Chapter 9
“But he didn’t.”
“When I reached the location, it was empty. There was blood on the floor, but no body. No Sofia. No Elena.”
I looked toward Lily to be certain she was still sleeping.
“My mother survived.”
“Yes.”
“Then why did you say she died because of you?”
“Because everyone believed she had died that night. Years later, I learned a woman matching her description had been living under another name. I searched, but by the time I found the right city, she was gone.”
“My mother died three years ago.”
Victor closed his eyes briefly.
“I know.”
The words struck harder than I expected.
“How?”
“I found the record.”
“You knew she was alive?”
“Not until after her death.”
“And you knew about me?”
“I knew she had a daughter.”
“You never came looking.”
“I did.”
“Not very well.”
The anger in my voice made Rosa glance toward us.
Victor accepted it without protest.
“I found an old address in Queens,” he said. “The apartment had been empty for years. After that, there were no school records under your original name.”
“My original name?”
He studied my face.
“Hannah Rossi does not appear on any birth record in New York during the year you were born.”
I stared at him.
“That’s ridiculous.”
“It may mean nothing. Records can be amended. Names can change.”
“My birth certificate says Hannah Rossi.”
“Have you seen the original?”
“I have a copy.”
May you like
“That is not what I asked.”
I wanted to tell him that people like me did not keep original documents in safes. We kept them in kitchen drawers between expired coupons and rent receipts. We carried copies because landlords, hospitals, and employers were always asking for proof that we belonged where we stood.
