PART 10 — The Sister Alessia Feared
Carina Moretti did not run.
That was what made her terrifying.
Victor had smiled like a man who believed charm could cover blood.
Bianca had cried like a woman who thought tears could soften greed.
But Carina stood in the courtroom with her spine straight, her face bare, and her eyes locked on Lucia as if the child had been stolen from her instead of the other way around.
Dominic stepped between them.
“You do not look at my daughter.”
Carina’s mouth curved faintly.
“She was promised to me before she was born.”
The courtroom fell silent.
The judge ordered the children removed from the room. Sophie carried Matteo while Dominic carried Lucia, but the little girl reached for Sophie over his shoulder.
Dominic handed her over without pride or hesitation.
That mattered.
Sophie took Lucia into the private waiting room, closed the door, and sat with both children on the sofa. Lucia shook until she exhausted herself and fell asleep against Sophie’s side.
Through the wall, voices rose.
Then stopped.
An hour later, Dominic entered.
He looked older.
Not tired.
Older.
Sophie stood carefully, Matteo asleep in her arms.
“What happened?”
Dominic looked at Lucia.
Then back at Sophie.
“Alessia had a sister.”
“You didn’t know?”
“No.”
“How does a man marry someone and not know she has an identical twin?”
Dominic’s mouth tightened.
“Because Alessia was raised to erase her.”
Sophie waited.
Dominic sat across from her.
“When Alessia was young, her family hid Carina away. Mental health facilities. Private schools. Treatment centers. They told everyone she was unstable. Dangerous. Alessia tried to find her when she was older, but by then Carina had disappeared.”
“And Victor found her.”
Dominic nodded.
“Victor found her, convinced her Alessia had stolen the life meant for her, and promised her Lucia.”
Sophie felt sick.
“A baby.”
“A daughter. A name. A family. Revenge.”
Lucia stirred in her sleep.
Sophie brushed hair from the child’s face.
Dominic’s voice lowered.
“Carina claims Alessia made a deal. One child for her, one child for us.”
“That’s a lie.”
“I know.”
“How?”
Dominic reached into his coat and pulled out Alessia’s journal.
Not the first one.
A second.
Older. Water-damaged. Recovered that morning from Carina’s apartment after the court ordered a search.
He opened it to the final marked page.
Sophie read the words in Alessia’s handwriting.
If Carina comes for my daughter, she will say I owed her. I owe her compassion. I owe her the truth. I do not owe her my child.
Sophie closed her eyes.
Poor Alessia.
Dead, buried, and still fighting to be believed.
The court denied Carina’s petition by evening.
But the damage had already been done.
The media changed its tone overnight.
Some called Carina a victim. Some called Dominic cruel. Some called Sophie an intruder destroying what remained of Alessia’s family. Anonymous sources leaked stories about Sophie’s past, Leo’s death, unpaid medical bills, and her decision to quit nursing school.
One headline cut deeper than the rest:
Waitress Replaces Dead Wife in Mafia Mansion
Sophie stared at it on her phone until the words blurred.
Then she packed a bag.
Not because she believed them.
Because Lucia did.
The little girl had stopped speaking again.
Matteo cried whenever Sophie left the room.
Dominic became quieter than ever.
The house that had started to breathe began holding its breath again.
Sophie left the bag by the bedroom door and went to the nursery.
Dominic was there, sitting beside both cribs.
“You’re leaving,” he said.
It was not a question.
Sophie swallowed. “I think I’m making things worse.”
He looked up.
“No.”
“Dominic—”
“No.”
His voice broke on the second one.
Sophie froze.
He stood slowly.
“I have lost my wife. I lost my daughter for years. I almost lost my son. I will not stand here and pretend losing you would make this house safer.”
Sophie’s eyes filled.
“I’m not their mother.”
“I know.”
“I’m not Alessia.”
“I know.”
“I can’t keep being the woman everyone blames when they don’t know where to put their grief.”
Dominic stepped closer, but stopped before touching her.
“You are not replacing anyone,” he said. “You are becoming someone.”
The words hit harder than any confession.
Before Sophie could answer, Lucia’s small voice came from behind them.
“Don’t go.”
Sophie turned.
Lucia stood barefoot in the doorway, rabbit clutched to her chest.
Her eyes were wet.
Sophie knelt. “Oh, sweetheart…”
Lucia ran into her arms.
“Red lady said mommies leave,” she sobbed. “Please don’t leave too.”
Sophie held her so tightly she could feel the child’s heartbeat.
“I’m here,” Sophie whispered. “I’m here.”
Dominic looked away, his face raw.
For the first time, Sophie understood the real danger was not falling in love with this broken family.
It was pretending she had not already done it.
The next morning, Carina escaped custody during a psychiatric transfer.
By noon, Dominic received a package.
No return address.
Inside was Alessia’s wedding veil, yellowed at the edges.
Wrapped inside it was a single photograph.
Sophie holding Lucia outside the hospital.
On the back, written in red ink, were five words:
She stole my daughter twice.