Chapter 8 - The Little Girl Who Carried His Blood|
Emma didn't sleep after Mrs. Peterson's phone call.
She sat beside Lily's bed until sunrise, listening to her daughter's quiet breathing.
Every few minutes, she checked the window.
Every sound in the hallway made her heart race.
She had survived poverty, heartbreak, and exhaustion.
But the possibility of losing Lily terrified her in a way nothing else ever could.
By morning, Agent Ruiz had arranged for Mrs. Peterson to stay somewhere safe while investigators examined the apparent break-in.
Emma and Lily were offered temporary protective accommodation through law enforcement.
Emma accepted.
But she had one condition.
"Dominic doesn't get the address."
Ruiz studied her.
"Are you worried he'll hurt you?"
"No."
"Then why?"
"Because someone close to him is telling Enzo where we are."
The agent nodded.
"That's a reasonable concern."
Emma looked down at her daughter, who was asleep against her shoulder.
"I won't gamble her life on a man's good intentions."
Within hours, they moved.
The new apartment was modest and furnished with inexpensive furniture.
There were no marble floors or expensive paintings.
No chandeliers.
No luxury cars outside.
Emma loved it immediately.
It felt like somewhere an ordinary mother and child could live.
Lily explored the little bedroom and found a window overlooking a courtyard.
"Mommy, there are trees!"
Emma smiled.
"Yes, sweetheart."
"Can we stay forever?"
Emma knelt beside her.
"I hope we won't have to hide forever."
Lily considered this.
"Okay."
Then she hugged her mother.
"Anywhere with you is home."
Emma held her tightly.
She wished the world could be as simple as Lily believed.
That afternoon, Lydia Park arrived carrying a sealed envelope.
Emma knew what it contained before her attorney spoke.
"The laboratory results are ready."
Emma's heart began pounding.
She sat at the kitchen table.
Lydia opened the report and explained the findings carefully.
The genetic testing strongly supported the proposed biological relationship between Dominic and Lily.
The results were consistent with Dominic being Lily's paternal uncle.
Combined with Nicholas's photograph, personal records, and written statements, the evidence left very little doubt about the family connection.
Emma looked at the report.
For six years, she had wondered whether Lily would ever know anything meaningful about her father's family.
Now the truth was sitting in front of her.
"Does Dominic know?"
"Not yet."
Emma considered that.
"Tell him."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
She looked toward Lily's bedroom.
"He deserves to know his brother left someone behind."
Dominic received the news in his attorney's office.
He read the report once.
Then again.
Then he placed it carefully on the desk.
His younger brother had been gone for seven years.
And for six of those years, a little girl had been growing up only a few miles away.
A little girl with Nicholas's crooked smile.
A little girl who loved butterflies and made terrible jokes about his drawings.
A little girl who had called him a prince because she didn't understand what his name meant.
Dominic covered his eyes.
He hadn't cried at his father's funeral.
He hadn't cried when his business was nearly destroyed by a rival organization.
He hadn't even cried when his own car exploded.
But now tears escaped between his fingers.
His attorney remained silent.
After several minutes, Dominic whispered, "I'm an uncle."
The words sounded impossible.
Then he said them again.
"I'm an uncle."
For the first time in years, his family name meant something other than fear.
That evening, Emma agreed to a brief video call.
Dominic appeared on Lily's tablet.
"Hello, Miss Lily."
Lily waved enthusiastically.
"Hello, Mr. Prince!"
He smiled.
"Your mother told me something important today."
Lily looked at Emma.
"What?"
Dominic leaned closer to the camera.
"Your daddy was my brother."
Lily blinked.
"That means you're my uncle?"
"Yes."
She considered the information for several seconds.
Then her face lit up.
"Uncle Prince!"
Emma laughed.
Dominic grinned through sudden tears.
"I think I'll keep that title."
Lily leaned closer.
"Do you know what Daddy liked?"
Dominic's smile softened.
"He liked birds."
"I like birds!"
"He liked drawing houses."
"I like drawing!"
"And he was very kind."
Lily nodded seriously.
"Mommy says being kind is more important than being rich."
Dominic looked toward Emma.
"Your mommy is right."
When the call ended, Emma found herself staring at the blank screen.
A strange warmth filled her chest.
She had not forgiven Dominic for his family's actions.
She still didn't know whether he deserved a place in their lives.
But seeing him smile at Lily had reminded her of something she had forgotten.
Family could be discovered.
Not just lost.
Two days later, Emma received another telephone call.
It came from the Bellmont Hotel, the legitimate downtown hotel where Dominic had arranged her employment interview.
The hiring manager, Leah Brooks, explained that Emma had impressed the interview panel with her customer-service experience and composure.
They wanted to offer her a position on the banquet-service team.
The pay was considerably better than what she earned at Rosie's Diner.
The position also included health insurance after the qualifying period.
Emma nearly cried.
"Are you certain?"
Leah laughed kindly.
"Absolutely."
"We interviewed several people."
"Your experience stood out."
Emma thanked her repeatedly.
After hanging up, she called Rosie.
Her former employer listened quietly while Emma explained the offer.
Then Rosie began crying too.
"Honey, I've been telling you for years that you're worth more than minimum wage and sore feet."
Emma laughed through her tears.
"I'll miss the diner."
"The diner isn't going anywhere."
Rosie hesitated.
"And when all this trouble is over, you bring that little girl by for pie."
"I promise."
For the first time since the explosion, Emma allowed herself to imagine an ordinary future.
A stable job.
A safe apartment.
Lily attending school without fear.
Perhaps even enough money to finish the degree she had abandoned years earlier.
But the next morning, Agent Ruiz arrived with unexpected news.
The Bellmont Hotel was hosting a major charity dinner the following week.
The event was raising money for families displaced by unsafe housing.
Its guest list included several prominent Chicago businessmen.
And one of the event's honorary organizers was Enzo Salvatore.
Emma stared at Ruiz.
"He's raising money for displaced families?"
"Apparently."
Emma thought about Hawthorne Court.
About four dead residents.
About Nicholas's final letter.
Then she said quietly, "He's using the people he hurt to make himself look generous."
Ruiz nodded.
May you like
Emma's hands tightened.
"Then it's time someone showed Chicago who he really is."
