Chapter 3 - THE SECRETS IN THE CLOSET
Upstairs in Sophie’s bedroom, the silence felt different—fragile, like thin ice waiting to crack.
I sat on the edge of the canopy bed while Sophie curled up beside me, clutching a plush velvet bear Sarah had given her on her fifth birthday. Outside in the hallway, the steady, rhythmic pacing of Marco’s polished shoes provided a reassuring shield.
“Claire?” Sophie’s small voice broke the quiet.
“Yes, honey?”
“Is Daddy mad at me?”
I turned to her, wrapping an arm around her small shoulders and pulling her close. “Not even a little bit, Sophie. Your dad loves you more than anything in this entire world. He’s mad at the lies, not at you.”
“She told me he was going to send me to a school far away,” Sophie whispered, her chin trembling. “She said once they had a new baby, there wouldn't be room for me in the house anymore.”
A cold fury ignited in my chest. To torment a child whose mother had already been taken by illness was a brand of cruelty I couldn't comprehend. I held her tighter. “That will never happen. Your dad would tear this city apart with his bare hands before he let anyone take you away.”
Ten minutes later, the bedroom door unlocked.
Luca walked in, followed by two guards carrying three large cardboard storage boxes.
Luca looked exhausted, but the deadly fire in his eyes had not dimmed. He discarded his suit jacket, rolling up the sleeves of his crisp white shirt to reveal the dark ink of syndicate tattoos curling up his forearms.
He didn't speak to me immediately. He walked straight to the bed, dropping to both knees on the carpet so he was eye-level with his daughter.
“Sophie,” he said, his voice thick with unsphed tears.
“Daddy...”
He pulled her into his arms, burying his face in her curls. Sophie sobbed openly now, her little arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Luca held her for a long time, rocking her gently, his broad shoulders trembling under the weight of an immense, crushing guilt.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered repeatedly into her hair. “Daddy is so, so sorry. I should have seen it. I should have listened to you. Forgive me, baby. Please forgive me.”
“I love you, Daddy,” she cried into his shoulder.
“I love you more than life itself,” Luca answered fiercely. “Nobody comes between us. Nobody. Never again.”
After several minutes, Sophie’s sobs subsided into soft hiccups. Luca kissed both of her wet cheeks, wiped her tears with the pad of his thumb, and nodded toward the cardboard boxes sitting on the hardwood floor.
“Look what Marco found,” Luca said gently.
Sophie blinked, sliding off the bed to peek inside the top box.
A sharp gasp escaped her lips.
Inside was Sarah’s silver vanity mirror. Beneath it lay dozens of framed photographs: Sarah holding baby Sophie in the hospital; Sarah and Luca laughing on a beach in Amalfi; Sarah baking cookies with flour smudged across her nose.
Tucked beside the frames were hand-knit sweaters, Sarah’s favorite lavender perfume, and a wooden music box that played Sarah’s favorite lullaby.
“My mom’s things,” Sophie breathed, lifting the music box with reverent hands. “Vanessa said they got lost in the spring cleaning.”
“They were locked in a steamer trunk in the attic crawlspace,” Luca said, his voice hardening as he stood up. “Along with this.”
Luca pulled a thick manila folder from under his arm and handed it to me.
I opened it. Inside were brochures for exclusive, year-round boarding schools in Switzerland and northern Maine. Tucked behind the glossy pamphlets were drafted enrollment forms, complete with Sophie’s medical records and school transcripts.
At the bottom of the application, under *Authorized Guardian*, was Vanessa Bellini’s signature. And beside it was a forged signature of Luca Moretti.
“She was going to ship her out the week after the wedding,” Luca said, his voice terrifyingly calm. “She forged my legal authorization to transfer guardianship for overseas schooling.”
My stomach churned. “Mr. Moretti, this is premeditated.”
“She wanted the name,” Luca replied, his eyes dark as midnight. “She wanted the Moretti fortune, the social standing, the alliance between our families. But she wanted Sophie erased. She wanted a blank slate to build her own legacy on top of Sarah’s grave.”
Sophie was already winding the music box. The sweet, tinny notes of *La Vie En Rose* drifted through the bedroom, filling the heavy air with an unmistakable sense of Sarah’s lingering warmth.
Luca walked over to me, keeping his voice low so Sophie wouldn't hear over the music.
“Claire.”
“Yes, sir?”
“You risked your life tonight,” he said, his intense gaze locking onto mine. “If Vanessa had her way, she would have had you blacklisted from every domestic agency in Illinois. Or worse, had her brothers deal with you.”
“I couldn't watch her hurt your daughter anymore,” I answered simply, holding his gaze. “I don't care who her family is. Some things are more important than a job.”
Luca studied my face for a long moment, something unreadable shifting behind his guarded eyes. A flicker of profound gratitude, laced with something softer, something almost protective.
May you like
“You’re not losing your job, Claire,” Luca said quietly. “From this moment on, you aren't just staff in this house. You’re under my personal protection. And Vanessa Bellini is about to learn what happens when you threaten the Moretti bloodline.”
***
