Chapter 7 - THE SECRET GABRIEL NEVER TOLD HER
Gabriel had one secret he had not shared.
Mara had not been his only sister.
There had been another child.
A little girl named Lucia.
She was eight when their mother died.
After the funeral, Lucia disappeared from the family home.
The official explanation was that she had been sent to live with relatives overseas.
Gabriel had believed it for years.
Then he discovered that no such relatives existed.
Paige learned about Lucia when she found Gabriel staring at an old family photograph.
Three children stood beside a fountain.
Gabriel at eighteen.
Mara at sixteen.
Lucia at eight.
Paige pointed toward the youngest.
“Who's she?”
Gabriel's expression changed.
“My sister.”
“Mara?”
“No.”
Paige looked at him.
“There's another?”
He nodded.
“Lucia.”
“Where is she?”
Gabriel looked away.
“I don't know.”
He told Paige the story.
Lucia vanished during a period of conflict between their father and rival families.
Gabriel's father claimed she was safe.
But he refused to reveal where she had been taken.
Years later, after his father's death, Gabriel searched for her.
He found nothing.
Paige listened.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
Gabriel looked at her.
“Because I don't know whether she's alive.”
She swallowed.
“I'm sorry.”
He nodded.
Then Paige asked:
“Did Mara know?”
Gabriel hesitated.
“She was investigating Lucia's disappearance before she died.”
Paige stared.
“And St. Catherine's?”
Gabriel nodded.
“Mara believed Lucia had been placed in a private care facility under another name.”
Paige looked toward the photograph.
Suddenly the investigation felt different.
It wasn't only about money.
Or revenge.
It was about a missing child.
She turned toward Gabriel.
“Then we need to find her.”
He shook his head.
“Paige, you've already done enough.”
She looked at him.
“Stop deciding what enough means for me.”
Gabriel fell silent.
She continued.
“You gave me a choice when everyone else took mine away.”
She stepped closer.
“Don't become another man who thinks protecting me means making my decisions.”
Gabriel looked at her for a long moment.
Then nodded.
“You're right.”
Paige smiled faintly.
“Good.”
May you like
He looked toward the photograph.
“Then we find Lucia.”
