Chapter 17 - THE PRICE OF TELLING THE TRUTH|
The first official inquiry began two weeks later.
Independent investigators requested records related to Isabella's accident, the clinic photograph, and several payments authorized by companies connected to Anthony Moretti. The investigation was preliminary, and no one had been charged. Still, the possibility of scrutiny was enough to make the family nervous.
Claire learned about the inquiry through Jonathan.
“Your name has not been publicly connected to it,” he told her. “That is intentional. We want the facts established before anyone starts speculating.”
“Good.”
“There is another development. Sophia's attorney has contacted Rachel Dunn.”
Claire sat straighter.
“Why?”
“Sophia says she wants to cooperate.”
“Does she say why?”
“Not yet.”
Later that day, Sophia called Claire directly.
Claire almost declined, but she decided to answer with Jonathan on the line.
“What do you want?” Claire asked.
Sophia's voice sounded different without Vincent nearby. The polished confidence had vanished, replaced by exhaustion.
“I need to explain something.”
“You can explain it to the investigators.”
“I will. But I thought you deserved to hear one thing from me.”
Claire remained silent.
Sophia took a shaky breath.
“I knew Vincent was married before I accepted the job.”
Claire's stomach tightened.
“How?”
“Anthony told me.”
“Why would he tell you?”
“He said Vincent's marriage was private and that you were comfortable with it. He said Vincent needed someone who understood his grief.”
“And you believed him?”
“Not at first.”
Sophia admitted that Anthony had shown her photographs of Isabella and encouraged her to style her hair similarly. He had described Vincent as a man who could be guided by old memories. Sophia had been told she would be protected and promoted if she helped keep Vincent focused on the family business.
“I thought it was strange,” she said. “But I wanted the job. I told myself I wasn't doing anything wrong.”
“You knew he was married.”
“Yes.”
“You watched him treat me as if I didn't exist.”
Sophia's voice broke.
“Yes.”
Claire felt anger rise, but beneath it was something colder: the recognition that Sophia had made a series of choices and was now facing their consequences.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because Anthony used me, too. I don't know everything he did, but I know he was afraid of what I might remember.”
“What do you remember?”
Sophia was silent for several seconds.
“I remember a woman coming to the house when I was little. She had dark hair and a scar near her eyebrow. She called herself Isabella. She told me never to trust Anthony.”
Claire's heart began to pound.
“Where was this?”
“At a house outside Boston. I was about six. I don't remember how I got there. I was told my parents had died and that Anthony was helping me.”
“Did Isabella say she was your mother?”
“No. But she cried when she looked at me.”
Claire closed her eyes.
The pieces were moving, but they still did not form a complete picture.
“Do you have records from that time?”
“I have a box of papers Anthony gave me when I turned eighteen. I never opened all of it.”
“Give it to your attorney. Don't send it to me.”
“I will.”
Sophia hesitated.
“Claire, I know I hurt you.”
“Yes, you did.”
“I can't undo that.”
“No.”
“I don't expect you to forgive me.”
“Good.”
The call ended.
Claire sat in silence while Jonathan made notes.
Sophia's account was not proof that Isabella was alive, nor did it establish Sophia's parentage. But it suggested that a child had been moved through Anthony's network under questionable circumstances.
The investigation was no longer only about Vincent's grief.
It was about a possible identity concealment, a potentially false death narrative, and a family that had controlled the truth for years.
That evening, Claire received a message from Vincent through Jonathan.
I have asked my attorneys to cooperate fully. I will not contact you directly again unless you invite me to.
She read it slowly.
It was the first time he had made a promise that gave her control rather than taking it away.
She did not reply.
She was not ready.
But she saved the message, then placed the phone beside the ultrasound photograph.
May you like
She could acknowledge a change without mistaking it for redemption.
And she could hope that Vincent would continue doing the right thing even if she never returned to him.
