Chapter 8 - THE DAUGHTER THEY STOLE
Dominic didn't speak for several seconds.
He looked at the photograph, then at Vanessa.
“Explain.”
Vanessa shook her head.
“I only learned about the baby last month. Victor showed me a document proving Isabella had delivered a girl shortly before her death. He said the baby hadn't survived.”
“Then why hide the record?”
“Because the hospital transfer was illegal. The baby was moved before the birth certificate could be completed. Victor wanted the child removed from the Moretti inheritance records.”
Dominic's voice was barely audible.
“Was she alive?”
“I believe so.”
The room seemed to shrink around him.
He remembered Isabella's final weeks. He remembered her asking strange questions about hospitals, family lawyers, and whether a child could be protected from people who controlled money and influence.
He had assumed the medication was making her anxious.
Now every memory carried a different meaning.
Dominic contacted Dr. Reynolds, who agreed to help verify the records. Margaret also located an independent attorney specializing in medical fraud and unlawful adoptions.
Within hours, they had a name.
Lily Bennett.
A child born eighteen months earlier at a private medical facility outside Chicago. Her original birth record had been sealed, then amended after a disputed transfer.
The adoptive parents had no connection to the Moretti family. They had been told the child's biological mother had died and that no relatives could be found.
Dominic refused to approach them with threats or accusations.
“If this is Isabella's daughter,” he told his attorney, “she deserves the truth without having her life turned upside down by strangers with money.”
They arranged a meeting through the attorney and child-welfare authorities.
The adoptive parents, Daniel and Rebecca Bennett, arrived at the law office holding hands.
Rebecca looked frightened.
“Are we in trouble?”
“No,” Dominic said. “You were given false information. We need to understand what happened, and we want to protect your daughter.”
Daniel's jaw tightened.
“Lily is our child.”
“I understand.”
“Do you?”
Dominic looked at the photograph of the newborn.
“I know what it's like to love someone and believe you have no way to protect them. I'm not here to take Lily away from you.”
The attorney explained the suspected fraud and requested a lawful DNA test.
Rebecca began crying.
“We were told her mother died during childbirth. We adopted her because we thought she had no one.”
Dominic's voice softened.
“If she's Isabella's daughter, she has a family. That doesn't erase the family you've given her.”
The test would take several days.
Those days became the longest of Dominic's life.
Meanwhile, investigators examined the hospital records and the recording Vanessa had supplied. Dr. Hale was located at his private clinic. When confronted with the evidence, he initially denied everything.
Then investigators found payment records linking him to a company controlled by Victor.
Dr. Hale confessed that he had altered Isabella's treatment file and authorized the baby's transfer under false pretenses. He claimed Victor had told him the child would be safer away from the Moretti family.
But he admitted one devastating detail.
“Isabella knew someone might try to take her baby,” he told investigators. “She asked me to protect the child. Victor used that request against her.”
Dominic felt as if the ground had vanished beneath him.
“Did she know she was going to die?”
Dr. Hale lowered his eyes.
“She knew the surgery carried risks. But she had not agreed to the final procedure. The authorization was forged.”
The confession confirmed what Isabella's letter had suggested.
Her death had not been an unavoidable tragedy.
Someone had stolen her choice.
And someone had stolen her child.
That evening, Dominic returned to the secure residence where Emily was staying.
She sat on a sofa, folding tiny baby clothes Margaret had brought her.
“Any news?” she asked.
He nodded slowly.
“Isabella may have had a daughter.”
Emily covered her mouth.
“Mrs. Moretti's baby?”
“We're waiting for the DNA results.”
Emily began to cry.
“She wanted that child so much. She used to talk about teaching her to bake, planting flowers with her, and reading stories before bed.”
Dominic sat beside her.
“She never told me.”
“She was afraid someone would take the baby.”
He stared at the floor.
Emily reached for his hand.
“Mr. Moretti, you can't change what happened. But you can decide what happens next.”
For the first time since Isabella's death, Dominic allowed himself to imagine a future that wasn't built around revenge.
Then his attorney called.
The DNA results were ready.
Dominic answered.
“Tell me.”
The attorney's voice broke through the silence.
“Mr. Moretti, the test confirms it.”
Dominic closed his eyes.
“Lily Bennett is Isabella's biological daughter.”
He pressed a hand over his mouth.
Then the attorney added:
“There's another problem. Victor's lawyer has filed an emergency petition claiming the child is in danger if she remains with her adoptive parents.”
Dominic's eyes opened.
May you like
Victor was trying to take control of Lily again.
And this time, Dominic would have to fight him in court.
