Chapter 13 - The Woman in the Portrait
The family portrait had hung in the ballroom for three years.
It showed Alessandro standing beside Elena, one hand resting on her shoulder. Baby Emma sat in Elena’s arms.
Behind them stood Vittorio and Celia.
At the edge of the painting was Alessandro’s mother, Isabella Moretti, who had died five years earlier.
At least, that was what everyone believed.
Alessandro ordered the portrait removed from its frame.
Behind the canvas, conservators found a second layer of paint.
The original portrait had included another woman.
Her image had later been covered by the ballroom curtains.
After several hours of careful work, her face appeared.
She looked almost identical to Elena.
The same gray eyes.
The same dark hair.
The same narrow smile.
Rosa recognized her.
“Lucia Arden.”
Alessandro had heard the name only once.
Elena had mentioned an older half sister who had been adopted by another family as an infant. They met briefly as adults but lost contact after a bitter argument.
“What was the argument about?” he asked.
“Elena never told me.”
Tomas searched public records.
Lucia Arden had worked as a specialist in digital identity security. She designed systems capable of reproducing voices, signatures, and biometric credentials.
She had disappeared four years earlier.
Months before Emma and her sister were born.
Alessandro studied the restored portrait.
“Why was she painted with my family?”
The artist who created the portrait had died, but his archived records included an original commission form.
The painting had been ordered by Isabella Moretti.
Alessandro’s mother.
The listed subjects were Alessandro, Elena, Emma, Vittorio, Celia, Isabella, and Lucia.
The order had been placed six months before Emma’s birth.
Isabella had apparently expected Lucia to become part of the family.
Yet Alessandro had never met her.
Rosa looked toward Isabella’s painted face.
“Elena’s warning said not to trust the woman in the family portrait.”
“She could have meant Lucia.”
“Or your mother.”
“My mother died two years before Emma was born.”
“Did you see her body?”
The question felt absurd.
Alessandro had attended the funeral.
But the coffin had remained closed after a private plane accident left the passengers difficult to identify. Vittorio had handled the arrangements.
The death certificate had been prepared by Celia.
The medical confirmation came from Saint Catherine’s Clinic.
The same hospital that lost Alessandro’s second daughter.
Every certainty in his life had been certified by the same small circle of people.
Tomas received a call from the police.
Celia’s abandoned car had been found near the river.
There was no sign of her.
Inside the trunk lay a suitcase filled with children’s clothing sized for a three-year-old girl, medication for a heart condition, and a toy identical to Emma’s purple rabbit.
A train ticket had been purchased under the name Lucia Arden.
The departure time was six that evening.
Alessandro reached the station with minutes to spare.
Police searched every platform.
The train departed without Celia.
Or Lucia.
Or the missing child.
Tomas found an envelope taped beneath a bench.
Inside was the missing second page of Elena’s letter.
Alessandro read it.
Lucia believes our daughter belongs to her because she cannot have children.
But Lucia is not the person who ordered the hospital transfer.
She discovered the plan and took the baby before the others could reach her.
I do not know whether she is protecting our child or keeping her.
Celia has been helping me negotiate with her in secret.
If I die, Lucia will contact you only when she believes the mansion is safe.
The false pregnancy must be exposed in front of witnesses.
The pillow is the signal that the old plan has failed.
At the bottom, Elena had added one final warning.
If the signal appears, someone will come for Emma before the real child returns.
Alessandro called Tomas.
“Get back to the mansion.”
May you like
A security alarm sounded through his phone.
Someone had cut power to Emma’s room.
