Chapter 7 - Three DaughtersRicardo drove without saying a word.
Leo slept in the back seat, exhausted.
I sat beside him.
My mind was burning.
Three daughters.
Sofia had three children.
Why had one been hidden?
Why had Leo been listed as dead?
Why had I been raised by Daniel Vance?
And why did Elena look exactly like me?
When we reached Ricardo's house, dozens of guards surrounded the property.
The mansion was enormous.
Black gates.
Stone walls.
Cameras everywhere.
It looked less like a home and more like a fortress.
Inside, Ricardo took me into a private study.
He opened a drawer.
There were old photographs.
Sofia.
Matteo.
Vittorio.
And three babies.
I touched the first photograph.
The babies were identical.
Three girls.
“No.”
Ricardo placed another document beside it.
A birth certificate.
Mother: Sofia Moretti.
Children: Clara Vance, Elena Moretti, Isabella Moretti.
I looked at him.
“Who's Isabella?”
Ricardo swallowed.
“She died.”
“How?”
“Three months after birth.”
I stared at the paper.
“Did she?”
Ricardo didn't answer.
Before I could ask, the mansion lights shut off.
Every guard reached for a weapon.
Leo woke.
“Daddy?”
Ricardo turned.
“Stay here.”
“No.”
He looked at me.
“You stay with him.”
A scream came from downstairs.
Then another.
Gunfire erupted.
Ricardo ran.
I grabbed Leo.
We moved into the hallway.
A shadow appeared at the end.
“Elena.”
She stepped into the light.
She was holding a gun.
Leo immediately recognized her.
“Mommy's friend.”
Elena looked at the boy.
“I'm sorry.”
She lowered the weapon.
“Clara, we don't have much time.”
“Why do you look like me?”
“Because we're twins.”
“Why did the documents say three?”
Elena's face tightened.
“Sofia had three daughters. We were separated.”
“Where is Isabella?”
Elena looked away.
“She wasn't dead.”
I felt sick.
“Then where is she?”
“Alive.”
“Where?”
“Elena!”
Ricardo's voice thundered through the corridor.
Elena turned.
He raised his gun.
“What did you tell her?”
Elena smiled sadly.
“That you killed Sofia.”
“I didn't.”
“I know.”
Ricardo froze.
“You know?”
“I found the recording.”
“What recording?”
“The real one.”
She tossed a small memory card onto the floor.
Ricardo picked it up.
“Where did you get this?”
“Elena answered herself.”
“From Sofia.”
Ricardo stared.
“She survived.”
“What?”
“Elena took Sofia the night of the shooting.”
My heart pounded.
“She was alive?”
“For two days.”
“What happened?”
“She told me where she hid the ledger.”
Ricardo looked at the memory card.
“Why did you help her?”
Elena stared at me.
“Because she was my mother.”
I stepped forward.
“And mine.”
Elena nodded.
“Yes.”
Ricardo looked between us.
Then Leo spoke.
“Mommy said Isabella was bad.”
Everyone froze.
I crouched beside him.
“What did Mommy say?”
Leo whispered.
“She said never let Isabella find Clara.”
Ricardo’s face turned pale.
“Elena.”
“What?”
“Where is Isabella?”
Elena didn't answer.
A phone rang.
Her phone.
She looked at the screen.
Her face changed.
She answered.
A woman's voice came through the speaker.
“Hello, sister.”
Elena dropped the phone.
The voice continued.
“I've been waiting twenty-four years.”
I looked at Ricardo.
His hand tightened around the gun.
May you like
The woman laughed.
“And now I finally know where Clara is.”
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