Chapter 13 - THE WOMAN WHO KNEW THE TRUTH
Catherine Bell lived in a small house outside Milwaukee, surrounded by bare trees and an overgrown garden. She answered the door with a kitchen knife in her hand.
When Emma introduced herself, Catherine's expression changed.
"Michael's daughter?"
Emma nodded.
Catherine lowered the knife.
"I wondered when someone would come."
Inside, she placed tea on the table and studied Emma's face as if comparing it with a memory.
"Your mother was a brave woman," she said. "She tried to protect you from people who believed bloodlines mattered more than lives."
Emma's fingers tightened around the locket.
"Who am I?"
Catherine closed her eyes.
"Eleven years ago, Sofia Romano gave birth to twins. One child was a boy. The other was a girl."
Emma felt the room tilt.
"That isn't possible."
"The girl was declared dead shortly after delivery. But she wasn't dead. Your mother was a nurse at the hospital. She discovered that Victor Russo intended to use the infant as leverage against the Romano family."
"Why would he do that?"
"Because your father had found evidence of financial crimes, and Victor believed the baby could become a bargaining chip. Your mother helped move the child out of the hospital. Michael agreed to raise her as his own."
Emma couldn't speak.
Catherine continued.
"Your birth certificate was changed. Your mother left the city. Michael kept the original documents. He believed that if the truth ever came out, someone would try to claim you."
Emma stared at the woman across the table.
"Are you saying I'm Dante's sister?"
Catherine nodded.
"His twin sister."
The silence was absolute.
Emma thought of the years she had spent believing she was an ordinary woman who had married into a dangerous family. She thought of the marriage certificate, the wedding vows, the baby growing inside her.
"No," she whispered. "I married him."
Catherine reached for her hand.
"You didn't know."
"Neither did he."
"Not when you married. But someone may have discovered the truth later."
Emma remembered the altered financial records, the hospital invoice, and the strange way Dante's father had been referenced in her father's papers.
"Who knew?"
Catherine hesitated.
"Your husband's mother. Your father-in-law. Victor Russo."
Emma stood abruptly.
"Then why didn't anyone tell me?"
"Because they were afraid of what would happen if you learned the truth."
Catherine looked at her gravely.
"Emma, you must understand something. The danger isn't only that you're Dante's sister. It's that your existence could invalidate the inheritance that Victor has spent eleven years trying to control."
Emma touched her stomach.
"And my baby?"
May you like
Catherine's face softened.
"Your child is innocent. But you need to get somewhere safe before Victor finds you."
