Chapter 14 - WHAT THEY TOOK FROM ME
The doctor’s name was Stephen Harrow.
He had been seventy-one when he retired.
Now he was seventy-nine and living in a gated community in Florida.
Federal investigators brought him back to Chicago.
I wanted to see him.
Everyone told me not to.
I went anyway.
He sat across a conference table from me with two attorneys.
Luca sat beside me.
Rachel sat on my other side.
Dr. Harrow looked smaller than I remembered.
That made me angrier.
Monsters should look like monsters.
They usually don’t.
“I was following instructions,” he said.
I stared at him.
“You performed a procedure on me without my consent.”
His attorney touched his arm.
He ignored it.
“It was not intended to harm you.”
“What did you do?”
He looked down.
“During one of your diagnostic procedures, I altered the uterine environment to reduce implantation likelihood.”
I didn’t understand at first.
Then I did.
“You sabotaged my fertility.”
Luca’s chair moved.
I put a hand out.
Not for Luca.
For myself.
Dr. Harrow nodded.
“Temporarily.”
“You made me believe I couldn’t get pregnant.”
“I was told it was necessary.”
“By Celeste?”
Silence.
“Say her name.”
“Yes.”
My eyes burned.
“Why?”
“Mrs. Moretti wanted Luca to believe the marriage could not produce an heir.”
I laughed through tears.
“You people keep saying heir.”
Dr. Harrow looked ashamed.
“I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re not.”
I leaned forward.
“You watched me cry.”
He closed his eyes.
“You watched me ask what was wrong with me.”
“I remember.”
“You told me stress might be the problem.”
“Yes.”
“You told me to relax.”
He nodded.
Something inside me broke open.
I stood.
“For three years, I hated my own body because of you.”
“Nia,” Luca whispered.
I turned toward him.
“And you believed him.”
His face crumpled.
“I know.”
“You believed everybody except me.”
“I know.”
I walked out.
Luca followed.
In the hallway, I finally exploded.
“You want to know why I kept the twins?”
He stopped.
“Because when I found out I was pregnant, I was terrified someone would take that away too.”
“Nia—”
“I had spent years being poked, drugged, tested, judged. Your mother hated me. Your doctor lied to me. You left me. Then I found out two babies were growing inside me.”
Tears ran down my face.
“I couldn’t risk you people touching them.”
He looked shattered.
“And after they were born?”
“I kept waiting.”
“For what?”
“For you to come.”
He stared at me.
“I thought maybe you would find out somehow. Maybe you would ask. Maybe some part of you would remember me.”
His voice broke.
“I never knew.”
“I know that now.”
That was the tragedy.
For eight years, I had hated Luca for something he had never known.
And he had failed me in every way except the one I blamed him for most.
He stepped closer.
“I can’t give those years back.”
“No.”
“But I can spend the rest of my life making sure nobody controls yours again.”
I looked at him.
“Don’t promise me forever.”
“Why?”
“Because you already did once.”
He closed his eyes.
That night, Luca publicly removed Celeste from every Moretti board, foundation, and trust position he legally controlled.
The next morning, prosecutors announced charges.
Medical fraud.
Evidence tampering.
Conspiracy.
Unlawful use of genetic material.
Bribery.
Celeste Moretti was arrested before breakfast.
Chicago went insane.
Reporters camped outside my house.
Moretti Global stock dropped.
Evelyn filed for divorce.
Daniel Reeves agreed to testify.
Dr. Harrow accepted a plea deal.
And Adrian surrendered documents proving Celeste had paid him for years to keep Eli’s origin secret.
For the first time, truth was winning.
Then Rachel called me late one night.
“I have news about Eli.”
My heart stopped.
“What happened?”
“Adrian is giving up his legal custody claim.”
I sat down.
“Why?”
“He believes Eli should be with his biological family.”
I looked through the glass doors.
Noah and Naomi were asleep upstairs.
Luca was in the kitchen making coffee.
“What does that mean?”
Rachel’s voice softened.
“It means the court may ask whether you and Luca are willing to raise him.”
I looked at Luca.
He saw my face.
“What?”
I lowered the phone.
“Eli may need a home.”
Luca didn’t hesitate.
“Ours.”
My heart twisted.
“You don’t even know him.”
“No.”
“Neither do I.”
“No.”
I stared at him.
“This is huge.”
“I know.”
“This isn’t a company you can acquire.”
His voice softened.
“He’s our son, Nia.”
I looked away.
Then the doorbell rang.
At eleven forty-three at night.
Security checked the camera.
The guard called Luca.
“Sir, there’s a child outside.”
Luca and I ran to the front door.
When it opened, Eli stood there alone.
Backpack over one shoulder.
May you like
Tears on his face.
“I didn’t know where else to go.”
