Chapter 8 - THE EXCHANGE
Vanessa stared at Sofia, the color draining entirely from her face.
"You're lying," Vanessa whispered, her voice trembling. "Vincent guaranteed my procedure."
"Vincent lied to you," Sofia shot back, her voice remarkably steady despite her injuries. "Just like he lied to my husband. The clinic swapped our embryos. I gave birth to your child five days ago. Your surrogate delivered my daughter yesterday."
The silence in the warehouse was absolute.
I thought about the tiny, fragile baby sleeping in Teresa’s bed. That was Sofia's true biological daughter. The Moretti bloodline.
Vanessa stumbled back, clutching the handrail of the metal stairs. "No. No, that's impossible."
"Call the clinic," Sofia demanded. "Ask Dr. Aris. Ask him why Vincent ordered all the files destroyed on Tuesday."
Vanessa pulled out her phone, her fingers shaking wildly. She dialed a number, pressed the phone to her ear, and waited.
Seconds ticked by.
"Answer," she muttered. "Answer!"
"He won't answer," a smooth voice echoed from the doorway.
The two thugs parted.
Vincent walked in, straightening his tailored coat.
"Dr. Aris had a sudden heart attack this morning," Vincent said calmly. "Very tragic."
Vanessa dropped her phone. "You knew? You knew my child was at the hospital?"
"I knew Sofia was carrying the child you paid for," Vincent smiled coldly. "Which gave me the perfect leverage. You helped me eliminate Sofia, and in return, I was going to give you your baby. But it seems things have gotten complicated."
Luca stepped forward, his fists clenched. "You orchestrated all of this to steal my family's money."
"It's just business, Luca," Vincent sighed. He snapped his fingers.
The thugs pulled their weapons.
"Kill the brother and the maid," Vincent ordered. "Put Sofia in the car. We're going to the hospital to collect the other child."
My heart hammered against my ribs. I looked at Luca, expecting him to fight.
Instead, Luca started laughing.
It was a dark, hollow sound that made Vincent frown.
"What is so funny?" Vincent demanded.
"You think you're the only one who plans ahead, Vincent?" Luca asked.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black device. It wasn't a gun. It was a radio transmitter.
"Hannah," Luca said softly without looking at me. "Do you remember when I told you to call Dr. Evans?"
I nodded slowly.
"I didn't say Dr. Evans," Luca corrected. "I said the Evans."
Before Vincent could react, the corrugated metal roof of the warehouse groaned.
Suddenly, the massive skylights shattered inward.
Four heavily armed tactical officers dropped from the ceiling on ropes, boots hitting the concrete with deafening thuds. Red laser sights painted Vincent and his men in an instant.
"Federal Bureau of Investigation!" a voice roared through a megaphone outside. "Drop your weapons!"
Vincent's thugs dropped their guns immediately.
Vincent stood frozen, his eyes wide with shock as handcuffs were slapped onto his wrists.
Vanessa fell to her knees, sobbing hysterically.
Luca didn't look at her. He walked over to Sofia, helped her stand, and wrapped his coat around her shoulders.
"Let's go home," he whispered to his sister.
We walked past the flashing police lights and got back into my Honda.
The drive back to the mansion was silent.
When we finally walked through the front doors, the house was completely empty of guests. The caterers had cleaned up and left.
We hurried upstairs to Teresa's room.
I unlocked the door and pushed it open.
Teresa was sitting in the rocking chair, humming softly.
She turned to look at us, smiling warmly.
"She has your nose, Sofia," Teresa whispered.
Sofia collapsed to her knees beside the chair, burying her face in the yellow sweater wrapped around her true biological daughter. She wept, long, agonizing sobs of relief.
Luca stood by the door, watching his family reunite. He looked exhausted, but the darkness in his eyes was finally gone.
Everything was over. The villain was arrested. The family was safe. The right baby was home.
I felt a warm tear slide down my cheek. I turned to slip away, to let them have their moment.
"Hannah," Teresa called out.
I stopped in the doorway.
The old woman pointed to the nightstand.
"While you were gone, I went to your room to find some clean clothes for the baby," Teresa said gently. "I found a photograph on your dresser."
My blood froze.
Luca picked up the framed photo from the nightstand. It was an old, faded picture of my mother holding me as a baby.
"Hannah," Luca said, his voice strangely tight. "Where did your mother get this necklace?"
He turned the photo toward me.
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In the picture, my mother was wearing a heavy gold medallion with a very specific family crest.
The Moretti family crest.
