Chapter 6 - The Last Hour|
Damian arrived at Evelyn Carter's office before sunrise.
He carried the photograph of the medication chart and refused to sit until Evelyn had examined it.
She studied the image carefully.
“This appears to be part of a nursing record, but I cannot authenticate it from a photograph.”
“Could someone have delayed my son's treatment?”
“Medical records must be reviewed by qualified clinicians. I won't speculate about malpractice based on an anonymous image.”
Damian forced himself to breathe.
“Then help me get the records examined properly.”
Evelyn agreed to preserve the relevant information and refer the matter through the hospital's formal review process.
Damian also contacted his attorney, who advised that no one should alter, remove, or circulate the records outside the authorized investigation.
For once, Damian listened without arguing.
The following afternoon, an independent medical reviewer met with the hospital's clinical team. They examined Gabriel's treatment timeline, staffing records, medication administration entries, and the sequence of events surrounding his final decline.
The preliminary finding was devastating in a different way than Damian had expected.
There was no verified evidence that treatment had been deliberately delayed.
Gabriel had been critically premature, and his condition had deteriorated despite the care provided. The handwritten note did not appear in the authenticated medical record.
Someone had manipulated the image.
Damian should have felt relief.
Instead, he felt a fresh wave of anger.
Someone was willing to exploit his son's death to manipulate him.
The reviewer also identified unauthorized access to a separate administrative system, which investigators began examining. That breach did not establish that anyone had interfered with Gabriel's treatment, but it strengthened the case that Claire's medical information had been improperly accessed.
Damian called Claire through Nora.
She agreed to speak for ten minutes.
They met in a small public garden beside a Milwaukee community center. Claire wore a gray coat and a simple silver pendant. Her face was thinner, and there were dark shadows beneath her eyes.
Damian wanted to reach for her.
He kept his hands at his sides.
“Thank you for meeting me.”
“I agreed to ten minutes.”
“I know.”
She sat on a bench.
He remained standing until she gestured toward the other end.
“Sit down, Damian.”
He obeyed.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then he said, “I'm sorry.”
Claire looked at the trees.
“For what?”
“For the flight. For the calls I didn't answer. For the appointments I missed. For making you feel like you had to compete with my business and another woman.”
He swallowed.
“For leaving you alone when you needed me most.”
Claire's eyes filled, but her voice remained steady.
“You're apologizing for the last twelve hours. I'm talking about the seven months before them.”
He nodded.
“You're right.”
“I begged you to come home before our son was born. I begged you to look at me when I was talking. I asked you to stop letting Alessia call you at midnight. I asked you to be present.”
“I know.”
“No, Damian. You know the words now. You didn't know what they meant when I was saying them.”
He lowered his head.
“I don't have an excuse.”
“Good. Because I don't want another one.”
She reached into her bag and removed a folded piece of paper.
It was a copy of the protection agreement.
“You signed this when you told me you wanted me to feel safe in your world. I added the clause about leaving because I wanted to know I could escape if your world ever became too dangerous.”
Damian looked at the document.
“I thought I'd never need it.”
“So did I.”
She folded the paper again.
“I'm not asking you to suffer. I'm not asking you to hate yourself. But I cannot be the person who teaches you how to care about me.”
He felt the words settle into him.
“What can I do?”
“Stop trying to find a way to bring me back.”
He looked at her.
“Is that what you want?”
“For now, yes.”
He nodded slowly.
“I'll respect that.”
Claire's expression shifted, as though she had expected an argument.
“You won't send men after me?”
“No.”
“You won't use your money to make my life difficult?”
“No.”
“You won't threaten Nora?”
“Never.”
She looked down at her hands.
“Then maybe one day I can remember you without being afraid.”
Damian had faced armed enemies without flinching.
That sentence nearly destroyed him.
Before she left, he gave her a small envelope.
Inside was a photograph of Gabriel's hand.
“I thought you might want another copy,” he said.
Claire held it carefully.
“Thank you.”
He watched her walk away without following.
For the first time, he understood that respecting her decision might be the only meaningful act of love he had left.
That evening, the hospital completed a more detailed review of the suspicious medication image. Investigators traced the forged annotation to a digital file created outside the hospital system.
The file had been generated using credentials belonging to a contractor at Northbridge.
The contractor was questioned and agreed to cooperate.
He identified Victor Salerno as the person who had requested access to Claire's medical information.
But he also produced an email from an unknown sender.
If the Moretti heir is born before the trust is restructured, the plan fails.
The email had been sent six weeks before Claire went into labor.
Damian stared at the screen.
Victor had clearly viewed the pregnancy as an obstacle.
But who had sent the message?
The investigator enlarged the header.
The account had been created using a temporary email address, but the recovery phone belonged to a woman who had been declared dead eleven years earlier.
Damian recognized the name.
May you like
It was his father's former personal secretary.
And according to the official records, she had died in a car accident three months before Damian inherited the empire.
