Chapter 6 - THE LITTLE GIRL WITH ELENA'S EYES
Amelia Laurent was four years old.
She had dark curls.
Gray-green eyes.
And a small crescent-shaped birthmark near her shoulder.
When Rebecca showed us the photograph, Elena made a sound I'd never heard before.
Half gasp.
Half sob.
She covered her mouth.
"Marcus..."
I stared at the screen.
The little girl stood in a garden wearing a yellow dress.
She held a stuffed rabbit.
Her smile was unmistakable.
Elena's smile.
The same small dimple.
The same way her eyes narrowed when she laughed.
I wanted to believe.
God, I wanted to believe.
But resemblance wasn't proof.
Rebecca explained that the identity records needed independent verification.
We would have to establish whether Amelia was biologically related to us.
And we had to protect the child's wellbeing during the process.
Elena nodded.
"Of course."
I looked toward the photograph.
For years, I'd believed I had lost my chance to become a father.
Now I was staring at a little girl who might be mine.
A little girl who had celebrated birthdays without us.
Learned to walk.
Learned to speak.
Fallen asleep in someone else's arms.
While I spent nights drinking champagne with Sophia.
The realization nearly destroyed me.
The following week, investigators contacted Amelia's current caregivers.
She had been living with an older couple in Connecticut.
They believed they were caring for Adrian Laurent's granddaughter.
They had no idea about the disputed hospital records.
They appeared to have provided a loving home.
That mattered.
Whatever happened next, Amelia wasn't a possession to be recovered.
She was a child whose entire world could be affected by adult lies.
Through a court-supervised process, independent DNA testing was arranged.
Then we waited.
For eleven days.
Eleven endless days.
Elena refused to discuss the future.
She painted.
Worked at the gallery.
Walked through Boston.
And sometimes cried when she thought I couldn't see.
I stayed nearby when she wanted company.
Left when she didn't.
For the first time, I understood that love sometimes meant accepting that I couldn't make pain disappear.
Then Rebecca called.
Her voice trembled.
"The results are back."
I stood.
Elena looked up.
Rebecca took a breath.
"Amelia is biologically related to both of you."
The room went silent.
Then she said the words that changed my life.
"She is your daughter."
Elena began crying.
I covered my face.
For years, I'd built an empire that men feared.
But nothing I'd ever owned compared to the knowledge that somewhere in Connecticut, a little girl existed because Elena and I had once loved each other.
Then Rebecca continued.
"There is one complication."
I looked up.
"What?"
"Amelia's original birth certificate was altered."
My stomach tightened.
"By whom?"
Rebecca hesitated.
"According to the records, Sophia Laurent signed the amendment."
I closed my eyes.
Then she added something worse.
"The amendment lists Marcus Hale as the father."
I stared.
"That's correct."
Rebecca swallowed.
"But the mother's name was changed to Sophia Laurent."
The room went silent.
May you like
Sophia hadn't simply taken our daughter.
She'd tried to replace Elena on the child's birth certificate.
