Chapter 10 – THE LETTER

I stared at my name written in Catherine’s elegant script, my hands trembling so badly the wooden box nearly slipped from my grasp.

“This is impossible,” I whispered, looking up at Luca. “Catherine died three years ago. I only started working here eleven months ago. She couldn’t have known me.”

Luca gently took the wooden box from my hands, leaving just the sealed envelope in my fingers.

“Catherine was a brilliant woman, Emily,” Luca said softly. “She knew Vanessa was trying to destroy our family. She knew she might not survive the fight. But she also knew that someone pure would eventually walk into this house to protect Isabella.”

I swallowed hard, tracing the red wax seal with my thumb.

“Open it,” Luca urged gently.

I broke the wax and unfolded the heavy parchment. The ink was slightly faded, but the words were clear.

“To the woman who stayed,” the letter began.

“If you are reading this, then my worst fears came true, and I am gone. But it also means that my greatest hope was realized: you protected my daughter when I couldn’t.”

Tears immediately pricked my eyes. I kept reading.

“I left this envelope blank. I asked my trusted friend, Matteo the chef, to watch the staff. I told him that if a woman ever showed true courage—if she defied the darkness in this house to protect Isabella—he was to write her name on this envelope and ensure it was found.”

I gasped. Matteo. The chef who had refused to lie about the almond cake. He had known all along.

“Thank you, Emily,” the letter continued. “Thank you for loving my little girl. Thank you for showing my husband that the world is not only full of monsters and betrayal.”

“Luca is a good man. A strong man. But grief will make him cold. He will build walls to protect his heart. Do not let him. Remind him how to love.”

“Take care of my family. Take care of my little girl. And please, take care of Luca.”

“With eternal gratitude, Catherine.”

I finished reading and slowly lowered the letter to my chest. A tear slipped down my cheek and splashed onto my sweater.

Catherine hadn’t just left behind evidence to catch her killer. She had left behind a blessing for the woman who would heal her family.

I looked up at Luca. He was staring at me, his jaw tight, his eyes shining with unshed tears.

“She knew,” Luca whispered, his voice breaking. “She knew what Vanessa was, and she fought her to the very end to protect us.”

“She was a hero, Luca,” I said softly, stepping forward and resting my hand on his chest, right over his heart. “She saved all of us.”

Luca looked down at my hand. Then he looked into my eyes. The intensity in his gaze made the breath catch in my throat.

“You are a hero too, Emily,” he murmured.

He reached up and gently wiped the tear from my cheek.

“Catherine asked you to take care of me,” Luca said, a faint, beautiful smile touching his lips. “I’m hoping you’ll honor her request.”

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