Chapter 4 – THE QUILT IN THE EAST WING

“Get inside,” I pushed the caretaker and Leo backward into the house and slammed the heavy wooden door, throwing the deadbolt.

My hands were shaking, but my mind was clearer than it had been in years.

“Go to the back,” I told the woman. “Is there a basement?”

“Yes, but there’s no way out!” she cried, scooping Leo into her arms. The little boy buried his face in her neck, too terrified to cry.

“Just hide,” I ordered.

I pulled out my phone and dialed the only number I knew would answer without asking questions.

“Nonna,” I said the second Adelaide picked up.

“Rose, where are you?”

“Dominic is here. At the Maple Street house.”

I heard a sharp intake of breath, followed by Adelaide yelling orders in Italian to the family guards. “Luca is on his way. Lock the doors. Do not let Dominic see the child.”

“It’s too late,” I said, watching through the front window blinds. Dominic was walking up the pathway, two heavily armed men flanked behind him. “He knows.”

“Listen to me, Rose,” Adelaide’s voice dropped to a fierce whisper. “You are a Moretti now. Act like it.”

She hung up.

A heavy knock rattled the front door.

“Rose,” Dominic called out, his tone mockingly sweet. “Open up. It’s family.”

I took a deep breath, smoothing down my skirt. I walked to the door and unlocked it, pulling it open just enough to block the view of the hallway.

“Dominic,” I said coldly. “You’re interrupting my visit.”

He smirked, trying to peer past me. “A visit? To a random house in Elmwood? Come on, Rose. We both know what’s in there. Luca’s little bastard.”

“Watch your mouth,” I snapped, channeling every ounce of Adelaide’s authority. “This house is under my protection.”

Dominic laughed. “Your protection? You’re a florist, Rose. You arrange daisies. Step aside before you get hurt.”

“If you touch me, Luca will skin you alive,” I said.

“Luca isn’t here. And once I have Clara’s brat, Luca won’t be Boss anymore. The Commission won’t tolerate a leader who hides a bastard child from his own underboss.”

He lunged forward, grabbing my arm to shove me aside.

Suddenly, a massive black town car jumped the curb, roaring onto the front lawn.

Luca burst from the driver’s seat before the car even stopped moving. He had a gun in his hand, pointed directly at Dominic’s head.

“Let her go,” Luca said, his voice deadly quiet.

Dominic froze, slowly releasing my arm. He raised his hands, a mocking grin still on his face. “Easy, Boss. I was just checking on our sister-in-law.”

“Get in your car, Dominic. And if you ever follow my wife again, I’ll put a bullet between your eyes.”

Dominic scoffed. “You can’t hide him forever, Luca. Vivian already told the Commission. You’re bleeding out, and you don’t even know it.”

Dominic backed away, signaling his men to retreat. They piled into their SUVs and sped off.

Luca dropped his gun to his side and looked at me, his chest heaving.

“Are you hurt?” he asked, stepping onto the porch.

“Don’t touch me,” I said, stepping back.

His face fell. “Rose, I had to keep him a secret. If Dominic knew Clara had my child—”

“I don’t care about Dominic!” I yelled, tears of anger spilling over. “I care that you let Vivian sit at my dining table and insult me. You let her blackmail you, and you made me pay for it with my mother’s memory!”

“She threatened to tell Dominic where Leo was,” Luca pleaded. “She wanted the east wing. She wanted to take your place. I was trying to buy time to move him.”

“And what about my mother?” I asked. “Did you know she made me promise to marry you because she thought you were a good man?”

“Your mother…” Luca hesitated, looking away.

“What?” I demanded.

“Your mother knew about Leo, Rose.”

A reversal hit me so hard I felt dizzy. “No. She didn’t.”

“She did. She helped Clara hide him before the accident.”

“You’re lying.”

“Why do you think I wanted Vivian in the east wing?” Luca asked desperately. “Because I needed an excuse to tear those rooms apart. Your mother hid Clara’s diary in that room before she died. The diary proves the child is mine, not Dominic’s. Without it, the Commission will give the boy to Dominic.”

I stared at him. The east wing. My mother’s room.

Where I kept her quilt.

“The quilt,” I whispered.

“What?”

“My mother was sewing a quilt the month she died,” I said, my heart racing. “She made me promise never to wash it, only dry clean it. She said the backing was delicate.”

Luca’s eyes widened.

“Take Leo and his caretaker to the safe house,” I commanded, turning toward the door. “I’m going back to the estate.”

“Rose, wait—Vivian is still at the house. She went back to pack her things.”

“Good,” I said, walking past him toward the town car. “Let her pack. Because tonight, I’m burning her out.”

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