Chapter 7 - THE SECRET BENEATH THE FLOOR
The old Romano house stood on a quiet street outside Chicago.
Isabella hadn't entered it since the morning she left with two suitcases.
Now she returned with Marco, a private investigator, and an attorney who'd arranged lawful access to her childhood belongings.
Her father wasn't home.
Marietta's car was gone.
The windows were dark.
But as Isabella stood outside the front door, her hands began shaking.
She remembered leaving.
The cold air.
The heavy bags.
The feeling that nobody would come after her.
Marco noticed.
“You don't have to go inside.”
She looked at him.
“I know.”
He waited.
For once, Isabella didn't feel pressured to be brave for someone else's comfort.
Then she took a breath.
“I want to.”
They entered.
The house smelled the same.
Furniture polish.
Old wood.
And the faint scent of Marietta's expensive perfume.
Isabella led them upstairs.
Her former bedroom had become a storage room.
Boxes covered the floor.
Old furniture leaned against the walls.
She knelt beside the window and counted the floorboards.
One.
Two.
Three.
The third board was slightly loose.
She lifted it carefully.
Beneath it was a narrow metal box.
Her hands trembled.
Inside were photographs, letters, and a small cassette tape.
The first photograph showed Sofia and Isabella playing in a garden.
Both smiling.
The second showed Isabella's mother holding Sofia's hand.
The third made Marco stop breathing.
It showed Enzo Romano standing beside Marietta.
The photograph was dated two years before Adriana's death.
Isabella stared.
Her father and stepmother had known each other long before they claimed to have met.
Her stomach turned.
Then she opened the letters.
One was addressed to Adriana.
The handwriting belonged to Enzo.
I told you not to involve Rosa.
Another read:
Marietta knows about the trust. If she tells Lorenzo, we're finished.
Isabella looked toward Marco.
“What trust?”
He examined the documents.
Then his expression hardened.
“The DeLuca family trust.”
She stared.
“The one Rosa mentioned?”
He nodded.
“It was established for descendants of Rosa's family, including Lucia's branch.”
Isabella felt sick.
“So Marietta knew there was money?”
“Apparently.”
Her hands began trembling.
For years, Marietta had called her useless.
Mocked her education.
Taken her savings.
And treated her like a burden.
Now Isabella was beginning to wonder whether Marietta had known she was entitled to something valuable.
The investigator examined another document.
A transfer authorization.
Signed by Enzo Romano.
Beneficiary: Nico Romano.
Amount: $840,000.
Isabella's breath stopped.
“My brother?”
Marco looked toward her.
She whispered:
“Nico bought a truck when I was nineteen.”
Then she saw the date.
The transfer had been made the same week her college savings disappeared.
But the final document was worse.
A guardianship agreement.
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The person granted financial authority over Sofia DeLuca was listed as:
MARIETTA ROMANO.
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