Chapter 1 The birth of a daughter.
Twenty-four years ago
A young woman is in the hospital and she is giving birth to her twins, number four and five. When the doctor puts both children in her arms, the woman breaks down in tears.
"Mrs. Lamberti, what's wrong?" the doctor asks. He has also brought her other three children into the world and is a good friend of the family.
"Rossi, you have to take the girl with you." She cries to the doctor and he is startled.
"What?" he asks.
"You have to take her with you. She can't stay here." The woman says, crying.
"Leonora, why not, Vito is very happy knowing that he is having a daughter. He always wanted one." The doctor answered, but the woman shakes her head.
"You have to tell him that you couldn’t save her and please take her away. I don't want my daughter to have this life, she deserves a better life. I don't want her to grow up in fear. Girls are so much more vulnerable." She cries and Doctor Rossi asks her again if she is sure and the woman nods.
"Her name?" he asks, and she smiles at the girl as she gives it to Doctor Rossi.
"I'm sorry sweetheart, I'm so sorry.." She says softly.
"Leonora, her name? Vito is on his way." He asks again and the woman looks up. "Valentina." She sighs and the doctor nods. “Valentina Catharina Leonora.” She adds.
"I'll take care of it if you ever.." The doctor starts but the woman nods "Go quickly before Vito is here." She pleads and crying she hugs her newborn son Valerio.
“Sorry that you are alone now, but she is so vulnerable. You are a strong boy.” She tells him.
“I’m sorry your dad isn’t here. He is fighting with some evil man.” She cries.
The doctor is walking with the newborn baby girl in his arms to the exit of the hospital when he meets Mr. Ferrante. "Ah, Doctor Rossi!" Roberto Ferrante speaks to him and the doctor stops.
"I'll come and have a look at your wife and your son in a moment, I have to bring this baby away first." The doctor says to Roberto. He has just become a father of a son for the fourth time and he could not be more proud. Together with his three sons, he stops at the doctor "A girl?" he asks the doctor, and the doctor nods.
"Valentina." Tells the doctor and Roberto nods approvingly.
"Beautiful name. See you in a bit doctor." He feels his second-oldest son pulling on his leg. "Come here, Christiano." He says as he lifts his son. "Come boy." He says to his eldest son Riccardo who is six and can walk well with his father, who lifts his two younger brothers.
When he walks with the children to his wife's room, he hears another woman crying and he hears the voice of someone who was once his friend, the man he was arguing with just a couple of hours ago. His brother Matteo is with Roberto and he gives the two youngest children to Matteo "Here, tell her I'm coming." He says sternly and Matteo takes the children and walks into the room where Roberto’s wife is lying.
Roberto focuses on the sound and stands still when he hears his voice again.
"AND WHERE THE HELL IS SHE NOW LEO?" He is angry with his wife. Leonora cries
"She didn't make it Vito, I'm sorry." She says crying and he grabs her "What do you mean?" he asks her.
"As I say, Vito, she was too weak, she didn't make it, Rossi tried, but she was too weak," Leonora says again. Vito shakes his head. "It's better that way." the woman cries. Huh? Roberto keeps listening, totally inappropriate. "A girl doesn't fit into your dangerous world." She says,
"Your quarrel with Ferrante, the constant pressure, the fighting, the threats, it's better this way." She says softly and Roberto sees Vito hugging his wife.
"What was her name?" He hears Vito asking as Roberto turns away.
"Valentina." Says the woman and Roberto stops walking away.
"Valentina.." He repeats the name. The girl in Rossi’s arms is also called Valentina…
Shaking his head, he quickly walks into his own wife's room.
"Bianca, Bella Bianca." He says to her and kisses her. Then he admires his newborn son. When they are finally allowed to go home that night and his wife is lying against him in bed, he hears her cry softly.
"What’s wrong my sweetheart?" he asks her, and the woman looks up guilty.
"Ow Roberto, I shouldn't be so ungrateful, but I would have loved to have had a daughter." Her voice is broken and sad and Roberto thinks. Another pregnancy is no guarantee of a daughter. He sits up straight.
"What if I know a daughter?" he asks and Bianca's eyes light up. "How?" she asks.
"I saw Rossi leave the hospital today with a newly born girl, her parents didn't want her." Says Roberto his wife Bianca and Bianca hesitates.
"If Rossi is their doctor, then they have to be good people." She hesitates but Roberto nods. He's not going to tell her it's Vito and Leonora's daughter. He knows that secretly the women still speak to each other. They were best friends first, everyone knows each other from the past. This is his secret and he plans to take it with him into his grave.
"But how does that work?" asks his wife.
The next morning Roberto and Bianca drive with Doctor Rossi to an address on the other side of town. A lovely older woman opens the door and welcomes the three of them. The doctor walks with the woman in front of the room where the little girl is sleeping in her crib. The couple follows the two and when Bianca takes the little girl in her arms she is in love. Roberto doubts whether he should do this, where at first he only thought of revenge, he now sees how happy his wife is. She could never harm the girl. On the other hand, if Vito ever knows that his wife has given up his only daughter and who was raised by his greatest enemy of nature and loves Ferrante more than Lamberti. Maybe that's better revenge. "Does she already have a name?" asks Bianca to the woman of the orphanage.
"Valentina." answers the woman and Roberto nod to his wife. Bianca looks in love with the little girl "Valentina," She looks up at her husband putting an arm around her "Beautiful." She says.
The doctor fills in all the details together with Roberto and examines the girl again before he finally puts her in Bianca's arms to leave. Roberto helps Bianca in the car with the girl in her arms.
"Roberto!" The doctor stops him and gives him an envelope with several documents. "She has a new birth certificate." He says and Roberto takes the two cards out of the envelope. "She got the same date as Lorenzo, they are now registered as twins." Says the doctor and Roberto nods.
"A twin." He says and the doctor nods.
"Her old documents are also in it, just like her bracelet." He says and Roberto takes the small gold bracelet out of the envelope with the green heart, the family symbol of the Lamberti’s. Roberto puts it back in the envelope
"When she's old enough to not be able to wear this anymore, I'll give her this one." He says and the doctor nods.
"We have a deal?" asks Roberto Ferrante to Doctor Rossi and the doctor nods. Roberto hands him a large envelope. The doctor nods and the two say goodbye.
At home, Bianca puts her girl in the same crib as Lorenzo and Valentina immediately turn to Lorenzo, but he turns away from her. Bianca looks at Roberto, he puts an arm around her. "Valentina is one of the twins, her brother didn't make it." He tells her and she nods.
“il Nostro Tesoro (our treasure), look how sweet she is to Lorenzo." She says and sees how Valentina takes Lorenzo's finger and lies down quietly.
"But mom? Why are there suddenly two?" Riccardo asks his mother.
"Your mother got twins." Says Roberto and Riccardo frown. "I didn't want a sister." He sighs and looks away from the crib. His little brother Christiano can't get away from the crib.
"I do." He replies.
Mother Bianca couldn't be more proud of both her boys and her little girl. The birth announcements are printed again. Doctor Rossi goes through the dust for not signaling twins in time. After several parties and several good conversations, everyone is aware; Bianca and Roberto Ferrante had twins Lorenzo and Valentina.
The news also ended up with the Lamberti family which caused a depression in Leonora, Vito was furious that Roberto gives his daughter the same name as the daughter he lost and again the families no longer speak to each other.
