Chapter 7 - The Sister No One Mentioned
“My name is Celeste Bennett,” the woman said.
She sat in an ambulance outside the monastery while a doctor examined her. She was thin, exhausted, and several years older than Claire, but the resemblance between them was undeniable.
Daniel stood nearby.
“Claire never told me she had a sister.”
Celeste gave a tired laugh.
“Claire didn’t know.”
Daniel stared at her.
Celeste explained that she and Claire shared the same father but had different mothers. Claire’s father left Celeste’s mother before Celeste was born. Years later, he married Claire’s mother and never admitted he had another daughter.
Celeste discovered the connection while researching her family history.
“I contacted Claire five years ago,” she said. “She thought it was a scam.”
“How did Ethan become involved?”
“He intercepted one of my letters. He offered me money to stay away from Claire.”
“Did you accept it?”
“At first.”
Daniel’s expression hardened.
Celeste looked down.
“I was in debt. I told myself Claire had a good life and did not need a stranger appearing with old family secrets.”
“What changed?”
“I learned Ethan was using my identity.”
Daniel waited.
“After Claire disappeared, records were created showing she had traveled with a woman named Celeste Bennett. Bank accounts were opened. Medical documents were signed. Ethan used my existence to create a second version of Claire’s life.”
“Why?”
“If anyone investigated, they would find evidence that Claire left willingly with her secret sister.”
Daniel understood.
A hidden relative was the perfect explanation for unexplained travel, money transfers, and private medical arrangements.
“When did you see Claire?”
“Two years ago. Ethan brought me to Villa Serena. He said Claire needed to believe her daughters would be safe with family.”
“Why would your presence convince her?”
“Because he told her I had agreed to take the girls if she caused trouble.”
Celeste’s eyes filled with shame.
“I let him use me. I was afraid.”
“And now?”
“Claire saved my life.”
Daniel’s anger paused.
Celeste explained that Ethan eventually realized she knew too much. She was confined at the monastery under the same false medical system used against Claire. Several weeks earlier, Claire had been transferred there temporarily.
“They placed us in rooms across the corridor,” Celeste said. “Claire found a loose stone between the walls. We could speak through it.”
“Did she tell you where she was being moved?”
“No. But she knew Ethan intended to destroy the remaining financial evidence after the foundation ceremony.”
“What about the third child?”
Celeste looked toward Daniel.
“What third child?”
He showed her the photograph from the hidden room.
Celeste studied the message.
“He cannot protect all three.”
Her fingers tightened around the picture.
“Claire said something strange the night before she was moved.”
“What?”
“She asked whether Ethan had ever mentioned a boy.”
Daniel felt his pulse quicken.
“What boy?”
“She didn’t explain. A guard entered before she could finish.”
Inspector Valli approached.
“Margaret is requesting an attorney. She denies knowing Claire’s current location.”
“She was inside the monastery.”
“She claims she came to retrieve financial records after Ethan told her there had been a security breach.”
“Do you believe her?”
“No. But Ethan arranged the property through enough companies to create distance from her.”
Daniel looked toward the mountains.
“What about the underground passage?”
“It ends at an old service road. We found tire tracks leading east.”
“Border crossing?”
“Possibly.”
Paolo joined them.
“We intercepted a call from Ethan’s disposable phone. He contacted someone at Moretti Airfield.”
Daniel’s family owned a private aviation company forty minutes away.
“How soon can he reach it?”
“He may already be there.”
Daniel headed toward his car.
Valli blocked his path.
“My officers will handle it.”
“He has Claire.”
“We don’t know that.”
“He escaped from a property where she was confined.”
“We also do not know whether Claire is cooperating with him.”
Daniel stared at her.
Valli continued carefully.
“I believe Claire was held illegally. But she has survived four years by making decisions we may not understand. Do not assume she will behave the way you expect.”
Daniel knew Valli was right.
He also knew he could not remain behind.
At Moretti Airfield, Ethan’s vehicle was found beside an empty hangar.
No aircraft had officially departed.
The hangar’s surveillance system had been disabled for eleven minutes. During that period, a small medical transport plane disappeared from the digital inventory.
Air traffic control showed no approved flight plan.
Daniel entered the hangar and found a discarded gray blanket on the floor.
Beside it lay a child’s wooden train.
The initials C.M. were carved underneath.
Daniel turned to Paolo.
“Who does this belong to?”
Paolo searched the company’s private passenger records.
One file had been opened repeatedly by Ethan during the past month.
The passenger was listed as a four-year-old boy named Christopher Bell.
His guardian was registered as Clara Bell.
Claire’s false identity.
Daniel looked at the wooden train again.
Ivy and Skye were three.
The boy was four.
The third child could not be their triplet.
He was older.
Daniel’s phone rang.
The caller identification showed the Moretti mansion.
Sofia was on the line.
“Daniel, you need to return immediately.”
“What happened?”
“The girls remembered something.”
“What?”
“They said Christopher is not their brother.”
Daniel waited.
May you like
Sofia lowered her voice.
“They said he is yours.”
