Chapter 13 - The Brother We Never Knew ExistedThe search for Matteo took months.
We eventually found him living in a small coastal town.
He had no idea who we were.
When we showed him the photographs, he broke down.
He had been raised by another family.
His mother had given him away to save him.
He carried the same Romano birthmark as Maria.
The same eyes as me.
We were brothers.
Three children separated by violence.
Three lives stolen by one man's ambition.
But Matteo wanted nothing to do with the criminal world.
Neither did I.
So I promised him something.
“You don't owe me anything.”
He stared at me.
“Then why did you find me?”
“Because you're family.”
He smiled.
For the first time, the Romano family was complete.
Maria.
Me.
Matteo.
And Lily.
The little girl who wasn't connected by blood but had become the heart of all of us.
Then something unexpected happened.
Matteo became a father.
A baby girl was born.
He asked me to be her godfather.
I cried when he asked.
I had spent thirty years believing our family tree had been cut down.
May you like
Instead, new branches were growing.
And I knew my mother would have been proud.
