The Lost Daughter

Chapter Seven: What Now

My brow furrowed at his words, feeling like he was treating me like a little kid. I stepped out of the car.

“You do know that I am sixteen, not six. You’re making things sound like I’m

a kid.”

“Technically, you still are a kid, a child, an adolescent.”

I roll my eyes at Nash’s synonyms, then walk towards the front doors of the station, following behind Katherine.

“I bet your family would find you annoying in this moment too.” I mumble to myself. Nash snorts behind me, then laughs.

“You have no idea, Lia.”

A shiver ran along my spine as I stood up taller. Nash’s words were getting to

me in a weird way. My stomach felt like butterflies fluttering suddenly. My mind

trying to understand what Nash was saying. Hinting? Suggesting? Implying?

I touched my forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

As we walked into the station, Mr. De Nairo stood at the front desk.

Constable Trevors was still there, and he was talking to Luca.

I looked at them both puzzled.

“Welcome back, kiddo.” Trevors smiled brightly, wearing dark blue jeans and

a T-shirt with the police station logo. He walked up to me.

“Shall we get you into a room where you can talk to people privately, instead of the front desk?” He offered kindly.

“Um… I guess so.” I sounded confused, which I was.

Constable Trevors walked me to a private room where there was a couch, two chairs and a coffee table.

“I thought you were done for the day?” I asked him, as I sat on the couch.

“I’m off duty. I was called by Doctor De Nairo to come back for a moment.

Talked to your family a bit, since I was the one who found you last night and stayed with you.”

My eyes widened. “You already know who my family is?! Have you talked to

them yet?” I ask quickly.

Trevors chuckles as he sits in one of the chairs.

“Mrs. O’ Leery will be in shortly, and she will explain more. I just wanna say, I’m happy for you. For how things were last night to now, this will be good for you. And keep my number. I’ll still be here for you, even to talk.” He stood up, ruffled my hair again and left the room.

I looked out the window towards the front desk, watching the small gathering of people. Luca, Nash, Katherine and Trevors. I furrowed my brow, trying to read their lips to understand what was going on. I sighed, sitting back on the couch, looking away from them.

After a few minutes, Katherine came into the room and sat beside me on the couch. I moved over, giving her more room, and hoping she wouldn’t hug me orsqueeze me again.

She smiled at me, eyes bright and shining with excitement.

I gave her a half-hearted smile since the longer I was in the unknown, the more

awkward things felt.

Next, Nash and Luca came into the room. Nash closed the blinds and door, as Luca took the chair across from me.

“I… I thought I was meeting family. If this is about your suit yesterday, sir, I will do what I can to pay for a new one, or dry cleaning.” I panicked, looking at Luca

as if in trouble, just like Darryl had said the day before.

“Breathe Aurelia.” The words sounded like a command as well as a

suggestion.

“This isn’t about yesterday. This is about today. Can you talk to me about your mother?”

I stiffen, holding my knees tightly as I look down.

“Amber Mailey. Mailey is her married name. Or was… and my last name. Same as Darryl’s. My stepfather. I was born after them being together. I don’t remember much… um… good things

about her.”

“Do you know if Amber was her first name?” Luca spoke softer, gentler.

I lifted my chin, meeting his eyes, those striking icy blue eyes, like mine, like

looking into a mirror.

“I remember, when I was younger, elementary school, having found an old driver’s license. It was a picture of her younger, but her name was different. She had told me that it was a cousin… and told me not to snoop through things.”

I quieted at the end remembering when I had found the ID. The picture of a

younger version of Amber, but the name was completely different. When I asked

her, she snatched it from my hands, hit me over the back of the head and pushed me away.

“Do you remember what the name was, Aurelia?” Luca asked.

“Lia. I go by Lia.” I corrected him, looking back at my hands.

“The license said… Adeline Ruelle Emerson.” I picked at my nails, worried that I would be in trouble for speaking, for repeating what was on the card.

Luca sat back in the chair, wiping his hand over his face.

“Addy…” He mumbled softly, almost hurt as he said the name.

I looked back at him, a lump growing in my throat.

“Addy? Short for Adeline… because you knew her?” I slowly asked, my heart

slowly picking up speed. I nervously chewed the inside of my cheek.

“The name… her name… was it actually a cousin or…” I couldn’t finish the question, my mind racing with many thoughts.

“I had two wives prior to meeting Adeline. Both gave me sons, including Nash.” Luca motions towards him, sitting in the other chair.

“Both who had untimely deaths. One of the nurses who stayed with my late wife, taking care of her, stayed at the house, under another family doctor. That was Adeline Emerson. She was also a family friend, as her grandfather ran Emerson Enterprises. We started a relationship, had been together for three years before she disappeared almost seventeen years ago.”

My hands began to shake as Luca spoke, my face slowly losing color.

Katherine reached over, touching my arm. I flinched, forgetting all about her,

having been pulled into Luca’s story.

Katherine pulled her hand back, watching me with concern.

“Is… is there a Cousin Amber? Or… are you telling me… that my mother was

Adeline, but changed her name?” My voice shook as I spoke. Each word feeling like bile in my mouth.

“When Nash did the blood test…” Luca began, noticing my reaction. He looked at Nash to continue.

“Both your biological parents had blood samples from hospitals many years

ago. When the markers found your matches, both names were provided. For your mother, it did have two names. The one you know, Amber Mailey. It also had

Adeline Emerson. Meaning your mother, probably when she left, or disappeared,

had changed her name. And your biological father… came up as Luca De Nairo.”

A small sound escaped me, making all three adults look at me at the same

time.

I shut my mouth quickly, standing up, beginning to pace.

“You… you… you’re telling me, that my mother is… was… the granddaughter of the CEO of Emerson Enterprises, and that… that…” I stop, staring wide eyed at Luca, “You’re… my… father.”

Luca stands up, looking at me slightly broken.

“No. Stop. Stay!” I step back, holding up my hands. “Did… did you know? Did

you know that I existed?”

“No. I didn’t know. I didn’t know what happened to Adeline. I never heard

from her. I couldn’t find anything about her. It was as if she had disappeared. I had no leads. And no knowledge of you.”

I felt the air leave my lungs as I leaned against a wall, feeling my world spin.

“So… what do I do now?” I asked quietly, feeling breathless and not in

control.