Chapter 9 - THE TRUTH ABOUT THE TWINS
The original adoption records were difficult to obtain.
Some documents had been sealed.
Others were missing.
But Helen Brooks located a retired social worker who had handled part of the case.
Her name was Evelyn Carter.
She was seventy-three.
She agreed to speak with us.
We met at her small home in Connecticut.
Evelyn looked at me for a long time.
Then whispered:
"I remember you."
My throat tightened.
"You do?"
She nodded.
"Two little girls. Identical faces. One cried whenever the other left the room."
I felt tears rise.
Evelyn continued.
"The agency told us the twins needed separate placements."
I frowned.
"Why?"
She looked down.
"Because a wealthy family wanted one child."
Dante leaned forward.
"Victor Bellini?"
Evelyn nodded slowly.
"His wife wanted to adopt. They were told about the twins."
I swallowed.
"Why didn't they take both?"
Evelyn's eyes filled.
"Because Victor refused."
The room went silent.
"He wanted one child. A daughter who would fit into his family. He believed taking both would create complications."
I stared.
Evelyn continued.
"His wife argued. She wanted both girls."
"What happened?"
"Victor arranged for one child to be placed elsewhere."
I felt sick.
"Me."
Evelyn nodded.
"Your adoptive mother, Rosa, was approved through a separate placement."
I looked down at my hands.
Two children.
Separated because one wealthy man considered us inconvenient.
Dante's voice was cold.
"Was the separation legal?"
Evelyn hesitated.
"There were irregularities. I reported concerns."
"What happened to the report?"
"It disappeared."
I closed my eyes.
Then Evelyn said something that made me look up.
"Isabella's adoptive mother never stopped asking about you."
I swallowed.
"She left instructions in her estate."
Dante leaned forward.
"What instructions?"
Evelyn looked at me.
"That if the second twin was ever found, she should receive the same opportunity Isabella had been given."
My heart stopped.
The inheritance wasn't simply about money.
May you like
It was about a promise.
A promise Victor Bellini had spent decades trying to erase.
