Chapter 9 - THE BABY WHO WAS TAKEN FROM HIS MOTHER
Gabriel Rossi had spent eight years believing he would never become a father.
Now his mother was telling him Elena had delivered a child before her death.
His heart pounded.
“Where is the baby?”
Isabella shook her head.
“I don't know.”
Gabriel stared.
“Then how do you know the child survived?”
Thomas Hayes reached for a folder.
Inside were old medical records.
A transfer authorization.
And a photograph.
Gabriel took it.
The image showed a newborn baby wrapped in a white blanket.
A hospital bracelet circled the tiny wrist.
The name was partially visible.
Baby Rossi.
Gabriel's hands trembled.
“My child.”
Norah watched tears stream down his face.
For the first time, she understood the depth of his grief.
This wasn't only about losing Elena.
It was about eight years of stolen fatherhood.
Birthdays.
First steps.
First words.
A child somewhere who might not know he existed.
Gabriel looked toward Thomas.
“Who took the baby?”
Thomas lowered his eyes.
“Adrian arranged the transfer.”
Gabriel's jaw tightened.
“Where?”
“A private adoption agency.”
Norah's heart sank.
“Was it legitimate?”
Thomas shook his head.
“The documents were falsified.”
Gabriel closed his eyes.
Everything connected.
The charity accounts.
The medical facilities.
The forged records.
The people who disappeared.
His father.
His brother.
And a criminal network that treated vulnerable people like assets.
Gabriel looked at Norah.
Then back at his mother.
“I want the truth.”
Isabella nodded.
“Then don't let anger destroy the evidence.”
He took a slow breath.
She was right.
The old Gabriel would have ordered men to find Adrian.
Threatened him.
Possibly killed him.
But that wouldn't bring Elena back.
And it might endanger the child.
So he did something his father would never have done.
He contacted investigators.
He provided the records.
And agreed to cooperate.
Over the following days, authorities reviewed the adoption documents.
The records showed a baby girl born eight years earlier.
Transferred to a private family placement under a new name.
The family had been told the child's birth mother died.
And the biological father was unknown.
Gabriel stared.
“What's her name?”
The investigator hesitated.
“Her current identity is protected while we verify the records and arrange appropriate contact.”
Gabriel nodded.
For once, he understood that rushing toward a child could cause harm.
He would wait.
But he wouldn't stop searching.
Then Norah noticed something in the photograph.
A small birthmark beneath the baby's left ear.
She leaned closer.
“Gabriel.”
He looked up.
“What?”
“I've seen that mark.”
His heart stopped.
“Where?”
She thought carefully.
A little girl.
Dark curls.
Bright brown eyes.
A shy smile.
She'd seen her at a community shelter where she volunteered before losing her apartment.
The girl came every Saturday with her foster grandmother.
Norah swallowed.
“I know a child who looks like her.”
Gabriel stared.
“Who?”
“Her name is Lily.”
His hands trembled.
“How old?”
“Eight.”
Silence.
Norah looked at the photograph again.
May you like
Then whispered:
“And the woman who brings her to the shelter is Mrs. Gable's older sister.”
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