Chapter 9 - The Name Beneath the NameMatteo's mother had been dead for six years.
She had left behind no secrets.
At least, that was what Matteo had believed.
Her maiden name was Moretti.
The same name appearing in the hospital's hidden registry.
Liana stared at the document.
“Why would a baby be registered under your mother's name?”
Matteo had no answer.
They searched his mother's archived business records.
Nothing.
Then they found an old photograph.
Matteo's mother.
Sofia.
And a woman Liana didn't recognize.
The investigator zoomed in.
A hospital badge.
Dr. Elena Vale.
Matteo's mother had been funding a neonatal charity.
The charity operated inside St. Vincent.
But it had closed six years earlier.
“Why?”
The investigator found the closure report.
Financial irregularities.
Missing funds.
Unaccounted medical equipment.
Twenty-three missing patient records.
Liana looked at Matteo.
“Twenty-three babies?”
“Possibly.”
Matteo went silent.
His entire organization suddenly looked different.
For years, he had believed the hospital had served his family.
What if his family had served the hospital?
Another clue appeared.
An address.
An old farmhouse outside the city.
They drove there before sunrise.
The house was abandoned.
Dust covered every room.
Then Liana found a nursery.
Two tiny beds.
One empty.
One containing a box.
Inside were baby bracelets.
Dozens.
Each bracelet had a number.
B-17-01.
B-17-02.
B-17-03.
B-17-04.
B-17-05.
Liana touched B-17-04.
Gabriel.
Then she found B-17-03.
No name.
Just a black line drawn through it.
Matteo turned the bracelet over.
Something was written on the inside.
Transferred to A.R.
“What is A.R.?” Liana asked.
Matteo looked at the investigator.
“Find out.”
The investigator searched corporate records.
Nothing.
Then a vehicle registration.
A.R. belonged to Anthony Rook.
Matteo's former security chief.
A man he had trusted for fifteen years.
The man who had handled all transportation arrangements on the night Nico was born.
Matteo's face changed.
“Rook.”
Liana looked at him.
“Who is he?”
“My right hand.”
“Was.”
Matteo pulled out his phone.
Rook answered on the second ring.
“Boss?”
“Where are you?”
A pause.
“At home.”
“Stay there.”
“Is something wrong?”
Matteo ended the call.
“He's lying.”
They arrived at Rook's house twenty minutes later.
The front door was open.
Inside, the place was empty.
But a photograph sat on the kitchen table.
Matteo picked it up.
Rook stood beside Dr. Bell.
And between them was a woman.
Vivian Shaw.
Liana felt sick.
“They all worked together.”
“Maybe.”
“Then Vivian lied.”
Matteo looked around.
“Not necessarily.”
He noticed a second photograph.
The back had a date.
December fifth.
One day after Nico and Gabriel were born.
The photograph showed a parking lot behind St. Vincent.
A black van.
Three men.
One infant carrier.
And Sofia.
Standing alone.
Liana studied her expression.
“She knew.”
Matteo's voice was barely audible.
“My wife knew.”
A floorboard creaked upstairs.
Matteo raised his gun.
Liana stepped back.
“Who's there?”
No answer.
They searched room by room.
Nothing.
Then they entered the master bedroom.
A child's mobile hung over the bed.
Tiny stars.
Moon shapes.
A small blue rabbit.
Liana felt the world tilt.
It was the same rabbit from the secret nursery.
She reached toward it.
Under the mobile was a hidden envelope.
Inside was a photograph.
Sofia was holding a newborn.
Not Nico.
Not Gabriel.
A third baby.
On the baby's blanket was a handwritten name.
Samuel.
Liana stared.
“Who is Samuel?”
Matteo turned the photograph over.
On the back, Sofia had written:
OUR SECOND SON IS STILL ALIVE.
May you like
Then one final line.
AND MATTEO DOESN'T KNOW HE HAS TWO SONS.
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