Chapter 10 – THE FIRST MORNING OF PEACE

The next morning, the sun broke through the heavy Chicago clouds, flooding the Moretti mansion with warm, golden light.

For the first time in eleven months, the house didn’t feel like a museum or a prison. It felt alive.

I woke up early, walking down to the kitchen to start the coffee. But when I got there, I stopped in my tracks.

Luca was already there.

He was wearing a simple gray t-shirt and sweatpants, his dark hair messy. He was standing by the stove, flipping pancakes. Little Mia was sitting on the counter, swinging her legs and eating a strawberry.

“Good morning, Hannah!” Mia chirped happily.

Luca turned around, holding a spatula. He looked exhausted, but there was a profound peace in his eyes.

“Good morning, Hannah. I hope you like blueberry pancakes.”

I stood there, completely taken aback. “Mr. Moretti, you don’t have to cook. That’s my job.”

“Not today,” Luca said firmly. “Today, you sit. Coffee is in the pot.”

I hesitantly poured myself a cup of coffee and sat at the kitchen island.

Sofia walked in a moment later, wearing one of Luca’s oversized hoodies. She looked like she had cried all night, but when she saw her brother cooking, she burst into a small, relieved laugh.

“You haven’t cooked since college, Luca,” Sofia teased, stealing a strawberry from Mia’s bowl.

“I’m turning over a new leaf,” Luca replied, sliding a slightly burnt pancake onto a plate.

The kitchen doors swung open, and Teresa walked in. She wasn’t wearing her Sunday dress or her navy coat. She was wearing comfortable slacks and a soft floral blouse. She looked ten years younger.

“It smells like something is burning,” Teresa announced, though she was smiling.

“Good morning, Mom,” Luca said, walking over and kissing her cheek.

We all sat around the informal kitchen island, eating breakfast together. It felt so incredibly normal. There was no tension. No cruel remarks from Vanessa. No hidden agendas.

Just a broken family, slowly starting to put their pieces back together.

Halfway through breakfast, Luca’s cell phone rang on the counter.

He looked at the caller ID. It was his lawyer.

Luca answered it, putting it on speaker so the family could hear.

“Morning, Tom. Tell me good news.”

The lawyer’s voice came through crisp and clear.

“The police searched Vanessa’s apartment and David’s office this morning. They found everything, Luca. The falsified ledger books, the encrypted emails, and a stash of the agricultural poison in a storage unit rented under Vanessa’s maiden name.”

A collective sigh of relief washed over the kitchen.

“Will they get bail?” Luca asked, his voice hardening slightly.

“Not a chance,” Tom replied. “With the flight risk and the embezzlement charges stacked on top of first-degree murder, the judge denied bail an hour ago. They’re staying behind bars until the trial. And with Elena and Marcus both agreeing to testify, they’re going away for a very long time.”

Luca closed his eyes. “Thank you, Tom.”

He hung up the phone.

The silence that followed wasn’t heavy. It was the sound of a closing chapter.

Mia tugged on my sleeve.

“Hannah? Aunt Sofia says we’re going to plant a garden today. Can we plant yellow roses? They were Mommy’s favorite.”

I looked at Luca and Teresa. They were both smiling at me.

“I think yellow roses would be perfect, Mia,” I said.

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