Chapter 6 - THE CONFESSION
The safehouse was a modest, unassuming brownstone in a quiet neighborhood. Luca carried Leo inside and put him to bed in the guest room.
I sat at the kitchen table, staring blankly at the silver baby bracelet.
Katherine Moretti.
My whole life was a lie. My mother, the gentle woman who coughed through the winters and worked retail to pay for my school uniforms, wasn't just a struggling widow. She was the mistress of a crime lord.
Luca walked into the kitchen and set a glass of water and two painkillers in front of me.
“Drink,” he ordered gently.
I swallowed the pills, wincing as the pain in my ribs flared again.
“Why would your mother want to hurt me?” I asked, my voice trembling. “I was just a baby.”
Luca sat across from me. He looked exhausted, the lines around his eyes deepening in the harsh kitchen light.
“My mother was a proud woman,” Luca said, tracing the rim of his own glass. “When my father went to prison, she was humiliated. But when she found out he had taken syndicate money—money meant for the family’s survival—and hidden it in a trust for his illegitimate daughter… it broke her.”
He looked up at me.
“She ordered a hit on your mother, Kate. Dorothy found out. Dorothy warned your mother, helped her change her name, and hid you both in the South Side.”
Tears spilled down my cheeks. “Does my mother know? Does she know who you are?”
“No,” Luca said. “Dorothy kept my identity a secret from her to keep you both safe. When you applied for the maid position at my house, Dorothy panicked. She tried to get you fired. When she couldn't, she kept a close eye on you.”
I buried my face in my hands. The woman I had been cleaning up after, the woman who had shoved me into a stone wall—Vanessa—knew more about my family than I did.
“How did Vanessa find out?” I whispered.
“Vanessa is desperate,” Luca replied. “When her father went bankrupt, she hired private investigators to dig into my family’s financials, looking for hidden assets. They found the old trust. They found Dorothy. And they took the photo of you as a child.”
He reached across the table and covered my trembling hands with his. His hands were large, calloused, and incredibly warm.
“I’m sorry, Kate. I’m so sorry you were dragged into this.”
I looked at him. This man was supposed to be a monster. A ruthless boss. Yet, he was the only one who had protected me.
“What happens now?” I asked.
“Tomorrow is Friday. The rehearsal dinner,” Luca said, his voice hardening. “Vanessa thinks she has the upper hand because she knows about the safety deposit box. She thinks she can force you to open it on Saturday before the wedding.”
“But you told her brother to tell her the wedding is still on.”
“It is,” Luca said, a dark, dangerous smile touching his lips. “I want her at that altar. I want her entire family sitting in the front row. Because when they fall, I want everyone in Chicago to see it.”
He stood up. “Get some sleep, Kate. Tomorrow, we go to the bank.”
Before I could move, a knock echoed from the front door.
Luca immediately drew his weapon. He motioned for me to stay down. He crept to the window, peering through the blinds.
He lowered the gun and unlocked the door.
A frail, elderly woman stood on the porch, shivering in the cold.
It was Dorothy.
But she wasn't alone.
Standing behind her, leaning heavily on a cane, was a woman I hadn't seen leave her apartment in three years.
My mother.
May you like
She looked at me across the room, tears streaming down her pale face.
“Kate,” my mother whispered. “It’s time to tell you the truth about your father.”
