Chapter 4 - Unraveling the Past
By midnight, the west wing had been transformed. Private pediatricians had examined all six children, confirming they were remarkably healthy despite their hardships, though suffering from mild malnutrition that a few weeks of proper meals would easily fix.
I sat propped up against a mountain of plush silk pillows in a massive king-sized bed that felt large enough to swallow me whole. The room was decorated in soft creams and warm lavenders, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the moonlit gardens. It was a far cry from the damp, freezing concrete of the basement on Harrison Street.
A soft knock sounded at the heavy oak door.
"Come in," I murmured, pulling the heavy quilt tighter around my shoulders.
The door clicked open, and Victor walked in. He had removed his suit jacket, his white dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar, holding two steaming mugs of hot chocolate topped with miniature marshmallows. He walked over, setting one mug on the bedside table before pulling up a velvet chair and sitting down.
"Are the kids asleep?" I asked softly, taking a cautious sip of the hot chocolate.
"Like logs," Victor smiled, leaning back in the chair. "Daniel already tried to negotiate a curfew extension with my head of security, and the twins insisted on sleeping in the same bed despite having rooms the size of apartments."
I let out a small, relieved laugh. "They're good kids. They've had to grow up too fast, but they're resilient."
"Because of you," Victor said, his voice dropping into a solemn, earnest tone. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Olivia, I need to understand. How did you find them? How did a thirteen-year-old girl manage to keep this hidden from the entire world, right under my nose?"
I looked down at the swirling marshmallows in my mug, tracing the rim with my thumb. "After Elena passed away, the landlord of the apartment building threatened to throw them out onto the street the next day. I was living in a foster home nearby that was... not a good place. I ran away on the same night. I found the basement, and I found them crying in the dark."
Victor’s jaw tightened, a muscle ticking along his cheek. "And you just decided to take on the world?"
"I didn't have a choice," I looked up, meeting his hazel eyes directly. "Nobody else cared. The social services in that district are broken; they would have separated the siblings into different foster homes across the state. I couldn't let them lose each other after they had already lost Elena."
Victor sat in silence for a long moment, processing the sheer magnitude of sacrifice a thirteen-year-old child had shouldered. He reached out, gently covering my hand with his large, warm palm.
"You carried my family when I was too blind to see them," Victor whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "Elena... we parted ways twelve years ago under terrible circumstances. I never knew she was pregnant. I never knew she had our son until tonight."
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"She loved you," I said quietly. "Until her very last breath, she told the older kids that their father was a great man who would come back when the time was right."
Victor closed his eyes, a heavy sigh trembling through his lips. "She was wrong about me for a long time. But I am going to spend the rest of my life making sure you and these children never have to worry about a single thing ever again."
