Chapter 3 - FOUR HEARTBEATS
"What happened the night Sofia died?"
Elena gripped the back of a dining chair.
Rafael stood beside me, waiting.
I had known these two people for most of my adult life.
One had cared for my wife.
The other had protected my empire.
Now they were accusing each other of betraying everything I loved.
"Elena," I said. "Look at me."
She raised her head.
"Sofia called me that night."
I felt my throat tighten.
"Before the accident?"
"Three hours before."
I remembered that night with terrible clarity.
Sofia had been driving home from a meeting across town.
Rain had been falling.
Her car had gone through a barrier on Lake Shore Drive.
By the time I reached the hospital, she was gone.
The police called it an accident.
The medical examiner found nothing suspicious.
For five years, I'd accepted those conclusions because the alternative was unbearable.
"What did she say?" I asked.
Elena glanced at Rafael.
"She said someone had discovered the pregnancy."
Rafael shook his head.
"That's enough, Elena."
I turned sharply.
"You don't give orders in my house."
He fell silent.
Elena continued.
"Sofia was afraid someone would use the babies against you. She asked me to protect the woman carrying them."
"The woman?"
"Rosa Vega."
I recognized the name.
Rosa had been a nurse who helped Sofia during her treatments.
I'd met her twice.
She was quiet, kind, and always wore a little silver cross around her neck.
"Rosa carried the babies?"
Elena nodded.
"Sofia couldn't safely carry a pregnancy. Her doctors had warned her. After the last treatment failed, she arranged for Rosa to carry the remaining embryo."
"Without telling me?"
"She wanted to surprise you when she knew it had worked."
I closed my eyes.
Sofia had always loved surprises.
One Christmas, she'd arranged to bring my mother from Sicily without telling me.
Another time, she'd bought an old piano because I'd mentioned wanting to learn as a boy.
But this?
Four children?
Five years of silence?
"Why didn't you tell me after she died?"
Elena wiped her cheeks.
"Because Sofia was killed before she could tell you herself."
Rafael stepped forward.
"That's a serious accusation."
"I know exactly how serious it is," Elena replied.
His expression hardened.
"You're frightened, and you're confusing suspicion with fact."
"Then explain why people began asking about Rosa before Sofia was buried."
Rafael looked at me.
"Alejandro, you know what happened after the funeral. We had enemies everywhere."
That was true.
My grief had nearly destroyed my organization.
Three rival families had tested our defenses.
Rafael had handled everything while I barely left my bedroom.
I owed him more than I could ever repay.
Or so I had believed.
"Why are these children here today?" I asked Elena.
"Rosa thought someone was watching her house. She asked me to keep the boys until she could arrange somewhere safer."
"Why bring them here?"
"Because you weren't supposed to be home. And nobody would expect them at Sofia's table."
A painful silence followed.
Then Nico raised his hand.
"Excuse me?"
We all turned.
"Can I have water?"
I stared at him.
His little face was serious.
He had no idea that his question had interrupted something that might end in bloodshed.
I walked to the sideboard and filled a glass.
Then I crouched and handed it to him.
He accepted it with both hands.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
He took a sip.
Then he looked at my face.
"Your eyes look like mine."
I couldn't speak.
He smiled.
"That's funny."
"Yes," I whispered. "It is."
When I stood, Rafael was watching us with an expression I couldn't identify.
"Those boys need proper protection," he said. "I can arrange it."
"They're staying here."
"Alejandro, think carefully."
"I have."
He lowered his voice.
"You're a dangerous man with dangerous enemies. Four children make you vulnerable."
I stepped toward him.
"They also make me a father."
Rafael looked away.
That small movement troubled me.
Elena crossed the room and opened Mateo's backpack.
She removed a folded piece of paper.
"This is what Sofia saw before she died."
I unfolded it.
An ultrasound image.
The paper had yellowed slightly.
Four tiny shapes appeared beneath the printed date.
Four small circles were marked in Sofia's handwriting.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Below them, she'd written:
Our four miracles.
My hands shook.
One embryo had divided in an extraordinarily rare way.
Four identical sons.
And Sofia had known.
I pressed the paper against my chest.
"She was going to tell me."
Elena nodded.
"That night."
I looked at Rafael.
"Did you know about this?"
He hesitated.
Then he said, "Sofia mentioned the treatment."
"Did you know there were four?"
"No."
But something bothered me.
Earlier, when Elena had mentioned only one embryo, Rafael hadn't looked surprised.
And now he was staring at the ultrasound as though he'd seen it before.
I folded the image carefully.
"Where did Sofia have this done?"
"Lakeview Fertility Center," Elena answered.
Rafael's eyes shifted toward her.
"Dr. Miriam Vale handled the pregnancy," he said.
The room went silent.
I hadn't mentioned the doctor's name.
Neither had Elena.
I turned slowly.
"How did you know Dr. Vale was involved?"
Rafael's jaw tightened.
"I remember Sofia's medical appointments."
"Then explain something else."
I held up the ultrasound.
"How did you know there were four heartbeats before anyone in this room told you?"
May you like
Rafael didn't answer.
And for the first time in twenty years, I saw my oldest friend search desperately for a lie.
