Chapter 8 - The Bodyguard Who Betrayed His Family
Marco DeLuca had protected Adrien Bellandi for fourteen years.
He'd survived attacks.
Driven Adrien through dangerous neighborhoods.
And stood outside the nursery while the triplets slept.
Now Celeste's recording placed him inside the conspiracy.
Adrien listened three times.
Then closed the laptop.
"Get an independent investigator."
Evelyn looked at him.
"Not Marco?"
"No."
His voice sounded hollow.
For the first time, he understood that the men closest to him might also be the people responsible for destroying his family.
Within hours, investigators found inconsistencies in Marco's employment and security records.
The night Celeste disappeared, Marco had claimed to be guarding Adrien at a business meeting.
But another record placed him at the estate.
Near the east-wing service elevator.
At 11:43 p.m.
Evelyn felt sick.
"Was that when Celeste was taken?"
Adrien stared at the timestamp.
"Possibly."
Then the investigator opened another file.
A private security invoice.
Marco had authorized transportation to a remote property outside Albany.
The recipient's name was concealed behind a shell company.
But the address belonged to an abandoned rehabilitation center.
Adrien stood.
"Celeste could be there."
The investigator nodded.
"We'll coordinate with the appropriate authorities."
Adrien's expression hardened.
"I've spent two years searching the world while she might've been only hours away."
Evelyn spoke gently.
"Adrien, you don't know whether she's still there."
He looked at her.
For a moment, his old anger flashed.
Then he took a slow breath.
"You're right."
That simple admission surprised them both.
Meanwhile, the triplets were beginning to communicate more freely.
Not constantly.
Not without fear.
But slowly.
Luca had started using short sentences during play.
Matteo communicated through drawings, gestures, and occasional words.
Sophia spoke mostly when Evelyn was nearby.
Their psychologist explained that recovery from trauma wasn't a race and that the children might need support for years.
Adrien listened.
For the first time, he wasn't trying to purchase an immediate solution.
He was learning patience.
That evening, Evelyn sat with the children in their temporary residence.
They were building a pretend house from cushions.
Sophia pointed toward a blue blanket.
"Mommy."
Evelyn smiled.
"Would you like Mommy's blanket there?"
Sophia nodded.
Then Matteo placed a small wooden figure beneath it.
"Mommy hidden."
Evelyn's chest tightened.
Luca looked toward the window.
"Uncle Vic said Mommy gone."
Evelyn nodded carefully.
"That must have been frightening."
The boy's eyes filled.
"He said Daddy sent her away."
Evelyn went still.
"What?"
Luca began trembling.
"Daddy said go."
She didn't challenge him.
Instead, she gently asked:
"Is that what Uncle Victor told you?"
The boy nodded.
Then Sophia whispered:
"Mommy said Daddy doesn't know."
Evelyn's heart broke.
The children had spent two years believing their father might have abandoned their mother.
And Adrien had spent those same years believing Celeste abandoned them.
Someone had carefully separated a family using the same lie.
Then the investigator called.
Police had searched the abandoned rehabilitation center.
They found signs that someone had been held there.
A locked room.
Old photographs of the triplets.
And a diary.
Celeste's diary.
But the last entry contained a warning.
Marco isn't the one giving orders.
Victor isn't either.
The person controlling everything is inside my husband's family.
And beneath that sentence was a name.
May you like
Isabella Bellandi.
Adrien's mother.
