Chapter 6: The Secret Behind Elena’s Last Days
Vanessa left without another word.
But Luca knew the conversation wasn’t over.
People like Vanessa didn’t walk away from losing control.
They searched for another way to take it back.
The next morning, Daniel called with new information.
“We found Aaron Bell.””
Luca looked up.
“Where?””
“Trying to leave town.””
Luca grabbed his jacket.
“Bring him to me.””
Daniel hesitated.
“Luca.””
“What?””
“This man might have answers. But he might also be dangerous.””
Luca looked at the photographs of Marcus on his desk.
“I spent twenty-one years not knowing my son existed.””
His voice lowered.
“I’m done waiting.””
Aaron Bell was not the intimidating criminal Luca expected.
He was nervous.
Tired.
A man who looked like he had been running from something bigger than himself.
When Luca entered the room, Aaron immediately looked away.
“You’re Luca Moretti.””
“Yes.””
Aaron sighed.
“I knew this day would come.””
Daniel placed the camera on the table.
“You were hired to find Marcus.””
Aaron nodded.
“By Vanessa.””
Luca’s expression hardened.
“Why?””
Aaron looked at him.
“Because she wanted proof.””
“Proof of what?””
“That Marcus existed.””
Luca frowned.
“That makes no sense.””
Aaron rubbed his face.
“She knew about him. But she didn’t know where he was.””
“Why would she need proof?””
Aaron hesitated.
Then reached into his jacket.
He pulled out a small envelope.
“I found this while searching.””
Luca took it.
Inside was another photograph.
But this one was different.
It showed Elena.
Not with Marcus.
With Vanessa.
They were standing outside a hospital.
Arguing.
Luca stared.
“When was this taken?””
“Two days before Elena died.””
The room became quiet.
Luca looked closer.
Elena’s expression.
The fear in her eyes.
The way Vanessa stood close.
Too close.
“What happened that day?””
Aaron looked down.
“I don’t know everything.””
“Tell me what you know.””
Aaron swallowed.
“Vanessa visited Elena at the hospital.””
“Why?””
“To convince her to sign something.””
“What?””
Aaron reached into the envelope again.
A copy of a document.
Luca read the heading.
Temporary guardianship agreement.
His hands went cold.
“Vanessa wanted custody of Marcus?””
Aaron nodded.
“She believed if Elena died, she could control what happened next.””
Luca stared at the paper.
The betrayal was deeper than he imagined.
Vanessa hadn’t discovered the secret.
She had been planning around it.
“She wanted my son.””
Aaron looked at him.
“Yes.””
“Why?””
The answer came quietly.
“Because she believed Marcus was the reason you never fully loved her.””
Luca looked away.
That sentence hurt.
Not because it was true.
Because Vanessa had convinced herself of it.
She wasn’t fighting for love.
She was fighting against a child.
A child who had done nothing wrong.
That evening, Luca sat with Marcus.
They were in the backyard of the estate.
For the first time, they weren’t talking about secrets.
They were just talking.
Marcus looked at the old family home.
“You lived here with my mother?””
“Yes.””
“What was she like?””
Luca smiled sadly.
“She was stubborn.””
Marcus laughed softly.
“Really?””
“Very.””
“That sounds familiar.””
Luca looked at him.
And for the first time, he saw the connection.
Not just in appearance.
In personality.
Elena was still there.
In him.
“She loved you,” Luca said.
Marcus looked down.
“I know.””
“No.””
Luca shook his head.
“You need to know.””
He took a breath.
“She fought for you.””
Marcus was quiet.
Then he asked:
“Do you think she knew she would die?””
Luca looked toward the house.
“I think she knew something was wrong.””
“And Vanessa?””
Luca’s expression changed.
“She knew more than she ever admitted.””
Marcus nodded.
Then his phone buzzed.
He checked the screen.
A message.
His face changed.
“What is it?””
Marcus handed the phone to Luca.
The message was from an unknown number.
Only one sentence.
*Stop looking for the truth, or you’ll lose the only family you have left.*
Luca stared at the words.
Then looked at Marcus.
And in that moment, he understood.
The fight wasn’t over.
Someone had spent years hiding his son.
May you like
And now that they found each other…
Someone was willing to do anything to separate them.
