Chapter 4 - My Mother Had Left Me a Secret Letter Before Her Death, and It Explained Why My Father Was Desperate to Keep Me Away From the Moretti FamilyWe found my mother's letter inside an old safety deposit box.
My father had never mentioned it.
The letter was addressed to me.
I read it alone.
Evelyn,
If you're reading this, I couldn't protect you forever.
My throat tightened.
Your father believes power belongs to whoever controls money.
He is wrong.
Our family has something more dangerous.
A bloodline.
A trust.
A legal inheritance.
My mother's family had built a network of international investments.
When she married my father, she brought voting rights.
But only her children could activate the final trust.
I was the only surviving daughter.
Serena was adopted.
My mother had chosen me.
That meant Serena's betrayal wasn't simply personal.
She had been manipulated.
Or perhaps she had always known.
I read the next line.
Never trust anyone who tells you Serena is stronger than you.
I stopped.
Then:
She has spent her life believing that being chosen matters more than being loved.
I cried.
My mother had understood.
The letter ended with a warning.
If you marry into another family, make sure you choose someone who respects your freedom.
I thought of Nikolai.
He had offered me a choice.
He had told me I could walk away.
That mattered.
Then a second letter appeared.
This one was from someone else.
My grandfather.
Lucia Moretti.
The Moretti family had known about my mother's inheritance.
They had been waiting.
My marriage to Julian would have activated the trust under his control.
My marriage to Nikolai would activate it under mine.
And the board had been preparing for both possibilities.
I looked at Nikolai.
“They've been planning my marriage since I was a child.”
He nodded.
“I know.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I needed proof.”
I stared.
“That sounds like an excuse.”
“It is.”
I laughed.
“At least you're honest.”
Then he stepped closer.
“I've spent my whole life trusting nobody.”
“So?”
“So you make me want to.”
That surprised me.
I looked away.
“This isn't love.”
“I know.”
“Yet.”
May you like
He smiled.
“Yet.”
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