Chapter 3 - THE DOCTOR
Matteo summoned his private physician before sunset.
Dr. Daniel Hayes arrived within twenty minutes and examined Sophia while Matteo waited outside with Emma.
The little girl sat beside him on the leather sofa, clutching the repaired shirt.
“Your mother is going to be okay,” Matteo promised.
Emma looked at him seriously.
“You promise?”
“I promise I’ll do everything I can.”
Inside the room, the doctor took blood samples and examined Sophia’s medication.
An hour later, Daniel walked out with a grim expression.
“She’s been ingesting something toxic.”
Matteo’s face hardened.
“How serious?”
“Potentially fatal if this continues.”
Silence.
“Can you identify it?”
“Not yet. I’ve sent the sample to a laboratory.”
Matteo nodded.
Then Daniel lowered his voice.
“There’s something else. Her symptoms look deliberate.”
Matteo stared toward the hallway.
“Meaning?”
“The dosage appears consistent. Someone has been giving her the substance repeatedly.”
Matteo felt rage build behind his ribs.
His own estate had become a hunting ground.
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And someone had chosen Sophia because they believed she was too powerless to fight back.
They were wrong.
