Chapter 20 - THE GIRL IN THE PHOTOGRAPH|
The DNA test was conducted by an independent laboratory under legal supervision.
Luca refused to let rumors or family accusations determine Sophie's identity. The photograph, the trust records, and Daniel's statement were submitted to the investigators, who arranged for the relevant medical and family records to be authenticated.
For three days, Luca waited.
Sophie remained at home under the care of Claire and a pediatric nurse. Her ankle was healing, and she had begun asking when she could return to her dance studio.
Luca promised that she would return when the doctor approved it.
He also promised that nobody would ever force her to dance to prove she deserved a place in his family.
On the fourth morning, Rebecca called.
“The laboratory results are in.”
Luca stood alone in his study.
“What do they say?”
“The samples confirm that you are Sophie's biological father.”
He closed his eyes in relief.
“And the photograph?”
Rebecca hesitated.
“The infant in the photograph cannot be conclusively identified from the image alone. But the hospital records show that two girls were born within minutes of each other that night. One record contains a correction made several days later.”
Luca felt the room grow colder.
“Two girls?”
“Yes. The records don't establish that the babies were switched, and we cannot assume that from the paperwork alone. But the discrepancy is serious enough to require further investigation.”
He stared at the photograph.
Caroline had held a newborn and written that the child was not who everyone believed her to be.
What had she discovered?
And why had she been afraid to tell him?
Rebecca continued.
“There is another development. Vincent Moretti has contacted the investigators through an attorney. He claims he can explain the altered records, but he refuses to meet unless Sophie is present.”
“Absolutely not.”
“I agree. No child should be placed in that position. The investigators have told him that any interview must take place without Sophie being used as leverage.”
Luca ended the call and went upstairs.
Sophie was sitting beside Claire in the family sitting room, coloring a picture of the old dance studio. Her injured foot rested on a cushion.
When she saw her father, she smiled.
“Daddy, look.”
She held up the drawing.
It showed three figures standing outside the studio: Sophie, Luca, and Claire.
“That's beautiful,” he said.
“Can we go there when my ankle gets better?”
“Of course.”
“Will you watch me dance?”
Luca knelt beside her.
“If you want me to.”
She smiled.
“And if I don't want to dance?”
“Then we'll get pancakes afterward.”
Sophie laughed.
For a moment, the world felt simple again.
Then Claire noticed the envelope in his hand.
“Mr. Moretti?”
He showed her the photograph.
She studied it carefully.
“Who is the baby?”
“We don't know yet.”
Claire turned the picture over.
“Whoever wrote this wanted you to ask that question.”
Luca nodded.
“And someone wanted me to wait until now to find the answer.”
His phone rang.
The caller ID showed an unknown number.
He answered.
A man's voice spoke calmly.
“Luca Moretti. We need to discuss your daughter.”
“Who is this?”
“My name is Vincent.”
Luca's grip tightened.
“Where are you?”
“Somewhere your people won't find me.”
“What do you want?”
“The original agreement. The photograph. And the truth about the night Sophie was born.”
“You can speak to the investigators.”
Vincent laughed softly.
“They cannot protect you from what your own family has done.”
Luca glanced toward Sophie.
“You will never come near my daughter.”
“I'm not the person you should be afraid of.”
“Then who should I be afraid of?”
Vincent paused.
“Ask Caroline why she chose to keep one child and hide the other.”
The line went dead.
Luca stood motionless.
Claire looked from him to Sophie.
“What did he say?”
Luca slowly lowered the phone.
“He says there may be another child.”
Sophie stopped coloring.
“Another child?”
Luca immediately knelt beside her.
“We don't know what that means yet, sweetheart.”
She looked frightened.
“Is someone going to take me away again?”
“No.”
He took her hands.
“Nobody is taking you anywhere.”
Sophie searched his face.
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
She leaned against him.
Claire watched them, feeling the weight of the secret settling over the room.
The investigators still had work to do. The disputed records had not been fully authenticated. Vincent remained at large, and the identity of the child in Caroline's photograph was unknown.
But Luca had finally learned the lesson he should have understood years earlier.
Protecting a child did not mean hiding the truth forever.
It meant telling the truth carefully, listening when she was afraid, and never making her responsible for the mistakes of adults.
That night, after Sophie fell asleep, Luca returned to Caroline's sitting room.
He placed the photograph beside the piano and opened the hidden compartment one final time.
There was another envelope inside.
It had not been there before.
Someone had entered the room.
The security system showed no forced entry.
Luca opened the envelope.
Inside was a recent photograph of a young woman standing outside Sophie's dance studio.
She looked remarkably like Caroline.
On the back, a message had been written in black ink.
She knows who Sophie really is.
Beneath it was an address.
And one final sentence:
If you want to keep your daughter safe, do not tell her that her sister is alive.
Luca stared at the photograph until dawn began to lighten the windows.
Then he heard a small sound behind him.
Sophie stood in the doorway, leaning on her crutches.
“Daddy?”
He quickly turned the photograph over.
“Yes, sweetheart?”
She looked at him with frightened eyes.
“I heard someone downstairs.”
Luca crossed the room and lifted her into his arms.
“It's all right. I'll check.”
But as he carried her toward the hallway, his phone vibrated again.
A message from Vincent appeared.
You have until midnight to choose which daughter you want to protect.
May you like
Luca stopped walking.
For the first time in his life, the most powerful man in Chicago had no idea who was standing outside his door—or which truth would destroy his family first.
