The endless noise of my crew's conversations no longer bothered me. That silence between Giacomo and I was horrible. I thought my friends and allies had hidden the truth about Ricci, but they also seemed surprised. Francis walked closer as if he feared something... Could Giacomo be dangerous? I took such a long sip of sangría that I thought I'd choke... Don't judge me! It was much weaker than rum, so I had to drink more to feel the effects. Nuria wouldn't stop looking at the Tuscan man, seemingly wanting to talk. Luckily, my crew, the kids, and Rosa were too distracted to witness that awkward moment. It wouldn't be easy to explain to Luna and Tess they had a lost uncle... Supposing Ricci hadn't tried to deceive me. Even though I saw no reason for him to lie, one can never be too careful.

"You're kidding, right?" I laughed hysterically. "I thought you were Tuscan!"

"My father and I were born in Florence, but my mother is from Amsterdam," Ricci swallowed hard. "He told me her name was Carolien de Vries."

Maartje frowned, "Wait... You never met your mom?"

Giacomo shook his head in denial, "She abandoned me when I was a baby."

Why would she do that? How weird...

I couldn't stop gawking. For years, I had a brother in another country and never knew about it... Although I had a bunch of questions for Giacomo, the words wouldn't come out. I just kept staring at him and wondering how his past was like. Since I didn't want to freak out in front of everyone, I took a step back. My hands were wetter than the Caribbean Sea.

I finished my sangría glass, "I need some air."

After leaving, I went a few blocks away. My mom's craziness, my feelings, my new half-brother... It was too much for a single captain. My chest felt lighter while I walked around the city.

Giacomo approached, "You aren't easy to follow. I had to run."

"Are you sure we have the same mother?" I chewed on my lip. "Perhaps you heard it wrong and her name is Caroline."

"I'm certain it's Carolien. Dad said she was blond and had blue eyes," he glanced at the night sky. "I have no idea why she left."

I shook my head in denial, "This is insane!"

"Why are you so upset we're siblings?" Ricci rolled his eyes. "I'm offended."

"I had a horrible experience with my younger brother. He joined my enemies and tried to kill me," I sighed. "Don't worry, you're not related to him."

"Our mother and your brother tried to murder you?" Ricci scowled. "Madonna mia!"

I shrugged, "You can't choose family."

The Tuscan man chuckled, "I'm glad you're my sister. Besides being smart and funny, you're a fantastic captain."

I raised a brow, "If you're my brother, you should annoy me instead of giving me compliments."

"Certo. I'll tell Nuria and Maartje you almost kissed Miguel if you don't hug me now," Giacomo grinned mischievously. "Brotherly enough?"

"That isn't true! We were just..." I cleared my throat. "He asked me to remove dirt from his hair. That's why we were so close."

Ricci crossed his arms, "I'm younger than you, but I wasn't born yesterday."

I rolled my eyes, "Fine! How did you know?"

"I was way ahead of Nuria. You weren't fast enough to pull away," my brother shot me a provocative gaze. "Besides, one doesn't have to be a genius to know you two have something going on."

"Well done, brother!" I embraced him while smiling. "I'm officially annoyed!"

He laughed. That was one of the best hugs ever... Warm, sweet, and friendly. Despite not having hard evidence, something in my heart told me Giacomo was my little brother. We would've been the best pirate duo in sibling history... Did destiny have to send Johannes instead? Damn it! Yes, it's not good to speak ill of the dead, but that boy was the definition of dullness. My eyes widened as something great came to my mind.

If this works, the madness can end!

"Let's use our sibling power to melt our mom's heart!" I approached Ricci. "If I take you to Carolien, she might realize I'm not a charlatan."

Giacomo stared at the ground, "I was an accident. She hates me."

"What are you talking about? You're her son!" I walked closer. "I'm sure she regrets leaving you."

"My father was her lover while he worked in a Dutch merchant ship," he pressed his lips together as if holding tears. "She was married to an RNN guy and used my dad to get revenge on her cheating husband."

My eyes bulged, "That RNN guy was my father! Mom was pregnant when he kidnapped me?"

Giacomo sighed, "Four months. According to my dad, your father took you away to make our mother suffer for getting pregnant by another guy."

I laughed nervously, "What's the matter with our family? Seriously?"

"No idea. Anyway, my dad proposed when he found out about me," Ricci rubbed his neck. "She refused but still moved to Florence after he got a new job. A week after I was born, she vanished."

"That's horrible!" I put a hand on my mouth. "Your father told you all these things?"

He nodded, "Everything but your name. That's why I didn't know you're my lost sister."

I shook my head in denial, wondering why my mom had disappeared from my younger brother's life. No child deserved to feel unloved... I felt that way for years and it wasn't pleasant. I'd never forget Ms. Flogs-A-Lot... What? She earned the nickname!

"How could our mother leave you? Luna was a surprise, but I never considered abandoning her," I smiled while thinking of my daughters. "Like Tess, she's more valuable than any treasure."

"I don't understand this unconditional love some parents feel for kids," Ricci glanced at the horizon briefly. "Perhaps one day I will."

My heart pounded... Guess who sat close to a store? The woman who'd tried to set me on fire! Mom hugged her knees and buried her face between them, making me feel sorry for her... Yes, I thought she deserved pity despite everything.

Giacomo raised a brow, "What are you looking at, sorella?"

I took a deep breath, "Believe it or not, our mom's here."

Ricci gulped as he turned back. I wanted to hug him ... What? Seeing someone who abandoned you couldn't be easy! I know he was a baby at the time, but that most likely didn't decrease the pain.

"She seems devastated," Giacomo knit his brows. "If our mother wanted you to die, why isn't she happy?"

"I gave up on trying to understand people," I shot him an empty stare while recalling who'd disappointed me. "Let's talk to her."

Maybe she won't freak out...

Mom got up quickly. Her eyes bulged as if she'd seen ghosts. I wish Francis had come... He always made me feel better with his sticky kisses! Damn it... Wiping the sweat off my forehead, I hoped my mother wouldn't tell me to go to hell.

"Get out!" she shot me an angry stare. "My partner will come back soon and he'll torture you just like you deserve."

"Does he know you're divorced and left a child from a past affair behind?" I showed my brother to her. "This is Giacomo, your son."

My mom swallowed hard and stared at her toes, seemingly desperate. Yeah, Giacomo had told the truth... No one could've reacted like that to a lie. She probably would've slapped me if I'd said something inaccurate.

"You got that information from someone else and hired this man to fool me!" my mother crossed her arms. "Hunter would hate to find out that, besides abandoning my son, I've committed a crime."

I tilted my head to the side, "How so?"

"My twin brother thought I wasn't rational enough to come to Willemstad and help him kill my ex-husband. He left two men to watch me," she pressed her lips firmly together. "Instead, they raped me, so I stabbed them to death."

"Our uncle sailed to the Caribbean just to murder your dad?" Giacomo blinked fast. "There's indeed something wrong with this family..."

Who would rape a pregnant woman? People keep surprising me negatively...

I gawked, wondering how my uncle could leave two horrible men to take care of my mom. Uncle Ruben surely didn't do that on purpose, but he should've been more careful.

"Ruben's other pirates wanted me dead for what I'd done, so I changed my name to Imogen Campbell and ran away," my mother's chin trembled. "I've pretended to be an English widow for years. I came to the Caribbean after hearing a female pirate had taken my little girl's identity."

I controlled myself not to laugh, "You just assumed that? Nothing made you think your daughter was alive and became a pirate captain?"

Mom's eyes bulged, "My sweet Eva would never become a filthy criminal like my brother's men!"

I shrugged, "I'm sorry to disappoint, but that's what happened. If it's any consolation, I became insanely rich."

"Why am I even talking to you?" she slapped her forehead. "You two should suffer for impersonating my poor children!"

Ricci scowled, "If you cared so much, you wouldn't have left me."

"I couldn't raise a child while grieving another!" my mother wiped away some tears. "I've wasted enough time. I'm going to find Hunter and he'll..."

"Wait!" I looked deep into her eyes. "Give us a chance to prove we're your kids."

Mom shook her head in denial, "If you were Eva and Giacomo, I would've known the moment I saw you."

My brother pursed his lips, "It's impossible to know how your grown-up son looks like when you abandoned him as a baby."

I turned to Giacomo while forcing a smile, "Not helping!"

"I won't listen to dirty pirates!" my mother narrowed her eyes. "There's no way you're my babies!"

"Besides being blonde and blue-eyed like you, I know your story," I slowly walked closer. "How my drunken father cheated on you, took me away with his pregnant mistress, made my uncle mad... Everything."

She shot me a defiant glare, "This proves nothing! Many Dutch women have that appearance and I'm sure a corrupted RNN officer who knew Govert told you the stories."

Now I know why my uncle never took me to her! She's insane!

I finally found out who I got the paranoia from. I was sure no one was more paranoid than me, but guess what? My mother proved me wrong! The only thing harder than convincing her Giacomo and I weren't charlatans was stopping my daughters from climbing shrouds.

Ricci frowned, "There must be something we can do to prove we aren't liars!"

Giacomo and I looked at each other then back at our mother. She had a strange smile on her face... Yeah, her plan couldn't be something good. I felt jitters, hoping her idea didn't include throwing my brother and me to the sharks... Don't judge me! You saw what she was capable of.

"There's an Armada officer's wife who can help," my mom rubbed her chin. "I'll ask Wright to arrange a dinner between you two. If she believes you're my daughter, I'll end the SHA."

I laughed nervously, "So my fate will be decided by a random lady? How wonderful!"

My mother shrugged, "She has a reputation of detecting lies instantly. I don't recall her name."

"What about me?" Ricci raised a brow. "I'd like to prove myself too!"

"You'll talk to the lady if Captain Storm convinces her she's Eva," she sighed. "If Storm's lying, both of you are."

"Why wasn't I born in a normal family?" I cleared my throat to stop thinking out loud. "Alright. When and where do I meet the woman?"

"Be in Havana by next week," my mom squeezed her eyes shut as if she'd regretted giving me a chance. "The Englishman will give you more details when everything is set up."

"Perhaps we can eat something after I convince the lady I'm your child," my lips curled into a sweet smile. "Do you like rum and fish?"

Mom shot me an icy glare, "Get out of my sight before I change my mind."

I laughed nervously while taking a step back, "I can feel the motherly love already!"

This looks too easy...

My skull was smashed by a headache. Everything depended on the opinion of an unknown lady... Wasn't that the best thing ever? I can't describe how excited I was! One wrong word and my mom would keep thinking I was somebody else. I hoped my friends and allies would support the dinner idea because that seemed to be the only solution. Taking a deep breath, I tried to imagine how the mysterious woman looked like. She could be my only hope.

****

Author's note: Hey! Thank you for reading! I hope everyone is well. Please vote and comment if you enjoyed this chapter and follow the "Battles and Secrets" playlist on Spotify. All translations can be found below. Who's the woman Carolien mentioned? Can she help Eva? Keep reading and you'll find out... ;-)

Foreign words/expressions in order of appearance:

1. Certo means "of course" in Italian

2. Sorella means "sister" in Italian