Chapter 10 - The Ghost In The Medical Records
The dinner was the most beautiful meal I had eaten in fourteen years. But as the plates were cleared and Lily fell asleep in Matthew’s arms, a lingering unease began to settle in my chest.
The mystery of David’s death had been solved, but a new question gnawed at me.
If Vanessa had spent years digging through the Moretti family’s private files to find leverage, what else had she found? She had known exactly how to weaponize my husband’s death. But right before the guards dragged her out, she had screamed one specific thing.“Ask her whose rosary they found in his pocket!”
Teresa had answered that. It was a Rossi family rosary.
But Vanessa had also said, “You think he was just a gardener? You’re a fool!”
I looked across the table at Luca, who was quietly discussing security protocols with Daniel.
“Luca,” I said softly, interrupting them.
He immediately turned his attention to me. “Yes, Ellen? Do you need anything?”
“Vanessa’s final words,” I said, my voice tight. “She called me a fool for thinking David was just a gardener. Teresa explained the espionage. But Vanessa’s tone… it wasn't just about the ledger. She sounded like she knew something else. Something worse.”
Luca’s brow furrowed. “Vanessa is a venomous snake, Ellen. She was lashing out, trying to cause as much pain as possible before she was arrested.”
“I need to be sure,” I insisted, my maternal instincts flaring. I had spent years in the dark, believing a lie about my husband’s death. I refused to let another shadow hang over my family. “Teresa said David’s death was ruled a heart attack by the coroner. Do you still have the coroner’s original medical report?”
Teresa, who was sipping tea, nodded slowly. “Yes. My husband kept a copy of everything related to David’s death in the basement archives. He wanted a record in case the Rossi family ever tried to deny the poisoning.”
“I want to see it,” I said.
Matthew shifted slightly, careful not to wake Lily. “Mom, is that a good idea? We just got the truth. Dad was a hero. Why go digging into medical reports?”
“Because Vanessa was blackmailing this family,” I said, looking at my son. “She didn't just stumble upon that ledger. She must have had someone on the inside helping her gather information. Someone who had access to the archives. If there’s something else down there, we need to know before the Rossi family tries to use it against us again.”
Luca stood up, his expression hardening. “Ellen is right. If there is a loose thread in my father’s files, I need to find it before our enemies do.”
He gestured for me and Matthew to follow him. Matthew gently laid the sleeping Lily on the plush velvet sofa in the lounge, asking one of the female staff members, Maria, to sit with her.
We followed Luca down the grand staircase, past the kitchen, and into the sprawling, dimly lit basement. The archives were kept behind a heavy steel door, which Luca unlocked with a digital keypad.
The room was filled with rows of metal filing cabinets. Luca walked to a specific cabinet marked with the year of David’s death. He pulled the drawer open and withdrew a thick manila folder labeled D. BROOKS - CONFIDENTIAL.
He brought it over to a metal table under a harsh overhead light and opened it.
Inside were photos of the greenhouse, copies of the ledger, and the coroner’s official medical report.
I picked up the report. My eyes scanned the cold, clinical descriptions of my husband’s body. Toxicity levels. Cardiac arrest indicators.
But as I flipped to the second page, detailing David’s bloodwork and genetic markers, I stopped.
My breath caught in my throat.
“This… this can’t be right,” I whispered.
Matthew stepped closer. “What is it, Mom?”
I pointed a trembling finger at a specific line on the report.Blood Type: AB Negative.
Matthew looked at it, confused. “Okay. So Dad had rare blood.”
“Matthew,” I said, looking up at him, my heart pounding so hard I felt dizzy. “I am O Positive. And you are O Negative.”
Matthew stared at me, the biology lesson slowly clicking in his head.
Two parents with Type O and Type AB blood can produce a child with Type A or Type B.
They absolutely, scientifically cannot produce a child with Type O blood.
The silence in the archive room was deafening.
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Matthew stepped back from the table, his face pale. “Mom… what does that mean?”
I stared at the paper. “It means… David wasn't your biological father.”
