Chapter 6 - The Child Who Was Hidden Before Mia
The photograph fell from Alessandro’s hand.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Not even him.
The man who had faced enemies, betrayal, and threats without blinking was standing completely still.
Because the picture in his hand showed something impossible.
Me.
Holding a newborn baby.
A baby that wasn't Mia.
My entire body went cold.
"No."
The word escaped my lips before I could stop it.
Alessandro looked at me.
His eyes were different now.
Not angry.
Not accusing.
Confused.
"Elena."
I couldn't answer.
Because I didn't understand either.
I had only one child.
Mia.
One pregnancy.
One birth.
One baby.
But the photograph said something else.
Alessandro turned the picture around.
The words written on the back were still there.
She was never alone.
His mother stepped closer.
Her face had lost all color.
"Where did you get this?"
Alessandro looked at her.
"It was left outside my office."
She reached for it.
Then stopped.
Like touching it would confirm something she didn't want to know.
"You recognize it."
Alessandro noticed.
Of course he noticed.
Everyone in that room knew he did.
His mother finally took the photograph.
Her fingers trembled.
"I thought this was destroyed."
My heart sank.
"Destroyed?"
She looked at me.
"Elena, tell me the truth."
I stared at her.
"I am."
Her eyes searched mine.
"Did you ever have another child?"
The question felt like a knife.
"No."
My voice was immediate.
"I had Mia."
Alessandro looked at the photograph again.
"Then who is this?"
Nobody answered.
The silence became unbearable.
Until Marco spoke.
"I know."
Everyone turned.
Alessandro stepped toward him.
"Then explain."
Marco looked older suddenly.
Not because of his age.
Because of the weight of what he was about to say.
"Before Mia was born..."
He paused.
"There was another child connected to the Duca family."
My hands became cold.
"What child?"
Marco looked at Alessandro.
"Your brother."
The room froze.
Alessandro stared at him.
"What?"
His mother closed her eyes.
Like she had been waiting for this moment.
"I never wanted you to know this."
Alessandro laughed once.
A broken sound.
"You never wanted me to know a lot of things."
His mother accepted the anger.
Because she deserved it.
"My father had a child before me?"
Marco nodded.
"Yes."
Alessandro looked away.
"Who?"
Marco didn't answer.
That scared me more than anything.
Because the answer wasn't simple.
It was dangerous.
"The child was hidden."
"Why?"
Marco looked at Mia.
"Because your father believed children were weaknesses."
I held my daughter closer.
"And this child?"
Marco's expression changed.
"Was someone he couldn't control."
Alessandro walked toward the desk.
"Name."
Marco remained silent.
"Give me the name."
Finally, he spoke.
"Adrian."
The name filled the room.
Alessandro repeated it quietly.
"Adrian Duca."
His mother nodded.
"But everyone believed he died."
I looked at her.
"Everyone?"
She looked away.
"Yes."
The same way everyone believed she was dead.
The same way everyone believed Alessandro's father was gone.
The same way everyone believed secrets could stay buried.
They never did.
Alessandro looked at me.
"Why was this connected to Mia?"
Nobody answered.
Then his mother opened the old folder again.
She pulled out another document.
This one was different.
Newer.
A medical record.
My eyes widened.
Because I recognized the hospital name.
The hospital where Mia was born.
Alessandro noticed.
"You know this."
I stepped closer.
The paper shook in my hand.
"This is from the night Mia was born."
His expression changed.
"Why would my family have this?"
I looked at the date.
Then the name.
And my breath stopped.
Because the record wasn't only about Mia.
It was about me.
The room became silent.
Alessandro took the paper.
His eyes moved across it.
Then stopped.
"What does this mean?"
I couldn't speak.
Because the truth was impossible.
The hospital record showed something I never knew.
Something hidden from me.
The night Mia was born...
Someone else had been admitted.
Someone with the same blood type.
Someone connected to me.
Someone whose name had been removed.
Alessandro looked at Marco.
"What did you do?"
Marco didn't answer.
That was enough.
Alessandro slammed the paper onto the desk.
"I asked a question."
Marco looked at him.
"I protected you."
Alessandro's expression became cold.
"From what?"
Marco looked at Mia.
"From knowing your daughter wasn't the first child they tried to hide."
My heart stopped.
"What does that mean?"
Marco looked at me.
"Elena..."
His voice softened.
"You were never supposed to leave that hospital with Mia."
I stepped back.
"What?"
Alessandro immediately moved beside me.
"What are you saying?"
Marco looked at the photograph.
"The night Mia was born, someone came for her."
The room went quiet.
"They weren't trying to kill her."
A pause.
"They were trying to replace her."
I felt dizzy.
"No."
Marco nodded slowly.
"Someone wanted the world to believe Mia never existed."
Alessandro held my arm.
"Who?"
Marco looked toward the window.
Like he was afraid someone could hear.
"The person who ordered it..."
His voice dropped.
"Was inside this mansion."
Everyone looked at each other.
The enemy had always been close.
Too close.
Alessandro immediately ordered another security sweep.
Every room.
Every hallway.
Every employee.
Nobody was allowed to leave.
But the mansion was already different.
It no longer felt like home.
It felt like a trap.
Hours passed.
Mia finally fell asleep in Alessandro's room.
I stood outside the door watching him sit beside her.
He didn't move.
He just watched her breathe.
"I don't know how to do this."
I looked at him.
"Do what?"
He looked at Mia.
"Be her father."
The honesty surprised me.
"You already are."
He looked at me.
"I missed eight months."
His voice became quieter.
"I missed her first smile."
A pause.
"Her first laugh."
He looked down.
"Her first word."
I didn't know what to say.
Because there were no words that could return those moments.
But there was something else.
Something I saw for the first time.
Alessandro Duca wasn't afraid of enemies.
He was afraid of losing something he had just found.
Then his phone rang.
He immediately answered.
A security officer spoke.
"Sir."
Alessandro stood.
"What happened?"
The guard hesitated.
"We checked the old storage room beneath the east wing."
"And?"
"There was someone inside."
My heart started racing.
"Who?"
The guard became quiet.
Then:
"We found a woman."
Alessandro looked at me.
"What woman?"
The answer came slowly.
"She says her name is Adrian."
Nobody spoke.
Because Adrian was not a woman.
It was the name of the hidden Duca child.
Alessandro tightened his grip on the phone.
"Bring her to me."
The guard didn't respond.
"Now."
A long pause.
Then the guard whispered:
"Sir..."
The line crackled.
"She isn't alone."
Alessandro froze.
"Who is with her?"
The guard took a breath.
May you like
And answered:
"The baby."
