Chapter 9 - Daniel's Voice
Clara asked everyone to leave the room except Vincent and Luca. She wanted to hear Daniel's voice without Vanessa watching her face.
The recording began with wind and the soft click of a car indicator. Then Daniel spoke.
"Clara, if you're hearing this, I didn't make it home. I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you everything in person."
Clara pressed her knuckles to her lips.
"The baby is safe. I checked the clinic records. The child is mine, and the Moretti blood test is real. My father was Anthony Moretti. I didn't tell you because I didn't want the family to use you or the baby."
A pause. Daniel breathed in.
"There's more. The Shaws know. They have a copy of the test. They want the baby born somewhere they control, because the Moretti trust has a clause. If Vincent has no living son, the next direct branch can challenge the Shaw transfer. They are trying to make sure neither Sofia nor our baby can claim anything."
Clara closed her eyes. She had thought Daniel died because of a road accident. He had died carrying a truth that could change two children's lives.
The recording continued.
"Don't trust Vanessa. Don't trust Victor. And if Vincent is there, tell him Elena didn't stop loving him. She left because she thought he would be killed if she stayed."
Then came the final sentence.
"Clara, there is one thing they are still hiding from you. The baby isn't just a Moretti heir. The doctors found something in the prenatal test, and Vanessa paid to make sure you never saw the real report."
The recording ended.
Clara looked at Vincent.
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Clara listened to the recording twice. The first time she heard Daniel's voice. The second time she heard the fear he had worked so hard to hide from her. She wished he had trusted her with the truth, but she understood why he had been afraid.
"What did they do to my baby?"
