The people in the operations room fell silent.
No one dared to speak.
They had never seen her like this—
Speaking such words to her own daughter.
Someone lowered their head to flip through documents.
Someone subtly shifted their chair.
The air was heavy, suffocating.
Two in the morning.
Finally, someone pushed open the door.
Salvato Greco walked in.
He looked completely drained.
His white coat was stained with indelible dark marks.
His fingers were red and cracked from repeated disinfection.
He held a stack of reports in his hand.
“There’s progress.”
Everyone looked up.
The air instantly tensed.
He handed over the documents.
His voice was low.
“The victim had multiple signs of continuous sexual abuse.”
“And—”
He paused.
“We found something deliberately hidden inside her.”
My mother looked up.
Her gaze sharpened instantly.
“What?”
Salvato pulled a photograph from a file folder.
Placed it on the table.
“A pendant.”
“The killer removed it and hid it inside her.”
“Like…deliberately concealing their identity.”
I leaned closer.
Just one glance.
I froze.
It was mine.
A silver pendant I'd worn since childhood.
The edges were worn smooth.
Engraved with two letters.
V.F.
I instinctively reached up to touch my neck.
Empty.
Nothing there.
It was given to me by my father before he died.
He said.
“Take it with you.”
“Even if I’m not here, someone will remember who you are.”
My mother’s hand slowly tightened around the photograph.
Her knuckles turned white, one by one.
“Are you sure?”
Her voice was low.
So low it didn’t sound like her.
Salvato nodded.
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“It was well hidden; I almost missed it.”
“Judging from the bone age, the victim is no more than twenty years old.”
His voice held a barely suppressed anger.
“So young.”
“Tortured like this.”
Someone muttered under their breath in the operations room.
Dominic walked over.
He looked down at the photograph.
The cigarette was still in his hand.
But he forgot to turn it.
He frowned.
Staring at the two letters.
“V…F?”
He murmured.
“What does this mean?”
I looked at the two letters.
Suddenly, I felt a little ridiculous.
Those were the initials of my name.
Valentina Ferraro.
Right in her hands.
Right before her eyes.
But she hadn't recognized me yet.
