Chapter 8

The blue and red lights of the police cruisers painted the front of the Moretti estate for hours.

Arthur was carried out in handcuffs on a stretcher, unconscious and facing federal charges for kidnapping, extortion, and the thirty-year-old murder of Luca’s sister. Vanessa’s confession regarding the pool house key had given the police enough probable cause to search the drained pool, where they found the metal box and Arthur’s engraved watch.

Vanessa was escorted out quietly by a female officer. She wasn’t under arrest yet, but she was facing a mountain of questions. Before she got into the squad car, she looked up at the mansion one last time.

I was standing on the front steps, an EMT pressing a butterfly bandage over the cut on my cheek.

Vanessa looked at me, gave a small, exhausted nod, and got into the car. She looked completely broken, but for the first time in her life, she was free of her father.

I walked back inside the mansion.

The house felt entirely different. The oppressive, heavy atmosphere of secrets that had choked this family for decades was gone. The air felt clean.

The engagement guests had been sent home. The dining room was being cleaned by the remaining staff.

I walked up the grand staircase toward Teresa’s suite.

The door was slightly ajar.

I pushed it open. Teresa was sitting in her favorite armchair by the window, wrapped in a plush blanket. Luca was sitting on the floor beside her, holding her hand.

They both looked up when I entered.

“Hannah,” Teresa said, her voice warm.

“I just wanted to make sure you were okay before I packed my things, Mrs. Moretti,” I said, lingering in the doorway.

Luca stood up. He walked over to me, stopping just a foot away.

“You aren’t packing anything,” he said quietly.

“Mr. Moretti, my shift is over. And considering everything that happened tonight, I think it’s best if I leave.”

“I told you to leave three hours ago, and you refused,” Luca pointed out, a faint smile touching his bruised face. “You saved my mother’s life. You saved my life. You hit a mercenary with a frying pan.”

I blushed, looking down at my shoes. “He was going to turn the lights on.”

Luca gently placed a finger under my chin, lifting my face so I had to look at him. His dark eyes were softer than I had ever seen them.

“Your mother didn’t take a bribe, Hannah,” Luca said softly. “While the police were here, I had my lawyer look into the old financial records. My father didn’t wire your mother fifty thousand dollars to keep quiet.”

“Then why did he send it?” I asked.

“Because she was the only nurse at the hospital who realized the bruising on my sister didn’t match a simple drowning,” Luca explained. “She tried to tell the police, but Arthur threatened her. My father found out. He wired her the money so she could afford to quit, move away, and keep you safe.”

My breath hitched.

My mother wasn’t a corrupt nurse. She was a hero who had been silenced by fear.

“Your mother is a good woman,” Teresa said from her chair. “She raised a very brave daughter.”

Tears welled in my eyes. “Thank you.”

Luca stepped back, gesturing to the room.

“You don’t work here anymore, Hannah,” he said.

My heart dropped slightly, even though I expected it.

“However,” Luca continued, reaching into his pocket. “I am in need of a new Director of Household Operations. The pay is triple what you’re making now, full medical benefits for you and your mother, and you don’t wear a uniform.”

I stared at him. “Are you serious?”

“I don’t joke about business,” Luca smiled.

Teresa laughed softly. “Take the job, sweetheart. He’s helpless without you.”

I looked at the old woman who had started this entire night just wanting to make a toast. She looked peaceful. The heavy burden she had carried for thirty years was finally gone.

“Okay,” I whispered, smiling back at Luca. “I’ll take it.”

Luca let out a breath, clearly relieved. “Good. Now go home, Hannah. Get some sleep. Tomorrow, we start over.”