Chapter 14 - THE FIGHT FOR HIS DAUGHTER
Three days later, Alessandro sat in a plain government office with Livia beside him.
No mansion.
No lawyers in thousand-dollar suits speaking for him.
Just a father holding his daughter’s hand.
Evelyn Shaw opened a folder.
“We received photographs showing bruises.”
“They’re from gymnastics.”
Livia nodded.
“I fell off the beam.”
Evelyn looked at her.
“You remember that?”
“Yes. Daddy bought me ice cream after.”
Alessandro winced.
“That probably wasn’t medically necessary.”
For the first time, Evelyn smiled.
“No.”
She turned another page.
“We also received reports that Livia was frequently left alone.”
“Never.”
Livia frowned.
“Bianca said Daddy leaves me alone when he works.”
Alessandro looked at her.
“What?”
“She said being with Margaret doesn’t count because Margaret isn’t family.”
Evelyn made a note.
“And who is Margaret?”
“My nanny since I was a baby.”
Evelyn closed the folder.
“Mr. Moretti, based on what we’ve seen so far, many allegations appear misleading.”
Alessandro exhaled.
“But.”
Of course there was a but.
“But we still need to finish the investigation.”
“How long?”
“A few weeks.”
He nodded.
“I’ll cooperate with everything.”
Evelyn leaned forward.
“I also think you should know the report did not come directly from Ms. Laurent.”
Alessandro frowned.
“Who filed it?”
“I can’t disclose that at this stage.”
His attorney, seated nearby, shifted.
“Can you tell us whether it came from a relative?”
Evelyn hesitated.
“Yes.”
Alessandro knew immediately.
Elena’s parents.
That evening, he drove to their house.
Livia stayed with Rosalie.
He had not been inside the Carsons’ home since Elena’s funeral.
Margaret Carson opened the door.
She looked older.
“Alessandro.”
“Why?”
No greeting.
No pretense.
Her husband, Thomas, appeared behind her.
“Come inside.”
“I’ll stand here.”
Margaret’s eyes filled.
“Bianca told us Livia was miserable.”
“And you believed her?”
“She sent photographs.”
“Did you call me?”
“No.”
“Did you call Livia?”
“She said you monitored her phone.”
Alessandro laughed bitterly.
“You knew me for eleven years.”
“We knew you when Elena was alive.”
That hurt.
He stepped back.
Thomas spoke.
“After she died, you disappeared into work.”
“I was grieving.”
“So was Livia.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
Alessandro stared at him.
Thomas’s anger cracked.
“She looks exactly like Elena.”
Silence.
Margaret began crying.
“We were terrified of losing her too.”
Something in Alessandro softened.
Not much.
But enough.
“You don’t get to protect Livia by trying to take her from me.”
Margaret wiped her eyes.
“We know that now.”
“Do you?”
“We saw the news. We spoke to the detective.”
Thomas handed him an envelope.
“What’s this?”
“A statement withdrawing our complaint and explaining Bianca’s manipulation.”
Alessandro took it.
Then Margaret whispered, “There’s something else.”
He looked up.
“Before the wedding, Bianca asked us for money.”
His stomach dropped.
“What?”
“She said if we funded the custody case, she could guarantee Livia would be removed from your home.”
Alessandro stared at her.
“Guarantee how?”
Margaret looked toward Thomas.
Thomas answered.
“She said she had someone inside the agency.”
May you like
And suddenly the CPS investigation no longer looked like an inconvenience.
It looked like another crime.
