Chapter 11 - THE WOMAN AT THE SCHOOL
Her name was Helen Mercer.
She had worked at our fertility clinic for eleven years.
She had accepted money from Alessandra.
She had also remained in contact with Evelyn.
Police discovered three prepaid phones in her car.
A folder containing photographs of Eli and Emma.
And twenty thousand dollars in cash.
I wanted her arrested forever.
The detective wanted facts.
Helen insisted she had not planned to hurt anyone.
She claimed she had been asked to collect a hairbrush from Emma.
For DNA.
That explanation made almost no sense because Luca already had legal DNA results.
Unless someone needed a different test.
Someone who wanted different results.
Luca’s attorney understood immediately.
“They wanted a contaminated or falsified sample.”
I stared at him.
“Why?”
“To challenge the independent test.”
Luca’s face became unreadable.
“Evelyn.”
The detective lifted a hand.
“We cannot assume that.”
Luca said nothing.
But his security team began tracing Helen’s phones.
One number connected repeatedly to an encrypted service used by Evelyn’s private legal investigator.
That was not yet proof Evelyn had ordered the school incident.
But it was enough for a court to issue several subpoenas.
Evelyn responded with fury.
Her lawyer accused Luca of using corporate resources to intimidate his estranged wife.
Then Evelyn called me directly.
I almost ignored it.
Instead, I answered.
“What?”
“Nia.”
Her voice was calm.
I hated that calm.
“You need to stop Luca.”
I laughed.
“You called the wrong woman.”
“He is destroying everything.”
“You destroyed everything seven years ago.”
Silence.
Then Evelyn said something astonishing.
“I saved him.”
“From what?”
“You.”
I gripped the phone.
“You really believe that.”
“You were making him small.”
I nearly laughed.
“Luca Moretti?”
“He wanted normal things with you.”
“A family.”
“Exactly.”
The word left her mouth like an insult.
“He was capable of building something historic.”
“And children would have stopped that?”
“You would have.”
My skin crawled.
“You never loved him.”
Evelyn’s voice sharpened.
“You loved being needed.”
“And you loved owning him.”
Silence.
I knew I had touched something real.
Then I asked the question that had haunted me.
“Did you know the letter said twins?”
“No.”
My breath caught.
I had never told Luca the original letter mentioned two babies.
The copy did.
But the media did not know that detail.
Neither did Graham during the recorded call.
Evelyn realized her mistake too late.
“You read it.”
She said nothing.
“You read my letter.”
“Nia.”
“You knew there were two babies.”
I stood.
“You knew before they were born.”
The silence on the other end became confession.
Then Evelyn whispered.
“You have no idea what he was like after you left.”
“What does that mean?”
“He almost went back to you.”
I froze.
“When?”
“Three weeks after the divorce.”
My heart stopped.
“He drove to your old apartment.”
I could barely speak.
“He never came.”
“I stopped him.”
“How?”
“I told him you had already moved on.”
My legs weakened.
“Did he believe you?”
“He wanted to.”
That sentence devastated me because I understood it.
Luca had needed a reason not to face what he had done.
Evelyn gave him one.
I whispered.
“You stole seven years.”
Evelyn’s voice turned bitter.
May you like
“No.”
“You both handed them to me.”
