Chapter 8 - The Sister Who Disappeared|
Sophie couldn't breathe.
“My mother had another child?”
“A daughter,” Isabella said. “She was two years younger than you.”
“Where is she?”
“I don't know.”
The answer felt like another betrayal.
Isabella explained that Margaret had given birth to a second daughter after leaving Sophie's father. The child's father had been a man named Daniel Reed, an accountant who had worked with the foundation. When Daniel discovered the diverted funds, he helped Margaret collect evidence.
Both parents died within months of each other.
The little girl disappeared from the records.
“I believed she had been placed with a family outside Illinois,” Isabella said. “Vittorio arranged the paperwork.”
Massimo's face hardened.
“You let my uncle arrange the placement?”
“I was trying to keep the child alive.”
Sophie stood abruptly.
“You knew I had a sister, and you never told me?”
“I didn't know where she was.”
“You could have told me she existed!”
Isabella's eyes filled with tears.
“You're right.”
The simple admission left Sophie with nowhere to direct her anger.
Massimo took her outside. The night air was cold, and the hotel courtyard was nearly empty.
“I need a minute,” Sophie said.
“Take all the time you need.”
She stared at him.
“Don't you dare turn this into something about how your family has suffered.”
“I wasn't going to.”
“My mother died. My father raised me without telling me everything. Now I find out I have a sister who might be alive, and everyone seems to know more about my life than I do.”
Massimo listened.
When she finally stopped, he said, “You have every right to be angry.”
She looked away.
“Do you ever get tired of being the person everyone is afraid of?”
The question surprised him.
“Yes.”
“Then why keep doing it?”
“Because fear has always been easier to manage than trust.”
Sophie studied his face.
“That's a terrible answer.”
“I know.”
For the first time, he didn't try to sound invulnerable.
Rafael arrived with news. The old Romano chapel was scheduled for demolition the following week as part of a property sale. If Margaret's evidence was still hidden there, they had little time.
They drove to the abandoned estate before dawn.
The chapel stood behind a row of bare trees, its stone walls weathered and its stained-glass windows cracked. Massimo unlocked the door with a key carried by his grandmother.
Sophie searched beneath the altar while Rafael examined the floorboards.
Nothing.
Then Sophie noticed a small floral carving on the side of a wooden pew.
A lily.
Her mother had always drawn lilies on birthday cards.
Sophie pressed the carving.
A narrow compartment opened beneath the seat.
Inside was a tin box wrapped in oilcloth.
It contained a stack of documents, a cassette tape, and a child's bracelet bearing a silver charm.
Two initials were engraved on the charm.
C.M.
“Clara Miller,” Sophie whispered.
Her sister's name.
Massimo examined the documents.
Bank transfers. Foundation ledgers. Copies of contracts signed by Vittorio.
And a photograph of a young woman standing outside a school in Milwaukee.
On the back, Margaret had written a date and an address.
Sophie clutched the photograph.
“She's alive.”
Rafael checked the date.
“The picture is from eight years ago.”
“Then we find the school.”
Massimo nodded.
But as they left the chapel, headlights appeared beyond the trees.
A black SUV blocked the driveway.
Three men stepped out.
One held a gun.
The other carried the tin box Sophie had thought she was holding.
She looked down.
The box in her hands was empty.
Someone had switched it while they were searching.
May you like
And a voice came from the darkness.
“Give us the photograph, Miss Miller.”
