Chapter 4 - THE SECRET HIDDEN INSIDE THE MEDICAL RECORDS
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Clare didn't sleep that night.
She sat beside Maya's bed, listening to the quiet breathing of her daughter.
The message Marco had delivered kept repeating in her mind.
Ask the mother what she heard before the explosion.
She hadn't known Alessia.
She hadn't been in Italy six months earlier.
And yet somebody had apparently connected her to the dead woman's final moments.
At six in the morning, Dante knocked on her door.
He was no longer wearing his expensive suit. He had on a black shirt, dark trousers, and the exhausted expression of a man who hadn't slept.
"I need to speak with you."
Clare opened the door but didn't invite him inside.
"What happened?"
"Bellini was murdered."
"Why?"
"That's what I'm trying to find out."
He handed her a folder.
Inside were copies of Leo's medical records.
Clare studied the dates.
The first assessment had been conducted shortly after birth. The report indicated that Leo had failed an initial hearing screening.
The second examination had been performed several weeks later.
The third report declared profound bilateral hearing loss.
But something bothered her.
"These reports were signed by the same doctor?"
"Yes."
"And the same laboratory?"
Dante nodded.
"Bellini controlled the entire process."
Clare turned another page.
A handwritten note had been added to the final assessment.
It mentioned an unusual medication administered to Alessia during the last weeks of pregnancy.
"What is this?"
Dante frowned.
"Alessia was given medication after experiencing complications."
"Do you know what it was?"
"No."
Clare looked up.
"Then we need to find out."
Dante was silent.
For a moment, his expression softened.
"She was terrified during her final weeks. She kept telling me that something was wrong."
"What did she say?"
"She said someone was coming into the nursery at night."
Clare stopped turning pages.
"Who?"
"She wouldn't tell me."
"Did you believe her?"
Dante looked away.
"I thought the pregnancy was making her anxious."
The words seemed to hurt him.
Clare closed the folder.
"Mr. Salvatore, sometimes people notice things before they have proof. You shouldn't dismiss that."
He looked at her.
"Do you think she was trying to tell me something?"
"I think you should find out."
At noon, Marco arrived with a woman named Dr. Elena Ricci.
She was a pediatric audiologist who had previously worked at a university hospital in Milan.
Dante had arranged for her to examine Leo independently.
Clare remained nearby during the examination.
The doctor performed a series of tests, including an auditory brainstem response assessment.
When she finished, she asked to speak privately with Dante.
Clare immediately noticed the tension in the room.
"What is it?" Dante demanded.
Dr. Ricci hesitated.
"Your son's results are unusual."
"Is he deaf?"
"I cannot confirm the previous diagnosis."
Dante gripped the edge of the desk.
"What does that mean?"
"The earlier reports show no reliable evidence that the tests were conducted correctly. The equipment calibration records are inconsistent, and the original data appears to have been altered."
Clare felt her stomach tighten.
"Altered?"
Dr. Ricci nodded.
"I want to repeat the examination under controlled conditions. But I am concerned that someone deliberately interfered with the previous assessments."
Dante's face became terrifyingly still.
"Who?"
"I don't know."
"Find out."
Dr. Ricci looked at Clare.
"There's another concern."
"What?" Clare asked.
"The medical file indicates that Leo may have been exposed to a substance that could temporarily interfere with certain neurological responses."
Dante turned sharply.
"Poison?"
"Not necessarily. I need a toxicology evaluation before making any conclusions."
He walked to the window.
For six months, he had believed his son had been born deaf.
For six months, he had accepted the diagnosis because the doctor had shown him charts, explained test results, and assured him there was nothing more to investigate.
Now he was being told that those results might have been manipulated.
And the man responsible was dead.
That evening, Clare received a call from an unknown number.
She answered quietly.
"Hello?"
A man's voice came through.
"Clare."
Her blood turned cold.
"Richard?"
"I've been looking for you."
She immediately ended the call.
Seconds later, another message appeared.
A photograph of Maya sleeping beside her stuffed rabbit.
Below it were six words.
YOU CAN'T HIDE MY DAUGHTER FOREVER.
Clare dropped the phone.
Dante entered the room moments later.
He found her shaking.
"What happened?"
She showed him the message.
His expression changed.
"Marco!"
The bodyguard appeared immediately.
"Yes, sir?"
"Lock down the estate. Nobody enters or leaves without clearance."
Clare grabbed his arm.
"Please don't hurt him."
Dante looked down at her hand.
"He's threatening your daughter."
"I know what he's capable of. That's why I'm afraid."
Dante's voice softened.
"Then let me protect you."
She looked at him.
"How do I know you're not just another dangerous man telling me what I can and cannot do?"
He had no immediate answer.
Then his phone rang.
Marco answered it and listened.
His expression slowly changed.
"Sir, we found something in Dr. Bellini's office."
"What?"
"A hidden storage drive."
Dante took the phone.
"What's on it?"
Marco's answer was barely audible.
"An audio recording from the night Alessia died."
Dante closed his eyes.
Then Marco added:
"Sir, there's a woman's voice on the recording."
May you like
He paused.
"She's telling someone to make sure the baby never hears the truth."
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