Chapter 9 - THE WOMAN BEHIND THE LOCKED DOOR
Dante Moretti hadn't spoken for nearly ten minutes.
His mother was alive.
The woman he'd mourned since childhood.
The woman whose photograph still sat beside his bed.
Bethany watched him struggle with the news.
She wanted to comfort him.
But she didn't know how.
They walked toward the hospital's old surgical wing.
Room 314 stood at the end of a deserted corridor.
Dust covered the doorframe.
The lights flickered overhead.
Bethany inserted the key.
It turned.
Inside were metal shelves, old filing cabinets, and boxes marked with dates from decades earlier.
Dante switched on the light.
"Where do we start?"
Bethany looked at the labels.
"Birth records."
They searched for nearly an hour.
Then Bethany discovered a locked cabinet.
The key Evelyn had given her opened it.
Inside sat a black binder.
Its cover read:
MORETTI MATERNITY TRANSFER RECORDS.
Bethany opened it.
Names.
Dates.
Payments.
False certificates.
And photographs of infants.
She felt sick.
"These weren't just identity changes."
Dante looked over her shoulder.
"No."
"These were children."
He nodded grimly.
"Some were hidden. Others were taken."
Bethany turned another page.
Her own name appeared.
SOFIA MORETTI — TRANSFERRED TO LORRAINE DANIELS.
Beside it was another entry.
ELIZABETH CARTER — TRANSFERRED TO PRIVATE GUARDIANSHIP.
Then she found a third record.
ELENA MORETTI — LOCATION RESTRICTED.
Dante grabbed the binder.
"Elena."
"Who is she?"
"My mother."
Bethany pointed to an address beneath the name.
A private care facility outside Columbus.
Dante stared at it.
Then his phone rang.
Marco.
"Boss, we found Lorraine."
Bethany's heart jumped.
"Where?"
Marco's voice was tense.
"St. Augustine."
"Is she alive?"
"Yes."
Relief flooded Bethany.
But Marco continued.
"Salvatore isn't there."
Dante frowned.
"Where is he?"
"We don't know. Lorraine says he left after receiving a call."
Bethany looked at the binder.
"What call?"
Marco hesitated.
"She says someone told him the original records had been opened."
Dante slowly looked around the storage room.
Someone knew exactly where they were.
Then the overhead lights went out.
A metallic click sounded behind them.
The door locked.
Bethany rushed toward it.
"Dante!"
He grabbed her arm.
"Get back."
A voice crackled through the old intercom.
"Hello, Sofia."
Bethany froze.
She had never heard the voice before.
But Dante recognized it immediately.
His face hardened.
"Father."
May you like
The voice chuckled.
"Welcome home, my children."
