoria, and she will send us away to boarding school in Europe. The wheelchairs are the only reason he stays home with us."

Harper’s heart shattered. The girls were faking their paralysis to keep their grieving father from moving on and leaving them. Suddenly, Harper’s foot slipped on the hardwood floor. The door swung open, and Audrey froze, staring at Harper in absolute terror. Before anyone could move, the heavy footsteps of Edward echoed down the hallway. He stepped into the room, his eyes narrowing as he took in the scene of his "paralyzed" daughter standing upright.