Chapter 2 - THE NIGHT THE CHILD WAS BORN
"Dominic, don't listen to him," Lydia snapped, her voice trembling as she smoothed her emerald-green gown. "Daniel is just stressed. The wedding jitters."
But Dominic Moretti didn't look at his aunt.
His dark eyes were locked on the groom.
The ballroom was completely silent. Forty-six guests held their breath.
"I'm going to ask you once, Daniel," Dominic said, his voice dangerously soft. "What child?"
Daniel looked at Rose.
His bride was standing beside her newly found mother, her face pale, the handmade lace veil trembling against her shoulders.
"Rose, I never wanted to hurt you," Daniel whispered, tears filling his eyes. "I swear to God, I tried to find a way out of this."
"Out of our marriage?" Rose’s voice cracked.
"Out of her trap." Daniel pointed a shaking finger at Lydia.
Lydia took a step backward. "Security! Remove him! He's having a breakdown!"
"Nobody moves," Dominic commanded.
Two men in dark suits stepped forward, blocking the ballroom doors. Lydia was trapped.
Dominic walked slowly toward the groom.
"Daniel. Tell me about the child."
Daniel swallowed hard. He reached into his tuxedo jacket.
My heart hammered against my ribs. I stood beside Margaret, my hands still gripping my discarded maid’s apron.
Daniel pulled out a small, silver locket.
It was tarnished, old, and completely out of place at a millionaire’s wedding.
He held it out to Dominic.
"Three years ago, my sister Elena fell in love with a man," Daniel said, his voice breaking. "A powerful man. When she got pregnant, she was terrified. She knew his family wouldn't accept her. So she hid."
Dominic stared at the locket, his face turning to stone.
"But someone found out," Daniel continued. "Lydia found her."
Lydia’s face went completely white. "Lies! He's making this up to cover his own debts!"
Daniel ignored her. "Lydia told Elena that if she ever told the father about the baby, the Moretti family would destroy her. Lydia forced Elena to hand the baby over the night she was born. Then, Lydia used that baby to blackmail me."
Rose gasped. "Blackmail you?"
"Lydia told me that if I didn't marry you, Rose—if I didn't help her secure your trust fund before your twenty-fifth birthday—I would never see my niece again. And Elena would be killed."
The room spun.
Margaret gripped my arm to keep from falling.
Dominic didn't say a word. He just stared at the silver locket in Daniel’s hand.
Slowly, Dominic reached out and took it.
He pressed the small latch. The locket popped open.
Inside was a tiny, faded photograph of a baby girl.
Dominic stopped breathing.
His hand, the one with the dark tattoo peeking from his cuff, began to shake.
"Where did Elena get this locket?" Dominic whispered.
"The father gave it to her," Daniel said. "Right before Lydia told him Elena had died in a car crash."
Dominic looked up.
The pain in his eyes was so profound, it made my chest ache.
"Elena is alive?" Dominic choked out.
"She's alive," Daniel confirmed. "And she’s the woman who was waiting in my car. She was begging me not to marry Rose. She couldn't bear the guilt anymore."
Lydia suddenly bolted for the side door.
"Stop her!" Dominic roared.
His men grabbed Lydia by the arms, hauling her back into the center of the room.
Dominic walked toward his aunt. He wasn't the calm, collected businessman anymore. He was the ruthless head of the Moretti family.
"You told me she was dead," Dominic growled, his voice vibrating with rage. "You told me the woman I loved burned in a crash. And you stole my daughter."
The guests gasped.
I looked at Margaret. She was weeping, holding Rose tightly.
"Dominic, I did it for the family!" Lydia cried out, struggling against the guards. "She was a nobody! She would have ruined your reputation!"
"Where is my child, Lydia?"
"She's safe! But you'll never find her if you hurt me!"
Dominic leaned in close to his aunt's face.
"I don't need you to find her."
He turned to Daniel. "Where is Elena right now?"
"She's at a motel on 4th Street. She's waiting for me."
Dominic looked at his men. "Lock down this estate. Nobody leaves. Put Lydia in the wine cellar."
"You can't do this!" Lydia screamed as they dragged her away.
Dominic turned to me.
"Nora."
I jumped. "Yes, sir?"
He held up the silver locket. "You clean my aunt's private office. Have you ever seen a key that matches this crest?"
I stared at the engraving on the back of the locket. It was a crest of a weeping willow tree.
Suddenly, my blood ran cold.
"It's not a key, Mr. Moretti," I whispered.
"What is it?"
"It's a logo. For the Willow Creek Private Clinic. I saw a file with that logo on your aunt's desk yesterday."
Dominic’s eyes widened.
Then he looked at the locket again. And he realized what I had just realized.
The back of the locket was engraved with a date.
Tomorrow's date.
"She's moving the baby," Dominic realized, his face paling. "Lydia's transferring her tomorrow."
He grabbed his coat. "Daniel, take Rose and Margaret somewhere safe. Nora, you're coming with me."
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"Me?" I gasped.
"You know what the clinic files look like," Dominic said, his eyes burning with a desperate fire. "And I'm not losing my daughter twice."
