Chapter 7 – THE SUNDAY MORNING PANCAKES
Six months later.
The Chicago winter had thawed into a bright, crisp spring.
The Moretti mansion felt different. The heavy, oppressive silence that used to hang in the hallways was gone. The dark curtains had been pulled back, letting sunlight stream across the hardwood floors.
I was standing in the kitchen, not in a maid’s uniform, but in jeans and a sweater. I was flipping pancakes on the stove.
“Aunt Emily, you’re burning them!” Grace giggled, sitting at the island counter with a smudge of flour on her nose.
“I am not burning them, I am making them crispy,” I teased, flipping a slightly charred pancake onto her plate.
Eleanor walked into the kitchen, leaning lightly on her cane. She had officially moved into the guest suite on the first floor three months ago. She looked ten years younger. The lines of grief on her face had softened into gentle wrinkles of peace.
“Leave the poor girl’s breakfast alone, Emily,” Eleanor smiled, sitting down next to Grace. She kissed her granddaughter’s cheek. “Did you sleep well, my angel?”
“Yes, Grandma,” Grace smiled, taking a huge bite of the pancake.
Luca walked in a few moments later. He was dressed in a simple button-down shirt, the sleeves rolled up. He poured himself a cup of coffee and leaned against the counter, watching his daughter and his mother-in-law laugh.
The cartel ties were gone. Luca had quietly dismantled his family’s illegal operations, transitioning the empire entirely into legitimate real estate and logistics. It cost him a fortune, but he didn’t care. He wanted a clean life for Grace.
He walked over and handed me a small box.
“Your brother called this morning,” Luca said. “He wanted me to give this to you.”
I opened the box. It was a silver graduation pin. My brother had officially finished nursing school.
“He starts at Chicago Med next week,” I said, beaming with pride.
Luca smiled warmly. “He earned it. And so did you.”
There was a knock on the kitchen door. The new security chief stepped in.
“Mr. Moretti,” the guard said respectfully. “The car is ready.”
Luca nodded. “Thank you.”
He turned to the table. “Are we ready, ladies?”
Grace jumped off her stool. “Yes!”
We all piled into the black SUV. We drove through the city, heading toward the cemetery.
We walked together up the grassy hill to Catherine’s grave. It was a beautiful marble headstone beneath a large oak tree.
Eleanor placed a fresh bouquet of white lilies at the base.
Grace knelt down and placed a small, hand-drawn picture next to the flowers. It was a drawing of our family. Luca, Eleanor, Grace, and me.
“We’re doing okay, Mommy,” Grace whispered to the stone. “Grandma lives with us now. Aunt Emily makes bad pancakes, but we love her.”
Luca laughed softly, his eyes shining with unshed tears. He placed his hand on the headstone.
“Rest easy, Catherine,” Luca murmured. “They’re safe. I promise.”
As we walked back down the hill toward the car, the sun broke through the clouds.
I walked behind them, watching Luca hold Grace’s hand on one side, and Eleanor holding her other hand.
I realized then that family isn’t always the people you are born to. Sometimes, family is the people who stay when everything else falls apart.
The secrets were buried. The ghosts were laid to rest.
And for the first time in a long time, the Moretti table had no empty chairs.
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