Chapter 9 - THE SONG HER MOTHER TAUGHT HER
Sophia sat at the piano.
Her hands trembled.
She hadn't played in years.
Not since she'd become Sophie Bennett.
Not since she'd buried every memory that could lead her father back to her.
Mateo stood nearby.
“Do you remember anything Miriam taught you?”
Sophia nodded.
“A song.”
“What song?”
She smiled sadly.
“My mother called it the blue lullaby.”
She placed her fingers on the keys.
Then began playing.
The melody was simple.
Soft.
Haunting.
Mateo listened.
For a moment, the room seemed to change.
The years fell away.
And Sophia was no longer a frightened woman hiding under a table.
She was a little girl sitting beside her mother.
Then she stopped.
A faint click sounded beneath the piano.
Mateo looked down.
Sophia stared.
“What was that?”
They examined the instrument.
A narrow compartment beneath the music stand had shifted.
Inside was a small metal case.
Sophia covered her mouth.
Mateo carefully removed it.
Inside were old documents.
A storage receipt.
And a handwritten note.
If Sophia ever plays the song again, tell her she was never the mistake.
Sophia began crying.
Mateo read the note.
Then looked at her.
“Who wrote this?”
Sophia shook her head.
“I don't know.”
Dominic examined the handwriting.
His face changed.
“Boss.”
Mateo looked up.
Dominic swallowed.
“This is Luca's handwriting.”
Mateo stared.
Then sat down heavily.
His brother.
Seventeen years gone.
May you like
Had left a message for Sophia.
And suddenly, the past felt very close.
