Chapter 2 - The Letter He Found Too Late
Dominic found me at 4:16 in the morning.
I knew because later he told me exactly what the clock said.
The storm had weakened.
The estate was surrounded by police.
The attackers were gone.
Carmine was missing.
And Dominic was standing in the snow calling my name.
“Mara!”
I heard him before I opened my eyes.
I tried to speak.
Nothing came out.
Then I felt arms beneath my shoulders.
He lifted me.
I hated that I recognized the way he held me.
Careful.
Protective.
Like he had done every time I had fallen asleep in the chair beside his bed.
“Stay with me.”
His voice broke.
I opened my eyes.
He stared down at me.
For one second, there was no mafia boss.
No empire.
No gun.
Only Dominic.
Terrified.
“You came back,” he whispered.
I tried to laugh.
“You told me to leave.”
His jaw tightened.
“I know.”
“You believed her.”
“I know.”
“You locked the door.”
His eyes closed.
“I know.”
The paramedics arrived.
He refused to let go until they forced him to.
At the hospital, surgery took four hours.
I woke to a ceiling I didn't recognize.
My ankle had been fractured.
Two ribs were bruised.
I had a deep cut near my shoulder.
My hands were covered in bandages.
Dominic stood at the window.
He didn't speak.
I watched him for a long time.
“You can go.”
He turned.
“No.”
“You don't belong here.”
“I do.”
“You threw me out.”
“I was wrong.”
“That doesn't make it disappear.”
“I know.”
He walked closer.
Then placed something on the bedside table.
My letter.
Bloodstained.
Folded.
Open.
He had read it.
“What did you think?”
His voice was barely a whisper.
“I thought you had written goodbye.”
“I had.”
He looked at me.
“Why?”
“Because I thought someone was trying to frame me.”
“You knew.”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“I didn't know.”
He stared at the letter.
“You said people can forge numbers.”
“They can.”
“You said they can't forge the reason someone stays.”
“Yes.”
He looked at me.
“Why did you stay?”
I looked away.
“Because I loved you.”
He sat.
“And now?”
I swallowed.
“I don't know.”
He deserved that.
Before he could answer, the door opened.
Detective Nora Bennett entered.
She was one of the few people in the city who spoke to Dominic without fear.
“We found something.”
She placed a laptop on the table.
The bank transfer had been fabricated.
The IP address came from an internal Rossi server.
The account in my brother’s name had never received the money.
Someone had created a duplicate identity.
Carmine.
Dominic's face went blank.
“Where is he?”
“Gone.”
Dominic stood.
“Find him.”
“We're trying.”
Nora looked at me.
“There's more.”
She opened another file.
My brother's medical records.
They had been accessed six months earlier.
By Carmine.
I froze.
“Why?”
Nora shook her head.
“We don't know.”
Dominic stared at me.
“Did Carmine ever threaten your family?”
“No.”
“Did anyone?”
“No.”
“Did your brother know about us?”
I hesitated.
“Yes.”
Dominic's face changed.
“Who else?”
“My mother.”
“What about her?”
“She warned me never to trust anyone associated with your father.”
He stared.
“Why?”
“She said your family wasn't what it looked like.”
Dominic turned toward the window.
He had heard versions of that sentence his entire life.
Now it sounded different.
Nora left.
Dominic remained.
“I should have protected you.”
I shook my head.
“You should have trusted me.”
He looked at me.
“Yes.”
Silence.
Then he said:
“I was afraid.”
“Of what?”
“Of loving you.”
My throat tightened.
“That isn't an excuse.”
“No.”
He looked at me.
“It's the truth.”
I turned away.
He continued.
“When I saw the documents, I thought I'd finally found the betrayal I had spent my life expecting.”
“So you punished me for it.”
“Yes.”
“You didn't even investigate.”
“I know.”
“You didn't ask.”
“I know.”
“You didn't trust me.”
“I know.”
He stepped closer.
“I am sorry.”
I believed him.
That was the problem.
Before I could answer, Nora returned.
“There's a problem.”
“What?”
“The safe room wasn't breached from outside.”
Dominic froze.
“What?”
“The door was opened from inside.”
Silence.
Someone had let the attackers into the estate.
Someone with access to the safe room.
Someone Dominic trusted.
Then Nora looked at me.
“And we found fingerprints.”
My stomach dropped.
“Whose?”
She didn't answer immediately.
Then:
“Dominic's.”
The room went silent.
He stared.
“That’s impossible.”
Nora shook her head.
“The safe room was opened using your biometric access.”
Dominic sat down slowly.
Someone had cloned his access.
Or someone had used him.
The attack had been designed to make Dominic believe his closest people were betraying him.
First me.
Then Carmine.
Soon everyone.
The enemy wasn't simply attacking the Rossi family.
May you like
They were dismantling Dominic's ability to trust.
And they were succeeding.
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