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Curious and intrigued by the nature of Enzo’s unexpected call, he hurried out to the front desk.
“Dina? An emergency has arisen, and I’ll have to be out of the office until Wednesday. Would you call the patients scheduled for tomorrow and make other appointments for them? If one of them needs to be seen immediately, ask Dr. Silvio’s nurse to fit them in.” The two doctors helped each other when necessary.
“I’ll take care of it, dottore.”
He nodded and left the building. After grabbing some dinner and doing errands, he drove to his apartment and checked any new emails before getting ready for bed. The urgency of Enzo’s strange request had happened at a vulnerable moment for Nico, who needed to keep busy.
If that phone call hadn’t come when it did, he might have found himself walking over to the pediatric ward. His pact with himself was so fragile, he knew every honorable intention would have been lost the moment he’d seen Fausta.
Eventually he went to bed, but sleep was lost on him. He’d put Giorgio on his dresser, but the sight of him was so painful, he put him in the closet. At five in the morning he rolled out of bed to shower and shave before taking off for Biella. He brought his medical bag just in case.
During the trip, he relived that day with Fausta in the country. The unforgettable memories of her while they visited the orphanage and the pig farm made him groan with longing for her.
By 7:30 a.m. he arrived at the castello full of questions. A limo with smoked glass was parked in the courtyard. Something was going on. Nico expected that Enzo was out for his morning horseback ride. Curious, he walked around the rear to the stable first. Sure enough, he found his mentor emerging from the stalls with a trim, distinguished-looking, well-dressed man.
Silver threaded his dark hair and clipped beard. He was of average height and probably in his early sixties. Nico had n
ever seen him before.
Enzo hurried toward him. “Nicolo—you’re here even sooner than I’d expected!”
“After your phone call, I almost came last night.”
While they hugged, he could feel the other man’s steel gray eyes riveted on him as if in disbelief. It gave him an odd feeling.
After letting him go, Enzo turned to the other man. “What do you think, Signor Bruno?”
The visitor walked around them while he kept studying Nico. “The resemblance is uncanny, Signor Frascatti. There can be no mistake. Even without a DNA match, he’s the one without question.”
The man spoke Italian with a noticeable Slovenian accent. What did he mean “he’s the one”? Nico’s gaze darted back to Enzo for clarification.
“Dr. Nico Barsotti? May I introduce you to Signor Basil Bruno. He’s the head of the secret service for the country of La Valazzura who has been our visitor at the castello.”
What kind of business did Enzo have with this man? “How do you do.” Nico shook hands with him. La Valazzura bordered Italy and Slovenia. That explained his accent.
“You have no idea how pleased I am to meet you at last, Dr. Barsotti. I’m here on official business for my country.”
Nico shook his head. “What am I missing here?”
“I understand you’ve been searching for your parents since you were old enough to ask the Mother Superior of the Sant’Agate Orphanage where your mamma was.”
Nico’s heart started to thud. No one knew that information except Enzo, and more recently, Fausta.
“It pains me that over all these years, your heritage has had to remain a complete secret in order to save your life.”
What? “Are you saying they’re alive?” The mention of Nico’s family filled him with an excitement he’d never known before.
“No. I’m sorry to have to tell you they are not.” Just as quickly, Nico’s spirits plummeted. “Your mother, Nedda Corelli, living on her own with you far from the capital in the village of Mesecino near the Slovenian border, died soon after you turned two years old.”
The news shook Nico to his core. The woman who’d brought him into the world and had raised him for his first two years was gone? Just when her existence had been revealed? He couldn’t bear it. In his dreams he’d imagined a reunion that would make up for the years he’d missed.
“And my father?” he asked in a hoarse voice.
“He died ten days ago in the capital city of Azzura after being bedridden with heart failure for the last six months.”
Only ten days ago he’d been alive? Nico was aghast.
“With his death I’ve finally been able to bring you out of hiding.”
