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Then another.
And my heart pulls so tight in my chest I can't breathe. I fight the surge of bewilderment that threatens to buckle my legs beneath me. My world starts spinning.
What the fuck is going on?
What is happening right now?
Alagille Syndrome.
She has exactly the same disease Merelda died from.
A rare disease that affects the liver - inherited from a parent.
A genetic confirmation of who this child is to me.
The truth slams into me like a sledgehammer. It fucking smashes against my mind and sends me spinning in all directions.
She is my daughter.
There is no question about it.
But I don't believe I'm a donor match. I wasn't for Merelda. The odds are against me.
And the anger. The betrayal. Six years of it. I want Amelia to beg. To feel the desperation I feel now.
I'm scared. Terrified, really. Of getting tested. Of finding out I'm not a match. Of facing another loss.
"Hello." Her sleepy voice travels towards me.
I look up at her. My daughter. Her sleepy face turned towards me.
"Hello," I reply, fighting for my head to stop churning in chaos.
"I'm Elle." She says with a smile. I can see myself in her. I can see the similarities. The brown eyes, the dark hair, the shape of her nose.
"I'm Stefano. Do you know where you are?"
"My mom told me we were coming to stay here for a little bit."
"A little bit. Interesting. This is actually your new home, Elle. You will be living here forever."
"Forever is a really long time." She giggles.
"I guess it is." I walk around the bed to get a close look at her. She sits up, slowly moving carefully; I can see that the process causes her pain.
"Do you want me to raise the back of the bed for you?"
"Does it move like the hospital bed?" She asks.
"It does." I pick up the remote control attached to the railing of the bed and press the button. Slowly the backrest raises up and Elle takes a moment to get comfortable. I help her with her pillow, puffing it out a bit.
"Thank you, that's much better."
"It's no problem, Elle."
I can't stop staring at her. All this time I thought Amelia had run off and had a child with another man, but all this time she was lying to me, hiding the truth. Hiding my own child from me.
My jaw muscles clench in anger.
