Chapter 13 - The Truth My Grandmother Took to Her Grave
My grandmother had saved Lorenzo's children.
And she'd taken the secret to her grave.
I sat beside him in the garden behind the secure apartment, holding a photograph of Grandma Eleanor.
The morning air was cool.
New York traffic murmured in the distance.
For the first time in days, nobody was shouting.
Nobody was making threats.
Nobody was chasing us.
But the silence felt almost unbearable.
"She knew," I whispered.
Lorenzo sat beside me.
"Yes."
"She never told me."
He looked toward the trees.
"She was protecting Daniel."
I swallowed.
"Maybe."
Then I remembered something.
When I was fifteen, Grandma had taken me aside after dinner.
She'd held my hands and said:
Lily, sometimes protecting someone means carrying a secret that hurts you.
I'd never understood.
Now I did.
Tears filled my eyes.
"She must've been terrified."
Lorenzo nodded.
"And brave."
I looked at him.
"She would've liked you."
He smiled faintly.
"Even knowing who I am?"
"Especially if she saw who you're trying to become."
His expression changed.
For several seconds, he simply looked at me.
Then he reached for my hand.
I let him take it.
"Lily, there's something I need to say."
My heart pounded.
"Okay."
He took a breath.
"I owe Isabella and our children a lifetime of care. I intend to give them that."
I nodded.
"You should."
"But Isabella and I were young when we were engaged. We've both changed."
I looked down.
He continued.
"I don't know what our relationship will look like now. I won't promise something before we've had those conversations."
I appreciated his honesty.
But the ache inside my chest remained.
"And me?" I whispered.
He looked at me.
"What about you?"
I forced a smile.
"I'm your secretary."
Lorenzo shook his head.
"You're more than that."
My breath caught.
But before he could continue, his phone rang.
Isabella.
He answered.
Her voice sounded steadier than before.
"Lorenzo, I spoke to Daniel."
He smiled.
"How is he?"
"Frightened. But relieved."
"And Sofia?"
"She's asking when she can meet her father."
Lorenzo closed his eyes.
Soon, the family would be reunited.
Then Isabella said something unexpected.
"Lorenzo, there's a letter I need you to read."
"What letter?"
"One I wrote eleven years ago."
He frowned.
"What does it say?"
She hesitated.
"The truth about why I told you Sofia wasn't your child."
Lorenzo went still.
"Isabella..."
Her voice broke.
"Adrian forced me to say it."
He looked toward me.
May you like
Then Isabella whispered:
"And I never stopped trying to find a way home."
