Chapter 5 - The Brother Who Betrayed Him
The room became silent after Sebastian finished reading the letter.
Not the normal silence of a hospital.
Not the quiet moments between alarms and footsteps.
This was the kind of silence that came when something impossible became real.
I looked at him.
The man who had walked into our NICU as someone everyone feared was now standing there holding a piece of paper with trembling hands.
His own brother's name was written at the bottom.
And somehow...
That hurt him more than any enemy could have.
"Sebastian."
Maria's voice was barely a whisper.
He didn't respond.
His eyes remained fixed on the letter.
"He knows where I am."
Those five words were all that mattered.
Lucia was alive.
She had been alive.
And someone close to Sebastian had known.
For seventeen years.
I watched him fold the letter carefully.
Too carefully.
Like if he moved too fast, the truth would break apart.
"Your brother," Maria said softly.
Sebastian finally looked up.
"Don't."
She stopped.
"I need to think."
But I could see it.
He wasn't thinking.
He was remembering.
Sebastian Moretti had spent seventeen years believing he failed a child.
Now he was learning that someone had built his entire life around a lie.
And the person behind it wasn't a stranger.
It was family.
"Who is your brother?"
I asked.
Both Sebastian and Maria looked at me.
For a second, I wondered if I had crossed a line.
But Sebastian answered.
"Matteo."
The name carried weight.
"Matteo Moretti."
Maria looked away.
"He was the only person Sebastian trusted after Elena died."
I looked at Sebastian.
"Elena was Lucia's mother?"
He nodded.
"She was sick before Lucia was born."
His voice became quieter.
"Everyone knew she wouldn't survive."
The baby in his arms moved slightly.
Sebastian immediately adjusted the blanket.
Even while talking about seventeen years of pain, he still protected the newborn.
"Elena knew she was dying," he continued.
"She knew Lucia would need someone."
I listened.
"She asked me for a promise."
"What promise?"
His eyes lowered.
"That Lucia would never grow up alone."
A pause.
"I promised her."
Maria looked at him.
"And he kept that promise."
I turned toward her.
"But Lucia disappeared."
Maria nodded.
"Because Matteo made sure Sebastian couldn't find her."
The words hit harder than I expected.
"Why?"
Nobody answered immediately.
Then Sebastian said:
"Because Matteo wanted everything I had."
I frowned.
"Your business?"
Sebastian shook his head.
"No."
He looked at the baby.
"My name."
I had heard stories about powerful families.
About money.
Control.
Legacy.
But this was different.
This wasn't about a company.
It wasn't about an empire.
It was about a child.
A child someone had stolen to destroy another person's life.
Sebastian handed the newborn back to me.
Then he walked away.
Not far.
Just enough to make a phone call.
I watched him from across the room.
His posture changed.
The gentle man disappeared again.
But this time, something was different.
The anger wasn't wild.
It was controlled.
Dangerously controlled.
"Call Matteo."
The person on the other end responded.
I couldn't hear the voice.
But Sebastian's expression changed.
"No."
A pause.
"You don't tell him I'm asking."
Another pause.
"Find out where he is."
He ended the call.
Maria looked worried.
"Sebastian."
"He lied to me for seventeen years."
Her eyes filled with sadness.
"Don't let anger make you lose Lucia again."
That sentence stopped him.
Because she was right.
He had already lost her once.
Three hours later, we had more answers.
And somehow, they created more questions.
Matteo Moretti had disappeared.
Not recently.
Months ago.
His office was empty.
His house was abandoned.
His phone was disconnected.
It was like he had prepared for this moment.
Like he knew one day Sebastian would discover the truth.
The security team found only one thing.
A storage device hidden inside Matteo's private office.
Sebastian opened it in the hospital conference room.
I stood beside Maria.
Nobody spoke.
The first video file loaded.
A young Lucia appeared on the screen.
Not a baby.
Not a newborn.
A teenager.
Maybe fifteen years old.
She was sitting in a small room.
She looked scared.
But not broken.
Strong.
Sebastian moved closer.
The girl on the screen looked directly at the camera.
"If you are watching this..."
She paused.
Then looked away.
"Then he failed."
Sebastian froze.
"Who?"
The video continued.
"Matteo told me you abandoned me."
My heart sank.
"He said my mother died because of you."
Sebastian closed his eyes.
A painful expression crossed his face.
"He said you never wanted me."
Maria covered her mouth.
The teenage Lucia continued.
"But I didn't believe him."
The room became completely still.
"I found the records."
She looked down.
"I found my real name."
A tear rolled down her face.
"And I found out Sebastian Moretti never stopped looking for me."
Sebastian touched the screen.
Almost unconsciously.
Then Lucia whispered:
"But I also found out something worse."
The video froze for a second.
Then continued.
"Matteo wasn't working alone."
Sebastian's face changed.
"What?"
Maria looked at him.
"Who else?"
The video continued.
But the next part was corrupted.
Static filled the screen.
A distorted voice appeared.
Then the file ended.
Sebastian stared at the blank screen.
"Find the rest."
His security team immediately moved.
I looked at him.
"Sebastian."
He didn't answer.
"Lucia believed you."
That made him look at me.
For the first time since discovering the truth...
He looked like he needed to hear those words.
"She knew you didn't abandon her."
He looked down.
"But she still ran."
I didn't know what to say.
Because he was right.
That night, Baby Boy Miller's condition improved.
The doctors were surprised.
He was stronger.
More stable.
The nurses joked that maybe he just needed someone stubborn enough to hold him.
I smiled when I heard that.
Because I knew exactly who they meant.
Sebastian stayed until morning.
But he wasn't the same.
Something had changed.
Before, he was searching for Lucia because he believed she was gone.
Now he knew she was alive.
And somewhere out there...
She was waiting.
Around 5 a.m., my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I almost ignored it.
But something made me answer.
"Hello?"
Nobody spoke.
Then a girl's voice whispered.
A young voice.
"Are you the nurse?"
I stood still.
"Who is this?"
The girl breathed softly.
"I need to know if he's there."
My heart started racing.
"Who?"
A pause.
Then:
"Sebastian."
I looked across the NICU.
He was standing beside Baby Boy Miller.
Watching him sleep.
"Who are you?"
The girl didn't answer.
Instead, she asked:
"Is he still wearing the bracelet?"
My blood went cold.
Nobody knew about that.
Nobody except us.
"How do you know about that?"
Silence.
Then the girl whispered:
"Because I gave it to him."
I couldn't move.
My hand tightened around the phone.
"Lucia?"
The line went silent.
For several seconds.
Then I heard a voice behind me.
Not from the phone.
From the doorway.
Sebastian.
He was staring at me.
His face had lost all color.
Because he had heard the name.
And then the girl on the phone said the one thing that made him walk toward me.
"Tell Sebastian I'm sorry."
A pause.
"He was never supposed to find out that I was the reason Elena died."
The call ended.
And behind me...
Sebastian slowly reached for the door handle to the NICU entrance.
May you like
It was already opening from the outside.
Someone was standing there.
