Chapter 7 - The Nurse Who Refused to Walk Away
"That's not my signature!"
Annabelle Foster snatched the phone from Margaret Whitmore's hand.
On the screen was a document supposedly signed six years after Annabelle's funeral.
It claimed that she had witnessed a secret amendment to the Moretti family trust.
But Anna noticed something even more disturbing.
The document contained a photograph of her mother.
And in the background stood the woman who had been impersonating Anna.
"Rebecca," Anna whispered.
Her mother looked up sharply.
Dante Moretti leaned forward in his wheelchair.
"Where?"
Anna pointed toward the photograph.
Behind Annabelle stood a woman wearing a white medical coat. Her auburn hair was pulled into a tight ponytail, and she was looking directly at the camera.
It was the same woman from the forged security footage.
The same woman who had threatened Claire.
The same woman who had helped someone destroy Anna's reputation.
Victor examined the image.
"That photograph was taken inside Westbridge."
Annabelle shook her head.
"No. It was taken here."
Everyone turned toward her.
She pointed at a small brass plaque visible behind Rebecca.
"The old medical wing. Richard brought me there six years ago."
Anna felt her stomach tighten.
"Why?"
Her mother looked toward Dante.
"Because he told me your life depended on my cooperation."
Dante's expression hardened.
"And you believed him?"
Annabelle lowered her eyes.
"I'd already lost eleven years with my daughters. I couldn't risk losing them forever."
Anna stared at her.
For the first time, she began to understand the terrible choices her mother had faced.
But understanding wasn't forgiveness.
Not yet.
Margaret examined the document again.
"This amendment is fraudulent. Your father couldn't have signed it six years after Annabelle's supposed death because he had already been dead for two years."
Dante raised an eyebrow.
"Then why would Lorenzo submit something so obviously suspicious?"
Margaret's expression became serious.
"Because he doesn't need it to survive a full legal examination."
Anna frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"He needs it to create enough confusion to delay the release of the trust."
Dante slowly nodded.
"While he tries to have me declared incapable of managing my own affairs."
"Exactly."
Victor's security radio suddenly crackled.
"Sir, the medical transport team is requesting entry."
Dante's expression darkened.
"Tell them to leave."
A pause.
"Sir, they're accompanied by law enforcement."
The room went silent.
Anna looked toward the surveillance monitor.
Three black vehicles remained outside the estate.
Beside them stood the white medical transport van.
Two uniformed officers were speaking with a man carrying a briefcase.
Margaret immediately reached for her phone.
"Nobody opens that gate until I've reviewed their paperwork."
Dante looked at Anna.
She recognized the expression in his eyes.
For six years, he'd been told that everyone around him knew what was best.
Now they were preparing to take away his choices again.
And this time, Anna refused to let him face it alone.
Ten minutes later, Margaret returned with the results of her telephone call.
"The court hasn't appointed a guardian," she announced.
Dante exhaled.
"But?"
Margaret looked uncomfortable.
"The judge has authorized an expedited independent medical assessment."
Anna folded her arms.
"That doesn't mean anyone can force him into a van."
"Correct."
Margaret placed the documents on Dante's desk.
"The assessment must be conducted by an independent specialist. The order doesn't authorize involuntary transportation."
Victor immediately contacted the security team.
"Tell the officers we're sending our attorney to the gate."
Dante examined the paperwork.
"Who selected the specialist?"
Margaret hesitated.
"Your brother proposed someone."
Dante laughed bitterly.
"Of course he did."
"However, the court hasn't approved that individual."
Anna leaned closer.
"Then we can request someone with no connection to Westbridge."
Margaret nodded.
"That's precisely what I intend to do."
Dante looked toward Anna.
For a moment, something warm appeared in his expression.
Then his phone vibrated.
A message from Lorenzo.
You can cooperate now, or you can embarrass yourself in front of the entire city.
Dante showed Anna the message.
She stared at it.
Then she smiled.
"What?"
Anna looked at him.
"Your brother seems very concerned about appearances."
Dante raised an eyebrow.
"He's obsessed with them."
"Then perhaps we should give him something to worry about."
By noon, Anna had made a decision.
She was resigning as Dante's nurse.
Not because she wanted to leave him.
Because she wanted to stay.
She found him in his private rehabilitation room, examining a set of resistance bands.
He looked up when she entered.
"You're avoiding me."
Anna stopped.
"Am I?"
"You've walked past this room three times."
She smiled faintly.
"Maybe I enjoy the exercise."
Dante gestured toward the chair beside him.
"Sit."
She raised an eyebrow.
"That sounded suspiciously like an order."
"Please sit, Miss Foster."
"Much better."
She sat beside him.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Anna placed a folded letter on the table.
Dante looked at it.
His expression changed.
"What is that?"
"My resignation."
He became completely still.
Anna immediately took his hand.
"Listen to me before you say anything."
Dante looked down at their joined hands.
"You're leaving."
"No."
"Anna—"
"I'm resigning as your nurse. I'm not walking away from you."
He slowly looked up.
She continued.
"I've already spoken to Margaret. She recommended an independent rehabilitation specialist who has no connection to your family."
Dante studied her face.
"And what happens to us?"
Anna felt her cheeks warm.
"That depends."
"On what?"
"Whether you still want to take me to dinner."
For several seconds, he stared at her.
Then he laughed.
The sound was so unexpected that Anna started laughing too.
"You're unbelievable," he said.
"I've been told."
Dante gently pulled her hand closer.
"Anna, I don't want you to feel that you have to sacrifice your career because of me."
She shook her head.
"I'm not sacrificing anything."
"Your reputation—"
"Was attacked by people who wanted to control you."
She leaned forward.
"And I intend to prove it."
Dante's expression softened.
"You're incredibly stubborn."
Anna smiled.
"That's why you like me."
He looked directly into her eyes.
"No."
Her smile faded.
Then he continued.
"That's one of the reasons I'm falling in love with you."
Anna stopped breathing.
Dante looked suddenly uncertain.
"I probably should have waited until dinner."
She laughed through the tears gathering in her eyes.
"Probably."
"Was that terrible timing?"
"Absolutely."
He smiled.
"Should I take it back?"
Anna leaned closer.
"Don't you dare."
She kissed him.
And for one beautiful moment, the Moretti family, the forged documents, and the reporters waiting outside ceased to matter.
Then Anna's phone rang.
The caller was the Washington State nursing board.
Anna answered immediately.
"Anna Foster speaking."
A woman introduced herself as an investigator.
"Miss Foster, we're contacting you regarding a formal complaint."
Anna closed her eyes.
She had expected this.
But hearing the words still hurt.
"What complaint?"
"Allegations involving unauthorized access to confidential patient information."
Anna looked toward Dante.
His expression hardened.
The investigator continued.
"We've received additional evidence that requires your response."
Anna sat straighter.
"What evidence?"
"Financial records indicating that you received compensation from an outside party."
Anna exhaled.
"That account was opened fraudulently."
"We'll need documentation supporting that statement."
"I have it."
Dante reached for a notepad.
He wrote two words.
Margaret. Immediately.
Anna nodded.
The investigator continued.
"There's also a witness statement."
Anna froze.
"What witness?"
A pause.
"Dr. Samuel Voss."
Anna's blood turned cold.
The doctor who had supervised Dante's rehabilitation.
The man who had appeared in the original surveillance footage.
The father of the woman who had impersonated her.
"What did he say?"
The investigator hesitated.
"He claims you approached him several months ago requesting confidential information about Mr. Moretti."
Anna stood abruptly.
"That's impossible!"
Dante immediately moved closer.
The investigator continued.
"He also claims you offered to share the proceeds from selling that information."
Anna stared at the wall.
Dr. Voss wasn't simply protecting himself.
He was actively trying to destroy her.
"Ma'am," Anna said carefully, "I have evidence that Dr. Voss participated in falsifying Mr. Moretti's medical records."
Silence.
Then the investigator spoke.
"Miss Foster, I strongly recommend that you obtain legal representation."
Anna looked toward Dante.
"I already have."
An hour later, Margaret assembled an independent legal team.
Anna sat across from two attorneys while Victor displayed the evidence collected from the medical wing.
The forged financial account.
The altered security footage.
The original medical assessments.
And the surveillance recording from the night of Dante's accident.
One attorney leaned forward.
"This is substantial evidence."
Anna exhaled.
"Then why am I still being investigated?"
"Because the people accusing you have submitted documents that appear authentic."
Dante's expression darkened.
"Then we establish that they're fraudulent."
Margaret nodded.
"But we need something stronger."
Anna frowned.
"What?"
"A direct connection between the forged evidence and the people who created it."
Victor opened another file.
"We've been tracing Rebecca Voss."
Everyone turned toward him.
Anna leaned forward.
"Did you find her?"
"Not yet."
"Then what did you find?"
Victor displayed a series of financial transactions.
"Rebecca received several payments from a company registered in Nevada."
Dante studied the screen.
"Who owns it?"
Victor hesitated.
"That's where things become interesting."
He opened another document.
"The company was established by a legal representative associated with Lorenzo."
Anna felt her heartbeat accelerate.
"Can you prove that?"
Victor nodded.
"We have the incorporation documents."
Margaret leaned forward.
"Send those to my office immediately."
Victor continued.
"There's more."
He displayed a photograph.
Rebecca stood outside a restaurant beside Lorenzo Moretti.
The image was dated four months earlier.
Anna stared at it.
Four months.
Long before she'd accepted her position at the estate.
Long before anyone had accused her of leaking medical records.
Someone had been preparing to frame her before she'd even met Dante.
"Why me?" she whispered.
Dante looked toward her.
"What?"
Anna pointed at the photograph.
"Why would they choose me?"
Nobody answered.
Then Annabelle spoke from the doorway.
"Because of me."
Anna turned toward her mother.
Annabelle stepped inside.
Her face was pale.
"I've been trying to understand why Rebecca was impersonating you."
Anna stood.
"And?"
Her mother swallowed.
"I think Richard wanted to find out whether I still had the original recording."
Dante frowned.
"How would framing Anna accomplish that?"
Annabelle looked toward him.
"Because he knew I'd come out of hiding if my daughter was in danger."
The room went silent.
Anna stared at her mother.
"So all of this..."
Annabelle nodded.
"The leaked records. The forged bank account. The photograph."
She wiped her cheeks.
"They weren't simply trying to destroy your reputation."
Dante leaned forward.
"They were using Anna to find you."
Annabelle nodded.
"And now they know where I am."
Victor immediately reached for his phone.
"We need to move everyone to a secure location."
Margaret stood.
"Agreed."
Anna looked toward Dante.
He was staring at the photograph of Lorenzo and Rebecca.
Something about his expression frightened her.
"Dante?"
He didn't answer.
"Dante."
He slowly looked up.
"My brother knew."
Anna frowned.
"Knew what?"
"That your mother was alive."
Annabelle lowered her eyes.
Dante's voice hardened.
"He knew she had evidence about my accident. He knew she was hiding. And he deliberately brought you into my life."
Anna froze.
"What?"
Dante looked toward Victor.
"Who recommended Anna for the nursing position?"
Victor hesitated.
Anna felt cold.
She remembered her interview.
The assistant who had greeted her.
The résumé Dante had already been holding.
The unusually generous salary.
The speed with which she'd been hired.
Victor finally answered.
"Lorenzo's office submitted her application."
Anna stared at him.
"I applied through a recruitment agency."
Victor nodded.
"The agency was contracted by Moretti Capital Holdings."
Dante closed his eyes.
Anna felt as though the floor had disappeared beneath her.
She hadn't simply stumbled into the Moretti family's secrets.
Someone had deliberately placed her there.
And now she understood why Lorenzo had called her another Anna during their first meeting.
He had recognized her name.
He had known exactly who her mother was.
That evening, Dante made a decision that shocked everyone.
He would attend the foundation gala.
Not as a helpless patient.
Not as a man seeking his family's permission.
As himself.
Margaret objected immediately.
"The situation is extremely volatile."
Dante nodded.
"I'm aware."
"Lorenzo may attempt to use your appearance against you."
"He already intends to."
Victor folded his arms.
"Security will be difficult."
Dante looked at him.
"Then do your job."
Anna stood beside the window.
She had been unusually quiet.
Dante noticed.
"Anna?"
She turned.
"Yes?"
"You're worried."
"Of course I'm worried."
He smiled faintly.
"About me?"
"About all of us."
She approached.
"Your brother has already tried to take away your authority. My career is under investigation. My mother has been hiding for eleven years. And someone is still threatening Claire."
Dante nodded.
"Which is why we need to stop reacting."
Anna studied him.
"What are you planning?"
He looked toward Margaret.
"Can we obtain an emergency court hearing before the gala?"
Margaret considered the question.
"Possibly."
"And can we request an independent forensic examination of the documents Lorenzo submitted?"
"Yes."
Dante turned toward Victor.
"Can you identify everyone who had access to the medical wing during the past six years?"
Victor nodded.
"It'll take time."
"Start now."
Then Dante looked toward Anna.
"And you."
She raised an eyebrow.
"What about me?"
"I need you to do something."
Anna folded her arms.
"That sounds suspicious."
He smiled.
"Trust me."
She looked directly into his eyes.
"I do."
His expression softened.
"Then help me find out what my father was really protecting."
At nine that night, Anna returned to the old medical wing.
Victor accompanied her.
Dante remained upstairs with Margaret, reviewing the trust documents.
Anna carried the small brass key Dante's father had left behind.
The private archive was located at the end of a narrow corridor.
Its door was reinforced steel.
A small brass plate displayed two initials.
A.M.
Anna frowned.
"Who was A.M.?"
Victor looked at the plaque.
"Antonio Moretti. Dante's father."
Anna inserted the key.
The lock turned.
Inside was a small archive room.
Metal shelves lined the walls.
Several filing cabinets stood beneath a large framed photograph of Antonio Moretti.
Anna approached the photograph.
Something about it caught her attention.
Antonio stood beside a younger Dante.
Both were smiling.
Behind them was a familiar building.
Westbridge Rehabilitation Center.
Anna examined the photograph more closely.
Then she noticed a woman standing near the entrance.
Her mother.
Annabelle.
And beside her stood a little girl.
Anna.
She stared at the image.
"I've been here before."
Victor moved closer.
"What?"
Anna pointed toward the photograph.
"That's me."
Victor examined it.
His expression changed.
"How old were you?"
"Maybe thirteen."
Anna felt her stomach tighten.
She remembered visiting her mother at work.
She remembered a kind older man who always gave her chocolate from a drawer.
She remembered a younger man who occasionally visited the hospital.
A man with dark hair and an easy smile.
Dante.
Anna covered her mouth.
"Oh, my God."
Victor looked at her.
"What?"
"Dante and I met before."
Before Victor could respond, Anna noticed a small envelope taped behind the photograph.
She carefully removed it.
Her name was written across the front.
For Anna Foster.
Her hands began trembling.
She opened it.
Inside was a handwritten note from Antonio Moretti.
Anna,
If you're reading this, then your mother was right to trust you.
There is something I need you to know about the night Dante was injured.
Anna's heartbeat accelerated.
She continued reading.
Richard and Lorenzo were not acting alone.
She stopped.
Victor leaned closer.
"What does it say?"
Anna looked toward him.
Then back at the letter.
The person who arranged the final stage of the plan was someone Dante trusted completely.
Anna felt cold.
She slowly raised her eyes.
Victor stood beside her.
Watching.
Waiting.
Then his phone vibrated.
He glanced at the screen.
His expression changed.
"Miss Foster, we need to leave."
Anna took a step backward.
"Why?"
Victor reached toward the letter.
"Give me that."
She immediately pulled it away.
"No."
His expression hardened.
"Anna."
She stared at him.
For the first time, she noticed that he wasn't looking at the letter.
He was looking at the final paragraph.
The paragraph she hadn't read yet.
Anna slowly lowered her eyes.
And began reading.
If Victor Hale is still working for my son, ask him why he was paid two million dollars three days after the accident.
Anna stopped breathing.
Victor stepped closer.
"Anna, listen to me."
She backed toward the door.
"Don't come any closer."
He raised both hands.
"There's an explanation."
Anna shook her head.
Then she heard a metallic click.
The archive door had locked.
From the outside.
Victor turned sharply.
"Who did that?"
Anna stared at him.
For one terrible moment, neither moved.
Then the room's security monitor switched on by itself.
A live image appeared.
Dante sat alone in his office upstairs.
Someone stood behind his wheelchair.
Anna leaned toward the screen.
The figure slowly raised a hand.
And pressed something against Dante's neck.
Anna screamed his name.
The monitor went black.
Then the archive's emergency telephone began ringing.
Victor stared at it.
Anna reached for the receiver.
May you like
A familiar voice whispered:
"Hello, Anna. Your mother isn't the only person who came back from the dead."
