Chapter 17 - The Last Promise of Elena Moretti|
Isabella refused to tell them where Elena was until Tomasso agreed to leave his weapons outside the room.
He complied, though every instinct told him not to.
Caterina remained beside him as Isabella led them through the back of the lake house, down a narrow path, and into the old boathouse. Beneath a stack of weathered fishing equipment was a metal door that opened into a small underground room.
A lamp illuminated a narrow bed, a desk, and a wall covered with photographs.
Caterina stopped at the threshold.
Her mother sat beside the window.
Elena Moretti was older than the woman in Caterina's memories. Her hair had turned silver, and a thin scar crossed one cheek. But her eyes were the same warm brown, and when she looked up, the expression on her face was one Caterina had imagined a thousand times.
Recognition.
Love.
Fear.
"Caterina," Elena whispered.
Caterina could not move.
For six years, she had dreamed of this moment. In some dreams, she ran into her mother's arms. In others, she screamed at her for leaving. Sometimes she woke believing the entire story had been a cruel trick of grief.
Now her mother was alive.
And Caterina could barely breathe.
"You're dead," she said.
Elena rose slowly.
"I know."
"You let me bury you."
"I thought it would keep you safe."
"You let me grow up believing I had no one."
Elena's eyes filled with tears.
"I watched you from a distance. I saw you become stronger. I saw you learn to survive."
"Then why didn't you come back?"
"Because Lorenzo threatened to kill you if I did."
Caterina shook her head.
"You should have trusted me."
"I should have trusted you with the truth. I was wrong."
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Caterina crossed the room and struck her mother across the face.
The sound echoed through the small space.
Elena did not move.
Caterina's hand fell to her side. She began to cry, and Elena reached for her daughter, stopping just short of touching her.
"May I?" she whispered.
Caterina closed her eyes.
Then she stepped into her mother's arms.
They held each other for a long time.
Tomasso remained near the door, looking away to give them privacy. He understood the need for silence. Some wounds could not be repaired by explanations, and some apologies needed to be allowed to exist without immediate forgiveness.
When Caterina finally stepped back, Elena wiped her tears.
"You've married a Barbieri."
"Yes."
"Do you trust him?"
Caterina glanced at Tomasso.
"I'm learning to."
Elena looked at him.
"Then listen carefully. Lorenzo intends to destroy the trust your fathers created. He has already moved most of the money. The remaining assets are protected by a legal clause that activates only when both heirs appear before a notary and claim their rights."
Tomasso nodded.
"We have the documents."
"You have copies. Lorenzo has the original trust deed, and he will burn it rather than let you claim the inheritance."
Caterina frowned.
"Where is it?"
Elena looked toward the lake.
"Inside the old cathedral where you were married."
Tomasso went still.
"St. Michael's?"
Elena nodded.
"The cornerstone contains a sealed compartment. Your fathers placed the deed there before the war began. They believed the church would remain neutral ground."
Caterina felt a cold shiver.
"The wedding."
"Yes," Elena said. "Lorenzo insisted on that cathedral because he believed he could control every person in it."
Tomasso understood.
The ceremony had not been an act of peace.
It had been a race.
Lorenzo had married them to prevent them from claiming the inheritance before he could destroy the evidence.
Elena took Caterina's hand.
"There's one more thing you need to know. The man who has been helping Lorenzo is not Enzo."
Tomasso turned.
"Who is it?"
Elena's expression changed.
"Someone who has been standing beside you since the beginning."
A noise sounded above them.
Three sharp knocks.
Isabella appeared at the entrance.
"We have to leave. Now."
May you like
She looked directly at Tomasso.
"Your security chief just called. Marco Bellini has taken Mateo."
