Chapter 13 - The Night They Came for Liana
The missing page appeared twelve hours later.
Evelyn had it.
She had removed it because she feared Victoria would destroy it.
It contained Eli's final blood analysis.
The compound used on Nico produced a distinctive scent response in infants.
Liana's uniform had been washed with the same unscented detergent used on Eli's blankets.
Nico associated the smell with the only period during the hospital switch when he had been held peacefully.
By Liana.
It wasn't fate.
It wasn't magic.
It was memory.
A baby's memory.
That explanation somehow made Liana cry harder.
Nico had remembered safety.
Matteo sat beside her.
“You gave him that.”
“For forty-three minutes.”
“Apparently forty-three minutes mattered.”
The investigation should have ended there.
It didn't.
That night, someone broke into Liana's apartment.
Matteo's guards arrived first.
Nothing valuable was stolen.
Only Eli's belongings.
Blanket.
Photographs.
Hospital paperwork.
One thing remained.
His favorite stuffed rabbit.
Inside it, Aaron found a memory card.
He had hidden it months earlier.
The card contained recordings proving several hospital executives knew about the study.
More importantly, it proved Elena had not designed the compound.
Victoria had.
The sisters had worked together initially.
Then Victoria escalated everything.
Elena tried to stop her.
Too late.
The evidence was enough to dismantle the entire operation.
But someone wanted the card.
At 2:13 a.m., the power failed.
Liana woke to breaking glass.
Matteo had insisted she stay at the estate.
He was downstairs when the alarm sounded.
He ran toward the guest wing.
Liana heard footsteps outside her door.
She grabbed Nico from the bassinet.
The handle moved.
Locked.
Someone hit the door.
Once.
Twice.
The frame cracked.
Liana ran toward the bathroom.
No exit.
She held Nico close.
“It's okay.”
The door burst open.
A masked man entered.
Liana screamed.
Then Matteo hit him from behind.
They crashed into the wall.
The mask fell.
Daniel.
Everyone froze.
Matteo stared at his cousin.
Daniel raised his hands.
“I'm not here to hurt her.”
“You broke into her room.”
“Because someone paid your guards to let another man inside.”
“What man?”
Daniel pointed toward the balcony.
A shadow moved outside.
Matteo ran.
Too late.
The figure disappeared.
Daniel handed him a phone.
“There are still people cleaning up Victoria's operation.”
“Who?”
“I found the payments.”
Matteo opened the list.
The largest payment had been made to one person.
A judge.
The same judge scheduled to decide whether Victoria remained in custody.
Matteo looked at the time.
Her hearing began in six hours.
Then his phone rang.
May you like
Police.
Victoria's cell was empty.
