Chapter 17
“The roads are closed by the storm.”
“I’ll go when they open.”
He nodded.
“No one will stop you.”
It was the first promise he had made that I believed without question.
Rosa led me to a small bedroom near the medical room. She brought fresh clothes for me and a portable crib for Lily.
“You knew Sofia?” I asked as she unfolded a blanket.
Rosa’s hands paused.
“I worked here when she was young.”
“Was she kind?”
“She was restless,” Rosa said with a faint smile. “She believed every locked door was an invitation.”
“Did she have a baby?”
The smile disappeared.
Rosa looked toward the hallway.
“I was told the baby did not survive.”
“Did you ever see her?”
“No.”
The answer came too quickly.
“Rosa.”
She folded the blanket again, though it was already neat.
“Some memories are not reliable after so many years.”
“That isn’t what I asked.”
She met my eyes.
For the first time, I saw fear in hers.
“I saw a baby once,” she whispered. “Only once.”
“Where?”
“In the blue nursery.”
My breath caught.
“What blue nursery?”
“This house had another wing before the renovation. Sofia chose the color herself.”
“What happened to it?”
“Victor’s father ordered it sealed after Sofia vanished.”
“Sealed?”
“Closed behind a wall.”
The door opened.
Marco stood in the hallway.
“Mr. Moretti needs both of you.”
Rosa’s face drained.
“Why?”
Marco looked at me.
“Someone is at the gate.”
“Who?”
“A woman.”
May you like
He hesitated.
“She says her name is Sofia Moretti.”
