Chapter 7 - THE MOTHER WHO WATCHED FROM THE SHADOWS
Dominic and Emily reached Boston before dawn.
The address connected to Grace Miller led to a modest brick house behind a small church. There were no security cameras, no visible guards, and no sign that anyone wealthy or dangerous lived there.
Emily stood on the sidewalk, gripping the strap of her bag.
"What if she isn't my mother?"
"Then we'll keep looking."
"And if she is?"
Dominic didn't pretend to have an answer.
They approached the front door.
Before they could knock, it opened.
The silver-haired woman from the photograph stood in the doorway.
She looked at Emily.
For a moment, neither moved.
Then the woman's hand rose to her mouth.
"Emily."
The young woman made a sound somewhere between a sob and a gasp.
"Mom?"
Claire Carter stepped forward, then stopped as though afraid her daughter might disappear if she moved too quickly.
Emily crossed the threshold and threw her arms around her.
Claire held her tightly.
"I'm sorry," she whispered over and over. "I'm so sorry."
Emily clung to her.
"You were alive. All this time, you were alive."
"I know."
"You let me think I had nobody."
Claire began to cry.
"I was afraid that if I came back, they would use you to get to Richard. After he died, I thought the danger would finally end. Then someone sent me a photograph of you outside the Moretti estate."
Emily pulled away.
"Who sent it?"
"I don't know. The message said that if I contacted you, you'd be killed."
Dominic stepped forward.
"Whoever sent it knew where you were."
Claire looked at him carefully.
"You're Richard's son."
"Yes."
She studied his face, searching for something familiar.
"Your father spent years trying to find us."
Emily turned sharply.
"Then why didn't he?"
"Because someone intercepted every letter. Someone convinced him I was dead."
Claire invited them inside.
On a small table stood a framed photograph of Richard Moretti. Beside it was a photograph of Emily as a toddler, wearing the same silver bracelet.
Claire explained that she had changed her name after the accident and spent years moving between safe houses. She had contacted a lawyer, intending to establish Emily's paternity, but the lawyer disappeared before the documents could be filed.
"Did you ever love my father?" Emily asked.
Claire smiled sadly.
"More than anything. But love wasn't enough to keep us safe."
Dominic looked at the photograph of Richard.
"Do you believe he was involved in the accident?"
"No. I believe he was manipulated. Your grandfather wanted me gone, and someone inside the family helped him."
"Isabella?"
Claire's expression tightened.
"Isabella helped me escape the clinic. She didn't arrange the accident. But she made a choice afterward. She chose silence."
Dominic accepted the answer without defending his mother.
"What happened to the original birth certificate?"
Claire opened a small metal box.
Inside lay a sealed envelope, an old hospital bracelet, and several letters tied with string.
"The lawyer gave me these before he disappeared. He said the documents could prove Richard was Emily's father."
Dominic examined the envelope.
The seal had been broken and carefully replaced.
"Someone opened this."
Claire nodded.
"Three days ago."
A sound came from the rear of the house.
Dominic immediately moved in front of Emily and Claire.
Marcus, who had been checking the perimeter, appeared in the doorway.
"Someone's in the alley."
A shadow moved past the kitchen window.
Dominic drew his weapon and motioned for the women to stay behind him.
The back door burst open.
A man rushed into the room.
Marcus tackled him before he could reach the hallway. The man struggled violently, knocking over a chair.
Dominic seized his wrist.
"Who sent you?"
The man spat at his feet.
"You have no idea what's coming."
Marcus secured his hands.
Dominic searched his coat and found a folded photograph.
It showed Isabella Moretti entering a private office building two days earlier.
On the back was a handwritten address and a time.
TONIGHT. 11:30 P.M. BRING THE ORIGINAL WILL.
Dominic looked at the captured man.
"What's happening tonight?"
The man smiled.
"Your mother has been making deals behind your back."
Dominic's eyes narrowed.
"With whom?"
The man leaned closer.
"Ask her why she agreed to hand over Emily."
Emily went pale.
Claire wrapped an arm around her daughter.
Dominic's voice turned cold.
"Where is my mother going tonight?"
The man laughed.
"To meet the people who own your family."
Dominic looked at Marcus.
"Get him out of here."
Then he turned to Emily.
"You're staying with your mother. I'll handle this."
She grabbed his sleeve.
"No. I'm done being the person everyone hides from the truth."
He looked into her eyes.
"Then stay behind me."
She nodded.
But before they could leave the house, Dominic's phone vibrated.
A message appeared from an unknown number.
It contained a photograph of Isabella sitting at a table across from Charles Sterling.
Between them lay a document bearing Dominic's signature.
Beneath the photograph were eight words.
May you like
YOUR MOTHER HAS ALREADY SOLD YOUR INHERITANCE.
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