Chapter 5

The gold watch gleamed under the chandelier light, heavy and undeniable.

Luca gently took the timepiece from Ethan’s palm. He flipped it over. Engraved on the back in delicate script were the words: To Elena. Forever. L.M.

“This was in the basement vault,” Luca said, his voice terrifyingly calm. “Only two people have the combination. Me. And my late wife.”

He looked up at Vanessa. She was pressing herself into the corner, looking like a trapped animal.

“How did Victor Thorne get Elena’s watch?” Luca asked.

“I don’t know!” Vanessa cried. “I’ve never seen it before!”

“Do not lie to me!” Luca’s voice cracked like a whip. “Victor Thorne didn’t break into my vault. Someone on the inside opened it for him. Someone paying off a three-million-dollar debt.”

Vanessa shook her head frantically. “I didn’t! Luca, I swear on my life, I don’t know the combination to that vault! I never even met Elena!”

“Then explain how my dead wife’s watch ended up in the pocket of the man trying to kidnap my son!”

“Because she didn’t steal it, Mr. Moretti.”

The quiet, steady voice came from the back of the room.

Everyone turned.

Mrs. Carter, the head housekeeper who had served the Moretti family for thirty years, stepped forward. Her hands were folded neatly over her apron, but her eyes were filled with deep sorrow.

“Mrs. Carter?” Luca asked, confused.

“Miss Bellini didn’t steal the watch from the vault,” the older woman said gently. “She took it from your wife’s wrist. The night she died.”

A collective gasp echoed through the dining room.

Vanessa’s face turned from pale to a sickly gray. “Shut up, you old bat!”

“Elena died in a car accident,” Luca said, his breathing turning shallow. “She was alone on the highway.”

“She was alone in the car,” Mrs. Carter corrected softly. “But she wasn’t alone at the clinic beforehand.”

Luca froze. “What?”

“Three years ago, when Mrs. Moretti was recovering from her first surgery at the private clinic…” Mrs. Carter swallowed hard, her eyes pooling with tears. “You hired a private night nurse to care for her.”

“Yes,” Luca said. “A woman named Sarah. She moved out of state after the accident.”

“Her name wasn’t Sarah,” Mrs. Carter said.

She reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a faded, laminated ID badge. She walked over and placed it on the dining table in front of Luca.

I leaned forward to look.

It was a hospital badge from three years ago. The name printed on it was Sarah Bellini.

But the photograph on the badge—younger, with blonde hair instead of brunette, wearing a nurse’s uniform—was unmistakably Vanessa.

“You?” Luca whispered, stumbling back half a step. “You were Elena’s nurse?”

Vanessa was hyperventilating, pressing her hands against her ears.

“She changed her hair. She changed her first name,” Mrs. Carter said, tears spilling down her wrinkled cheeks. “She spent months caring for your wife. Gaining her trust. Learning everything about your family, your schedule, your security.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Luca demanded, his voice breaking with betrayal.

“Because I only found out tonight,” Mrs. Carter cried. “I found this badge hidden inside the lining of Miss Bellini’s winter coat when I went to hang it up.”

Ethan hid behind my legs, terrified by the sudden shouting. I put my hands on his shoulders, pulling him close.

Luca slowly looked at Vanessa. The woman he was supposed to marry in four days. The woman who had infiltrated his home, manipulated his son, and orchestrated a kidnapping.

“You orchestrated the car accident,” Luca stated. It wasn’t a question.

“No!” Vanessa screamed. “I didn’t touch the brakes! I swear to God, Luca, I didn’t! I just told Victor what time she was leaving the clinic!”

The room erupted. Guests gasped, someone knocked over a chair, and Mrs. Ellis, the event coordinator, suddenly bolted toward the kitchen doors.

“Stop her!” I yelled, pointing at Mrs. Ellis.

Marcus tackled the event coordinator before she could reach the swinging doors, pinning her to the floor.

“Let me go!” Mrs. Ellis shrieked.

Luca looked from Vanessa to Mrs. Ellis, the final puzzle piece locking into place.

“You didn’t cut the brakes,” Luca said to Vanessa. He looked down at the event coordinator writhing on the floor. “She did.”

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