Chapter 2 - THE NIGHT MY MOTHER SENT HER AWAY
My mother had adored Elena.
At least, that was what I'd believed.
Caterina Moretti invited her to Sunday dinners.
Bought her Christmas presents.
Once told me Elena was the only woman I'd ever brought home who wasn't impressed by our money.
Now Elena was saying my mother had sent her away carrying my children.
“What exactly did she say?”
Elena glanced toward the boys.
“Not in front of them.”
Fair.
We moved to a private dining room while the restaurant manager found coloring books and dessert.
I sat at one end of the table.
Elena sat at the other.
Four boys occupied the middle like an international peacekeeping force.
They argued about crayons.
I couldn't stop looking at them.
My sons.
Maybe.
Probably.
The word felt too enormous to think comfortably.
Elena waited until the boys were distracted.
“I found out I was pregnant three days before your father was shot.”
I remembered the chaos.
Dad survived.
Barely.
Our organization spent months retaliating.
“I called you.”
“My phone was destroyed.”
“I emailed.”
“I wasn't checking anything.”
“I came to the estate.”
My stomach tightened.
“Mom met you?”
“At the gate.”
“What did you tell her?”
“That I needed to see you. That it was important.”
“Did you tell her you were pregnant?”
“Yes.”
My hands curled beneath the table.
“What did she say?”
Elena's expression went flat.
“She said you already knew.”
That didn't make sense.
“Knew what?”
“That I was pregnant.”
I stared.
“She said you told the family the baby couldn't be yours.”
For a second, I literally stopped breathing.
“I never said that.”
“I know that now.”
“Why did you believe her?”
“Because she had details.”
“What details?”
“She knew about the fight we had before your father was attacked. She knew you thought someone had been leaking information through people close to you.”
I remembered.
There had been a leak.
My enemies knew routes only a few people had access to.
I had become paranoid.
I questioned everyone.
Even Elena.
God.
Caterina had weaponized it.
“She told me you believed I was involved.”
“No.”
“She said seeing me would put everyone at risk.”
I pushed back from the table.
The boys looked up.
I forced myself still.
Matteo whispered to Enzo:
“He's mad.”
Elena heard.
“So am I.”
Good.
She deserved to be.
“What happened after?”
“I left.”
“With no money?”
“I had savings.”
“How did you raise four children alone?”
Her expression hardened.
“The same way millions of women raise children without Moretti money.”
That shut me up.
She continued.
“I moved to Portland, Maine. My aunt helped. I got a bookkeeping job. Then remote accounting.”
“You never contacted me again.”
“I did.”
My heart dropped.
“Twice.”
She reached into her bag.
Pulled out an old envelope.
RETURN TO SENDER.
My estate address.
My name.
Unopened.
Postmarked six years earlier.
Then another.
Same.
I stared at both.
“Who returned these?”
“I assumed you did.”
I knew I hadn't.
Then Enzo interrupted.
“Mom, can we get cake?”
Elena smiled despite everything.
“Soon.”
I stared at her smile.
I had missed six birthdays.
Six Christmases.
First words.
First steps.
Everything.
My phone rang again.
This time not Sloane.
My mother.
I answered.
“Dominic, where are you?”
“At Bellaria.”
“You're supposed to be proposing.”
“No.”
Silence.
“What happened?”
I looked at Elena.
Then at my sons.
“I found Elena.”
My mother's breathing stopped.
Not surprise.
Fear.
May you like
That was when I knew.
She had always known where Elena went.
