Chapter 8 - THE LIE THAT COULD DESTROY US
I couldn't hear anything.
Not the clock.
Not Gabriel speaking into his radio.
Not even my own breathing.
Only Victor's words.
Salvatore Ferrara was your biological father.
Nico stood across the room.
His face had gone completely blank.
If Victor was telling the truth, Nico was my half brother.
My husband.
I stumbled backward.
“No.”
Victor's expression softened with a sympathy I didn't trust.
“I'm sorry, Nora.”
Nico turned toward him.
“Show me proof.”
Victor reached into his briefcase.
Gabriel moved immediately.
“Hands where I can see them.”
Victor smiled.
“Relax.”
He produced a sealed envelope.
Inside were photocopies of medical records, a birth certificate amendment, and a laboratory report.
Nico examined them.
His expression darkened.
“Where did you get these?”
“From Salvatore's private attorney.”
“Who?”
“Dead now.”
“How convenient.”
Victor shrugged.
“Believe whatever makes you comfortable.”
I looked at Nico.
“Is it true?”
He didn't answer.
And somehow, that hurt more than anything.
Victor stood.
“Your marriage must be annulled immediately. Quietly. Before this becomes public.”
Nico's eyes narrowed.
“You seem very concerned about my marriage.”
“I'm concerned about the family.”
“Were you concerned about the family when you left Marco dying in the river?”
Victor's expression hardened.
“That boy didn't understand what he was interfering with.”
The room went silent.
Nico took one step forward.
“Say that again.”
Victor realized his mistake.
“Nico—”
“You just admitted you were there.”
Victor straightened.
“I admitted nothing.”
Gabriel moved toward him.
Victor raised a hand.
“Before you do something foolish, consider this.”
He looked at me.
“Edmund has a complete copy of those records. If anything happens to me, he'll release them.”
Nico stared at him.
“Get out.”
Victor blinked.
“Excuse me?”
“Leave my house.”
Victor picked up his briefcase.
At the doorway, he paused.
“Salvatore would be ashamed of what you've become.”
Nico's voice was quiet.
“My father would have been ashamed of you.”
Victor left.
I stood beside the fireplace, shaking.
Nico approached.
“Nora.”
“Don't.”
He stopped.
“Those documents could be forged.”
“Could be?”
“We need an independent test.”
I stared at him.
“And until then?”
He looked devastated.
“We keep our distance.”
I laughed once.
It sounded ugly.
“That's easy for you.”
“Nora—”
“You married me to punish my father. You frightened me. Then you made me think I might finally be safe.”
His face tightened.
“I know.”
“And now I might be your sister?”
He closed his eyes.
“I don't believe Victor.”
“But you don't know.”
“No.”
The honesty hurt.
I turned away.
“Then I need to leave.”
He didn't argue.
“I'll arrange somewhere safe.”
“No Ferrara guards.”
“Nora, Victor is dangerous.”
“So is everyone with that name.”
He absorbed the words without defending himself.
“I understand.”
That night, I moved into a secure apartment in Manhattan under Evelyn's care.
Nico didn't call.
He sent one message.
You deserve the truth. I'll find it.
I stared at the screen for a long time.
Then I deleted the message.
Not because I hated him.
Because I was beginning to love him.
And that possibility terrified me.
The next morning, Evelyn found me sitting beside the window.
“You haven't slept.”
“Neither have you.”
She brought me coffee.
I looked at her.
“Did my mother know Salvatore?”
Evelyn hesitated.
“Yes.”
My stomach dropped.
“Were they together?”
“Not the way Victor wants you to believe.”
“What does that mean?”
Evelyn sat beside me.
“Caroline worked for Salvatore's legal foundation. They were close. He trusted her.”
“Did they have an affair?”
“Not that I ever knew.”
I stared at my hands.
“Then why would Victor have those records?”
“Because someone wants you and Nico separated.”
I looked up.
“Why?”
“Think about what happened after the wedding. You found the key. Nico learned about his father's murder. Marco woke up. The people behind all this are losing control.”
I remembered my mother's lullaby.
When the clock forgets to chime, find the name that isn't mine.
Suddenly, something clicked.
“Evelyn.”
“Yes?”
“Did my mother ever own a clock that didn't work?”
She frowned.
“Your grandmother's grandfather clock.”
“Where is it?”
“In storage, I think.”
“What storage?”
“The Ashford estate. Your father moved it to the basement years ago.”
I stood.
The clock.
The lullaby.
The hidden name.
My mother had been telling me where to look all along.
I called Nico.
He answered immediately.
“Nora?”
“I think I know where the original evidence is.”
A pause.
“Where?”
“My father's house.”
“Nora, don't go there.”
“I'm not going alone.”
He exhaled.
“I'm coming.”
Before I could answer, another call appeared.
Unknown number.
I switched over.
My father's voice greeted me.
“Hello, sweetheart.”
My blood went cold.
“How did you get this number?”
“I've always been good at finding you.”
“What do you want?”
He chuckled.
“The same thing I've wanted for fourteen years.”
I gripped the phone.
“The key?”
“No.”
A pause.
“The truth about who you really are.”
Then he said something that made my entire body go numb.
“Ask Evelyn why she helped your mother change your birth records.”
I slowly turned.
Evelyn stood in the doorway.
May you like
Watching me.
And for the first time in my life, she looked afraid of me.
