Chapter 6 - The Truth Marco Left Behind
The truth about Marco changed Alessandro.
Not immediately.
Not dramatically.
But slowly.
The anger he'd carried for six years began to loosen.
He started questioning every memory.
Every argument.
Every assumption.
Every piece of evidence he'd accepted without looking deeper.
The biggest revelation came when they opened Marco's final video.
He had recorded it three days before his death.
His face appeared on screen.
Alessandro stared.
His brother looked tired.
But alive.
"If you're watching this, Alex, then I failed to come home."
Alessandro's throat tightened.
Marco continued.
"I know you're angry with me."
He smiled sadly.
"You always hated not having answers."
The video became emotional.
Marco explained that he had gone undercover to dismantle Victor's operation.
He had intentionally allowed Alessandro to believe he'd betrayed the family.
He knew that if Alessandro knew the truth, he would try to help.
And if Alessandro tried to help, Victor would kill him too.
Marco wanted Alessandro alive.
So he sacrificed his own reputation.
Then came the part about Elena.
"I fell in love with Elena."
Marco smiled.
"She is stubborn."
Elena laughed quietly through tears.
Marco continued.
"When we learned about the baby, I was terrified."
He paused.
"Not because of the child."
He looked directly into the camera.
"Because I knew what our family name could attract."
The video paused for several seconds.
Then Marco said something that left Alessandro silent.
"My daughter cannot grow up believing power is the same thing as safety."
Alessandro looked toward Elena.
The video ended.
They sat quietly.
The baby moved inside Elena's belly.
Alessandro suddenly asked:
"Have you chosen her name?"
"No."
"What would Marco have wanted?"
Elena smiled.
"He wanted something strong."
"Such as?"
"I don't know."
Alessandro looked toward the window.
Then he said:
"Isabella."
Elena looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because it means devoted to God."
She smiled.
"Marco would have liked that."
The next morning, Alessandro announced that Elena would no longer work as a maid.
She protested.
"I need the job."
"You need rest."
"I need income."
"You'll have it."
"That's not the same thing."
He looked at her.
"You're now employed by the foundation."
"What foundation?"
"The one I'm creating in Marco's name."
Elena stared.
"What would I do?"
"Help me build it."
She hesitated.
"I don't have experience."
"You understand people."
"I clean rooms."
"You saved Midnight."
She smiled.
"That's not a qualification."
"It is for me."
Elena accepted.
The change was immediate.
She moved from the staff wing into a private cottage on the estate.
A doctor was assigned to monitor her pregnancy.
She was given a car.
A weekly salary.
Time off.
A private kitchen.
At first she hated every second of it.
She had spent years surviving independently.
Being cared for made her uncomfortable.
Alessandro understood.
So he never forced her to accept kindness.
He simply kept offering it.
Meanwhile, Gabriel disappeared again.
Before leaving, he told Elena:
"I'll come back."
"You always say that."
"I mean it this time."
Alessandro watched him go.
"Do you trust him?"
Elena smiled.
"He kept me alive."
"That wasn't my question."
"Yes."
Alessandro nodded.
"I trust your judgment."
Those words were new.
For both of them.
Weeks passed.
Midnight became calm.
Elena visited him every morning.
Alessandro often joined her.
They developed an unusual friendship.
He would stand silently while Elena brushed Midnight's coat.
Sometimes they talked.
Sometimes they didn't.
One evening, Elena asked:
"Why do you trust horses more than people?"
Alessandro thought.
"Because horses don't pretend."
"That's what my father said."
"Your father was wise."
"He was also stubborn."
"So was Marco."
Elena laughed.
"Very."
The laugh made Alessandro smile.
Then Elena felt a contraction.
She froze.
"Alessandro."
He turned.
"What?"
"I think—"
Another wave hit.
She grabbed the stable railing.
Alessandro's face changed.
"You're in labor."
"I know."
He immediately called the doctor.
The doctor arrived within minutes.
The baby was coming early.
Alessandro rode with Elena to the hospital.
Throughout the drive, she gripped his hand.
He didn't let go.
At the hospital, hours passed.
Then a cry filled the room.
A nurse lifted the newborn.
A tiny girl.
Dark hair.
Strong lungs.
Elena cried.
Alessandro stood speechless.
"She's perfect."
Elena smiled.
"Isabella."
He looked at the baby.
"Isabella Salvatore."
But before he could say anything else, the doctor entered.
"There is a problem."
Alessandro's heart stopped.
"What?"
The doctor looked at the records.
"We need to discuss the baby's legal situation."
Elena frowned.
"What about it?"
"The birth certificate is being challenged."
"By whom?"
The doctor hesitated.
"The state received a filing this morning."
Alessandro's expression hardened.
"From?"
"Someone claiming to be the baby's biological father."
Elena went pale.
"That's impossible."
Alessandro looked at her.
"Who?"
The doctor handed him the document.
The name at the bottom was impossible.
Dante Salvatore.
May you like
Alessandro's father.
Dead for ten years.
