Chapter 6 - THE WOMAN WHO WANTED TO SEND SOPHIE AWAY|
Vanessa arrived at the mansion the following afternoon with a bouquet of white roses.
She found Luca in the library, reading Caroline's notebook.
“Luca, we need to talk.”
He closed the notebook.
“Then tell me why you arranged a residential school placement for Sophie without discussing it with me.”
Vanessa placed the roses on the table.
“I already explained that I wanted her to have opportunities.”
“Why Pennsylvania?”
“The academy is excellent.”
“Why did you tell her she would be happier away from home?”
Vanessa's expression hardened.
“Because she's struggling with change. She doesn't accept me, and you refuse to acknowledge that.”
“She's grieving her mother.”
“Three years have passed.”
Luca stared at her.
“Grief doesn't expire because it's inconvenient.”
Vanessa's eyes filled with tears.
“I have tried so hard to become part of this family.”
“Then why did you threaten the woman who protected my daughter?”
She looked away.
“I was frustrated.”
“You told Claire she would lose her job if she intervened.”
“I wanted the rehearsal to go smoothly.”
“You knew Sophie was injured.”
Vanessa said nothing.
Luca stood.
“Did you know about the blue notebook?”
Her face changed so quickly that he almost missed it.
“What notebook?”
“Caroline's.”
Vanessa recovered her composure.
“I have no idea what you're talking about.”
He watched her carefully.
“Caroline wrote about you.”
Vanessa laughed nervously.
“Caroline wrote about everyone. She was always suspicious of people.”
“What did she suspect you of?”
“Luca, I don't know.”
He opened the notebook to the page containing Evelyn's name.
Vanessa's eyes flicked toward it.
“You recognize this name.”
“No.”
“Then why are you looking at it?”
She immediately looked away.
Luca's voice lowered.
“Vanessa, this is your last opportunity to tell me the truth.”
Her expression hardened.
“You want the truth? Fine. I thought Sophie needed structure. She has been allowed to live inside her grief for three years. You keep everything the same because you can't bear to move forward.”
“And you thought the solution was to send her hundreds of miles away.”
“I thought you needed a fresh start.”
“Did you tell the academy that I approved the placement?”
Vanessa hesitated.
“I said you were considering it.”
“You told the director I wanted Sophie removed from Chicago.”
“I was trying to get them to take her application seriously.”
Luca stared at her.
“You used my name to arrange a future for my daughter without my consent.”
“I was trying to help!”
“No. You were trying to control the outcome.”
Vanessa began to cry.
“I love you, Luca.”
He looked at her for a long moment.
“I believed that.”
She stepped closer.
“Then don't let one mistake destroy everything.”
“One mistake?”
He gestured toward the notebook.
“Caroline was worried about you before she died. Sophie is afraid of you now. You lied about the injury, the school, and my involvement. How many mistakes am I supposed to count?”
Vanessa's tears stopped.
For a moment, the woman standing before him looked entirely different from the elegant fiancée who had charmed his family.
“You don't know what Caroline did,” she said.
Luca went still.
“What does that mean?”
Vanessa realized she had spoken too much.
She grabbed her handbag.
“Ask your father what happened before Caroline became your wife.”
“My father is dead.”
“Then perhaps you should ask why he left you a business built on secrets.”
She walked toward the door.
Luca followed her with his eyes.
“Vanessa.”
She stopped.
“The engagement is suspended. You will not contact Sophie without my permission.”
Her face twisted.
“You'll regret this.”
He did not respond.
After she left, Luca opened the blue notebook again.
A small piece of paper had slipped from its back cover.
On it, Caroline had written an address.
May you like
Below it were four words.
Ask Evelyn about the accident.
