Chapter 8 - The Daughter of the Woman Who Knew Everything
Emily stood frozen beside the library door.
She had heard enough.
"What did he mean?"
Luca stopped the recording.
"Come inside."
She entered slowly.
"Why would your father say I could identify a child?"
Luca placed the device on the desk.
"Your mother worked at the hospital where Sofia gave birth."
"That doesn't make me part of this."
"No. But there's something else."
He opened the envelope found in the safe.
Inside was an old photograph of a baby wearing a hospital bracelet.
The name printed on it was partially faded.
Carter, Emily.
Emily stared.
"That's impossible."
Luca turned the photograph over.
A handwritten note read:
The girl was given to Margaret. Keep her away from Alessandro.
Emily's hands began trembling.
"Are you saying my mother adopted me?"
Luca didn't answer immediately.
"I think she saved you."
Emily backed away.
"My mother told me she gave birth to me."
"She may have been protecting you."
"From whom?"
Luca looked at the photograph.
"From my father."
The revelation shattered the last certainty Emily had about her life.
She remembered her mother's quiet nights, the locked wooden box, the way Margaret sometimes stared at her face as though searching for someone else.
"Why would Alessandro want me?"
Luca opened another document.
It was a birth record dated October 3.
The mother's name was Sofia Bell.
The child's name was missing.
But the father's name was Alessandro Moretti.
Emily looked up.
"October 3."
The same date engraved inside the ring.
"Then who was the baby?"
Luca stared at the hospital bracelet.
The answer came slowly.
"Adrian."
Emily shook her head.
"That doesn't make sense."
"Your father may have believed Adrian died. But the records suggest someone removed him from the hospital and replaced his identity."
"And my mother took me?"
"Maybe she took you to protect you."
Emily began crying.
"My entire life was built on a lie."
Luca stepped toward her.
"Your mother loved you. Whatever happened, she gave you a life beyond this family."
Emily wiped her tears.
"Then I want the truth."
They returned to the study and examined the remaining documents.
One photograph showed Margaret standing beside a hospital bed.
Another showed a young woman holding a baby.
On the back was a handwritten name.
Daniel Carter.
Emily recognized the surname.
"My mother's brother."
Luca looked at her.
"Did you know him?"
"No. My mother said she had no living family."
A knock sounded.
Marcus entered.
"Boss, Vanessa is here."
Luca's expression turned cold.
"Where?"
"Front entrance. She says she has information about Adrian."
"Bring her in."
Vanessa entered without her usual confidence.
Her eyes were swollen from crying.
"I know you hate me."
"That's not relevant."
She looked at Emily.
"I need to speak to both of you."
Luca crossed his arms.
"Start with the truth."
Vanessa took a breath.
"My grandmother didn't ask me to marry you. I decided that myself. But not for the reason you think."
"Then why?"
"Because I discovered Adrian had been planning to kill you long before I met you."
Luca said nothing.
Vanessa continued.
"He told me that once he took control, he would destroy everyone connected to your father. Including Sofia. Including Elena."
"Why didn't you warn me?"
"Because he threatened to expose my grandmother's location."
Emily stepped forward.
"And the ring?"
Vanessa removed it from her finger.
"It belonged to Sofia. She gave it to my mother. My mother gave it to me."
Luca examined it.
"Then why did you pretend it was your grandmother's?"
"Because I was afraid you'd recognize it."
She looked at Emily.
"And because I knew your mother had been keeping a secret about you."
Emily's face tightened.
"What secret?"
Vanessa reached into her handbag and placed a small photograph on the desk.
It showed a young woman holding a baby.
Behind her stood Margaret Carter.
And beside Margaret was a man whose face Emily had never seen.
May you like
Vanessa whispered:
"That man is your biological father."
