Chapter 5 - THE UNCLE WHO OWNED EVERY SECRET
Vittorio Moretti had been part of Luca's life since childhood.
He was his father's younger brother.
The man who taught him to drive.
The man who attended every birthday.
The man who handled the family's business finances.
And now, according to my mother's records, he might also have been Elena's biological father.
I stared at Luca.
"Did Elena know?"
He looked down.
"I don't know."
My stomach tightened.
"Did she ever mention her father?"
Luca shook his head.
"She told me she'd never met him."
I looked toward the altered certificate.
"Then someone lied."
Luca's expression hardened.
"Yes."
But he didn't move.
Didn't make a phone call.
Didn't order anyone to be dragged into a room.
He simply stared.
For the first time, I saw how much the truth was costing him.
His wife.
His uncle.
His family history.
Everything he'd trusted.
I gently touched the edge of the table.
"Luca, we need to verify these records."
He nodded.
"You're right."
I looked toward my mother's photograph.
She stood smiling beside Elena.
Two women.
One family.
One enormous secret.
The following morning, Luca's attorney arranged for independent forensic examination of the documents.
Investigators reviewed the missing-person case involving my mother.
The altered birth certificate.
The suspicious medical records.
And the financial connections between Vittorio and Elena's clinic.
The findings raised serious questions.
But they also revealed something unexpected.
The biological relationship between Elena and Vittorio wasn't supported by the original hospital records.
The name had been inserted during a later amendment.
Someone had wanted Luca to believe Elena was related to him.
I stared.
"Why?"
The attorney, Sarah Mitchell, looked grim.
"Possibly to create leverage or confusion. We can't determine motive from the document alone."
Luca folded his arms.
"Who amended it?"
Sarah turned another page.
"The application was submitted through a legal office controlled by Vittorio."
Silence.
Luca looked away.
His uncle.
Again.
I thought about the pendant.
The second daughter.
My missing mother.
Then a terrible possibility formed.
"What if Vittorio wanted Elena to disappear because she knew the records were false?"
Luca looked toward me.
"And what if he wanted us to believe she was dead?"
I swallowed.
"Then where is she?"
Before anyone answered, Dominic entered.
His expression was tense.
"Boss, we've found something."
Luca stood.
"What?"
"Elena's medical charity kept private transportation records."
Sarah leaned forward.
"Have the records been preserved?"
Dominic nodded.
"Investigators have copies."
Luca looked toward him.
"And?"
"One vehicle left the clinic the night Elena supposedly died."
My heart pounded.
"Where did it go?"
Dominic hesitated.
"A private residence outside Philadelphia."
Luca frowned.
"Whose residence?"
Dominic looked down.
"Vittorio's."
Silence.
Then he continued.
"The vehicle returned three hours later."
Luca's jaw tightened.
"Was Elena inside?"
"We don't know."
But Dominic wasn't finished.
He placed a photograph on the table.
It showed a woman entering the residence through a side door.
Dark hair.
Pale coat.
A familiar face.
My breath caught.
"Mom?"
Dominic nodded.
"Margaret Cole."
My heart stopped.
The photograph was dated twenty-one days earlier.
The night my mother disappeared.
I stared at it.
Then noticed the person walking beside her.
A woman carrying a baby blanket.
Her face was partially hidden.
But the silver necklace around her throat was unmistakable.
I whispered:
"Elena."
Luca went completely still.
May you like
Then Dominic said the words that made him grip the back of his chair.
"Boss, your wife may have been alive when Margaret disappeared."
