My anger rose.
“So everybody decided what I should know.”
Victoria nodded.
“Yes.”
That honesty again.
“And after Mia was born?”
“We could not confirm paternity without your participation.”
“You could have asked.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you?”
Victoria looked toward Alessandro.
“This is where I made the worst decision.”
Alessandro’s jaw tightened.
“What did you do?”
“I waited.”
“Why?”
“Because David stopped responding.”
My heart sank.
“When?”
“About two weeks before Mia was born.”
I remembered.
The last text.
I’m sorry.
I can’t do this right.
Then nothing.
“Did you know where he was?”
“No.”
“Still don’t?”
“No.”
Alessandro looked at Anthony.
“Find him.”
I immediately said:
“No.”
Everyone looked at me.
My pulse was pounding.
“No one finds him for
me.”
Alessandro stopped.
Good.
I continued.
“If there is a legal need to contact him, my attorney does it.”
Victoria nodded.
“Correct.”
Alessandro looked irritated with himself.
“I’m adjusting.”
Despite everything, I almost smiled.
Then I turned back to Victoria.
“You knew I worked here while carrying Mia into the building.”
“No.”
“What?”
“I knew you were assigned here.”
“But not the baby?”
“No.”
“You didn’t see security reports?”
“I stopped receiving them after Alessandro took full residential control.”
He looked toward Anthony.
“True?”
“Yes.”
“So the person who knew I was David’s former partner did not know Mia was hidden upstairs.”
“No.”
“And Alessandro knew Mia was hidden upstairs but knew nothing about David.”
“Correct.”
The whole thing became less sinister and more absurd.
Separated information.
Old systems.
People making unilateral decisions to “protect” others.
The same pattern again.
“Why was my application marked possible Duca connection?”
“Because of
David.”
“Not Mia.”
“Correct.”
I sat back.
Then Alessandro asked his sister:
“Why didn’t you tell me Marco had falsified the reporting?”
Victoria’s face changed.
The question had been waiting.
“I was trying to protect his memory.”
Alessandro stared.
“For me?”
