Chapter 6 - The Woman I Thought I Knew
Sophia was gone.
Emma remained at the mansion.
She was crying.
Luca sat beside her.
He held her hand.
“Your mommy will come back.”
Emma nodded.
I wanted to believe him.
But my trust in Sophia had been destroyed.
Marcus tracked her phone.
It led to an abandoned theater.
We surrounded it.
Inside, I found Sophia.
She wasn't with Rane.
She was alone.
And she was holding a gun.
“Alessandro.”
“Where is he?”
“I don't know.”
“Why did you lie?”
“I didn't.”
“You knew about the debt.”
“Yes.”
“You knew about Matthew.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
She began crying.
“My father gave me the first file three weeks before Matthew died.”
“Why hide it?”
“Because Matthew told me someone would kill Emma.”
“Who?”
“Rane.”
“Then why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I didn't trust you.”
I stared.
“After the diner?”
“No.”
“Before?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because my father told me the Morettis destroyed our family.”
I lowered my gun.
She continued.
“I thought you were like him.”
“And now?”
“Now I know I was wrong.”
Silence.
Then she gave me the real secret.
Matthew had been an undercover investigator.
He had married Sophia to protect her.
Not because he had been ordered to manipulate her.
Because he loved her.
He had discovered that someone in the Moretti organization had been stealing funds from legitimate businesses.
He came to Elena.
Elena helped him.
Together they discovered Rane.
Then Elena disappeared.
Matthew continued investigating.
He died for it.
Sophia took over.
She came to the diner because she needed someone powerful enough to stand against Rane.
But she hadn't expected Luca.
She hadn't expected kindness.
And she hadn't expected to care about me.
I looked at her.
“Why the debt file?”
“Rane planted it.”
“Why bring it to me?”
“Because I knew you'd recognize the forgery.”
I almost smiled.
“You gambled.”
“Yes.”
“You nearly got yourself killed.”
“I know.”
“You lied.”
“Yes.”
“I don't know whether to trust you.”
“I don't blame you.”
Then the lights flickered.
A voice echoed through the theater.
“Neither do I.”
Rane.
He had returned.
His men surrounded us.
But this time, I was ready.
Gunfire exploded.
Sophia grabbed my hand.
We ran through the backstage corridors.
“Where's Emma?”
“With Luca.”
“Will they be safe?”
“Marcus is with them.”
We reached a hidden room.
Inside was a wall of photographs.
Elena.
Sophia.
Matthew.
Gabriel.
Me.
And the children.
I stared.
There was a photograph of Emma taken when she was two.
Another of Luca at three.
Another of Elena before her death.
Someone had watched us for years.
Sophia whispered,
“He's been planning this forever.”
I noticed a photograph I'd never seen.
Elena standing beside a woman.
The woman's face was crossed out.
I knew her.
My mother.
“Why was my mother here?”
Sophia shook her head.
A recording began.
Elena's voice.
“If you're hearing this, the woman in the photograph is the one who helped me hide the ledger.”
My mother's voice followed.
“Don't trust Alessandro's father.”
I froze.
My father.
Elena continued.
“He wasn't protecting the family.”
She paused.
“He was building a second organization.”
My father's empire had been larger than I'd imagined.
Rane wasn't the architect.
My father had been.
He had created the debt.
Carlo knew.
Eleanor knew.
My mother knew.
Elena discovered it.
And when she tried to expose him, he arranged her murder.
But Rane changed the plan.
He kidnapped her instead.
Why?
Because he needed the ledger.
Rane had been my father's youngest lieutenant.
He wanted to take over everything.
I looked at Sophia.
“This ends tonight.”
She nodded.
We found Rane in the upper theater.
He held a knife.
A woman stood beside him.
I nearly stopped breathing.
“Elena.”
She looked older.
Thin.
But alive.
My wife.
I stepped forward.
“I'm sorry.”
She cried.
“I know.”
“How long?”
“Three years.”
“Why didn't you come home?”
“Because every attempt got someone killed.”
I wanted to touch her.
She reached for me.
We held each other.
Then Rane raised his weapon.
“This reunion is touching.”
I turned.
“You're finished.”
He laughed.
“You think killing me ends this?”
“No.”
I pointed toward the cameras.
“You're broadcasting.”
He stopped.
Every screen showed us.
Police were watching.
Federal agents were watching.
The media were watching.
Rane panicked.
He tried to flee.
Gabriel appeared at the entrance.
Rane stared.
“You betrayed me.”
Gabriel replied,
“No.”
“I saved my brother.”
Rane raised his weapon.
Gabriel stepped forward.
“I was never your brother.”
Police stormed in.
Rane was arrested.
The war was over.
Or so I thought.
Elena looked at me.
“There is one thing you need to know.”
“What?”
She glanced toward Sophia.
“She isn't who you think she is.”
Sophia's face changed.
“Elena…”
“You need to tell him.”
Sophia lowered her head.
“I am.”
She looked at me.
“Matthew wasn't my first husband.”
I frowned.
“Who was?”
May you like
She whispered,
“Your father.”
