Chapter 4: The Woman Who Raised My Daughter
The name on Daniel’s phone felt heavier than any confession Vanessa could have made.
Maria Bellini.
For eight years, that name had meant one thing to me.
Trust.
Maria had been in my family before my family was broken.
She was there when Elena and I brought Sophia home from the hospital. She was there when my daughter took her first steps. She was there when Sophia cried after losing her first tooth, when she had nightmares during thunderstorms, when she asked why her mother wasn't coming home.
Maria wasn't just our housekeeper.
She was the woman who held my daughter when I couldn't.
The woman who knew every scar on my heart.
And now her name was connected to Elena's death.
I stared at Daniel's phone.
"No.""
The word left my mouth before I could stop it.
Daniel didn't argue.
He knew me well enough to understand.
"No" wasn't disbelief.
It was a warning.
A warning that I wasn't ready to accept something that could destroy the last piece of my old life.
Vanessa watched me carefully.
For the first time all morning, she looked almost relieved.
Interesting.
A guilty person feared discovery.
An innocent person feared accusations.
But Vanessa?
She looked like someone who had just watched another person step in front of a bullet.
"Maria?"" she said softly.
I turned toward her.
"Don't.""
She stopped.
Because she heard something in my voice.
Not anger.
Not yet.
Something worse.
Disappointment.
"Where is she?"" I asked.
Daniel checked his phone.
"Downstairs.""
Of course she was.
Maria was always there.
Every morning, she prepared Sophia's breakfast. Every afternoon, she waited when Sophia came home from school. Every night, she checked the locks before going to bed.
She was part of the rhythm of this house.
And suddenly, every memory felt different.
That was the cruelest part about betrayal.
It didn't just change the future.
It poisoned the past.
I walked out of the bedroom.
Not rolled.
Walked.
Daniel followed behind me.
Vanessa stayed where she was.
I didn't ask her to follow.
I didn't need her watching.
She had spent months pretending.
Now I needed the truth.
The hallway felt longer than usual.
Every picture on the wall seemed to stare back at me.
A photograph of Elena holding baby Sophia.
A photograph of Sophia's first birthday.
A photograph of Maria standing beside us, smiling like she belonged there.
I stopped.
Daniel noticed.
"Boss?""
I looked at the picture.
Maria was holding Sophia.
Elena was laughing.
I was standing beside them.
A perfect family.
A perfect lie.
"How long have you been investigating Maria?"" I asked.
Daniel answered quietly.
"Three weeks.""
I turned.
"Three weeks?""
"I didn't have enough proof.""
My eyes narrowed.
"You had enough proof to suspect the woman who raised my daughter?""
Daniel didn't look away.
"I had enough proof to be afraid.""
That answer bothered me because Daniel was rarely afraid.
We reached the staircase.
Before I went down, I heard a voice.
Sophia.
"Daddy?""
I turned.
She was standing halfway down the hall with Maria beside her.
My daughter's face changed when she saw me standing.
Not sitting.
Standing.
For a moment, she just stared.
Then her eyes filled with tears.
"Daddy...""
I walked toward her.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Like I was approaching something fragile.
Because she was.
"Sophia.""
She looked at my legs.
"You're walking.""
I knelt down.
"Yes.""
Her lower lip trembled.
"Why didn't you tell me?""
That question hurt.
Because she deserved the truth.
"I was trying to protect you.""
She looked confused.
"From who?""
I glanced toward the stairs.
Then back at her.
"From people who weren't being honest.""
Sophia looked at Maria.
And something in that small movement made my heart sink.
Fear.
Not confusion.
Fear.
Maria noticed too.
Her face went pale.
"Vincent.""
Her voice shook.
"I can explain.""
There it was.
Not denial.
Explanation.
I stood up.
"Good.""
I looked at her.
"Because I have questions.""
Maria clasped her hands together.
"I know what this looks like.""
"Do you?""
The room became silent.
Sophia moved closer to me.
Maria looked at my daughter.
"I would never hurt her.""
I believed that.
And that made everything harder.
Because sometimes the most painful betrayals came from people who did love you.
"Did you access Elena's medical records?""
Maria froze.
Only for a second.
But enough.
Sophia looked between us.
"What records?""
I answered immediately.
"Go to the kitchen with Daniel.""
"Daddy—"
"Please.""
She hesitated.
Then Daniel took her hand.
"I'll stay with you.""
Sophia followed him slowly.
When they disappeared, I turned back to Maria.
"Answer me.""
She looked down.
"Yes.""
The admission was quiet.
But it hit hard.
"Why?""
Maria wiped her eyes.
"I was trying to find something.""
"What?""
"The truth.""
I laughed once.
A cold, empty sound.
"The truth about my dead wife?""
Maria looked up.
"Yes.""
"Why?""
Her silence answered before her words did.
"Because Elena wasn't killed by an accident.""
The room went still.
I stepped closer.
"Careful.""
"I'm telling you the truth.""
"You knew?""
Maria's eyes filled with tears.
"I suspected.""
"Eight years.""
My voice dropped.
"You suspected for eight years and said nothing?""
She flinched.
"I was scared.""
The answer was honest.
And somehow that made it worse.
"You were scared?""
I pointed toward the hallway where Sophia had disappeared.
"My wife died. My daughter lost her mother. I spent eight years wondering what happened.""
Maria started crying.
"I tried to tell you.""
"When?""
"After the funeral.""
I stared at her.
"What stopped you?""
Her hands trembled.
"Your brother.""
The air changed.
I didn't move.
I didn't breathe.
"My brother?""
Maria nodded.
"Anthony came to me.""
Anthony Moretti.
My younger brother.
The only person in my family I had trusted completely.
The person who stood beside me when I took over the family business.
The person who helped me survive every war.
"Why would Anthony threaten you?""
Maria looked terrified.
"Because he knew what Elena discovered.""
A thousand thoughts collided.
Anthony.
Elena.
Adrian Vale.
My accident.
The poison.
The letter.
It was becoming a pattern.
"What did Elena discover?""
Maria looked toward the empty hallway.
Then whispered:
"She discovered that someone inside your family was planning to take everything from you.""
I stared at her.
"Who?""
Maria shook her head.
"I don't know.""
"You're lying.""
"I'm not.""
Her voice cracked.
"I only saw one thing.""
"What?""
"Elena had evidence.""
My heart stopped.
"What evidence?""
Maria stepped closer.
"The night before she died, she gave me a small storage device.""
My eyes narrowed.
"Where is it?""
Maria looked away.
"I don't have it anymore.""
The silence afterward was deafening.
"Who took it?""
Maria swallowed.
"Anthony.""
My hand curled into a fist.
No.
Not Anthony.
Anyone else.
Anyone.
But not him.
Daniel returned from the kitchen.
One look at my face told him something had changed.
"What happened?""
I didn't answer.
I looked at Maria.
"Why did Vanessa have Elena's letter?""
Maria looked confused.
"Vanessa?""
"She said it came from someone who knew Elena.""
Maria shook her head.
"No.""
Her voice became urgent.
"That doesn't make sense.""
"Why?""
"Because Elena never trusted Vanessa.""
I looked at her.
"Elena knew Vanessa?""
Maria nodded slowly.
"Yes.""
The pieces shifted again.
"When?""
Maria hesitated.
"Before you met her.""
A cold feeling spread through my chest.
Before I met Vanessa.
Before the accident.
Before the marriage.
This was bigger than a betrayal.
It was a plan.
A plan that had started long before I noticed.
Daniel suddenly looked at his phone.
His expression changed.
Again.
"What?""
He didn't answer immediately.
He looked at me.
Then at Maria.
"Boss...""
I walked toward him.
"What now?""
He turned the screen around.
A security alert.
From my private vault.
My most protected room.
The place where I kept documents, money, and information that could destroy entire organizations.
The alert showed one thing.
Someone had opened it.
Tonight.
At 2:13 a.m.
I stared at the screen.
"Who has access?""
Daniel hesitated.
"Only three people.""
"Name them.""
He looked at me.
"You.""
I nodded.
"Anthony.""
My jaw tightened.
"And?""
Daniel's voice dropped.
"The third person.""
A pause.
Then he said:
"Elena Moretti.""
The room went completely silent.
May you like
Because Elena had been dead for eight years.
And yet someone had just used her access code.
