Chapter 3 - The Secret My Mother Took to Her Grave
Abigail stared at the photograph until the faces blurred.
"No."
Isabella sat beside her hospital bed.
"Abigail—"
"No. My father died before I was born. That's what Mom told me."
Her mother had repeated the same story for years.
Her father was a good man.
He'd died in a construction accident.
He would've loved Abigail if he'd lived.
Now a photograph suggested the story might have been a lie.
"Where did you get this?" Abigail whispered.
"From my brother's private investigator."
Abigail looked up sharply.
"Matteo investigated me?"
Isabella hesitated.
"He was trying to find the donor who saved me. The hospital had incomplete records, but he found this photograph among old documents connected to your mother."
Abigail's hands trembled.
"Why didn't he tell me?"
"We only received it this afternoon. Matteo hasn't seen the writing on the back yet."
The door opened.
Matteo stepped inside carrying a bottle of water and a small paper bag.
"I brought crackers. The doctor said you could have something light."
Abigail held up the photograph.
"Did you know?"
He stopped.
"Know what?"
She turned it toward him.
Matteo read the message.
His expression hardened.
"Richard Sinclair."
Abigail struggled to control her breathing.
"Is he my father?"
Matteo looked at her.
"I don't know."
"Then why would my mother write this?"
"We need answers, Abigail. Real answers, not assumptions."
She looked down at her belly.
Her baby shifted gently beneath her hand.
For seven months, Abigail had been preparing to raise her son alone.
The baby's father, a man named Daniel Pierce, had disappeared after learning she was pregnant.
She'd already lost her mother.
She couldn't bear another betrayal.
Matteo pulled a chair closer, leaving enough distance for her to feel comfortable.
"We can arrange a DNA test if you want one."
"And if Richard refuses?"
"Then we'll pursue the truth through the proper legal channels."
Abigail studied him.
"Why are you helping me?"
"Because you helped Isabella when nobody else could. And because what happened tonight was wrong."
His phone vibrated.
Gabriel's name appeared.
Matteo answered.
"Go ahead."
Gabriel spoke quietly.
Matteo's expression changed.
"When?"
Another pause.
"Secure the footage."
Abigail sat straighter.
"What happened?"
Matteo lowered the phone.
"Someone entered your apartment while you were at the hospital."
Her heart raced.
"Was anything stolen?"
Gabriel's answer came through the speaker.
"Only one thing, boss."
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"Which was?"
"A wooden box containing Evelyn Foster's old letters."
