Chapter 7 - THE LINING OF THE BLUE COAT
I stared at the phone in my hand.
The screen went black.
My breathing was shallow and fast. I looked over at the bed. Chloe was fast asleep, exhausted from the terror of the night. On the sofa, Noah was curled up under a thick wool blanket, finally finding peace.
I stood up.
My legs felt like lead, but I forced them to move.
The blue coat.
Salvatore had thrown it on a chair downstairs in the foyer, but when I brought Chloe upstairs, she had carried it with her. It was draped over the back of a reading chair in the corner of the suite.
I walked over to it.
The fabric was still slightly damp from the rain.
I picked it up. It felt heavy. Too heavy for a simple winter coat.
Rip open the lining, Vanessa had said.
I turned the coat inside out. I felt along the bottom hem.
Right near the left pocket, there was a stiff rectangular shape hidden between the fabric. It felt like a small notebook.
I didn't have scissors. I went to the en-suite bathroom, grabbed a pair of metal nail clippers from the vanity, and returned.
I carefully snipped the thread at the seam.
I pulled the blue silk lining apart.
I reached inside and pulled out a small, black leather diary.
It was worn. The edges were frayed.
I opened it.
The handwriting was my mother’s. Familiar, neat, and slanted.
The date on the first entry was six years ago. One year before she died.
I sat on the floor, holding my breath, and started reading.
October 14th.
I saw him today. Salvatore Moretti. He came to the hospice clinic. He told me to stop looking into Vanessa’s adoption records. He said it would cause trouble for his son.
My eyes widened. My mother knew Salvatore back then?
I turned the page.
November 2nd.
Luca’s wife is wonderful. She visits her grandfather every day. I couldn't keep the secret anymore. I told her about Vanessa. I told her Vanessa is my daughter, and that the Bellini family is using her to get close to the Morettis. She promised to help me.
Tears pricked my eyes. My mother had been trying to stop Vanessa.
I flipped to the last page. The entry was dated two days before my mother collapsed and was taken to the hospital.
April 9th.
I made a mistake. I confronted Frank. I told him I was going to the police about what the Bellinis were planning. He laughed at me. He offered me a cup of tea. I drank it. Since then, I haven't been able to keep food down. My stomach is burning. The doctors say it’s aggressive stomach cancer, but it happened too fast. I know what Frank did. He poisoned me. If anything happens to me, I pray Luca’s wife keeps Emma and Chloe safe.
A sob tore from my throat.
I clamped my hand over my mouth to stay quiet.
My mother didn't die of natural causes.
Frank had poisoned her to protect Vanessa’s secret.
And Luca’s wife had known. That’s why she had watched over us. That’s why she had put my name on that list before she was killed.
She was trying to save my family, and it cost her everything.
Suddenly, there was a heavy knock on the bedroom door.
I jumped, dropping the diary.
“Emma,” Daniel’s voice called from the hallway. “Open up. It’s the Boss.”
I quickly shoved the diary into my apron pocket. I wiped my face, took a deep breath, and walked to the door.
I unlocked the deadbolt and pulled it open.
Luca stood there.
He was soaked in rain and what looked like blood. His knuckles were bruised. His black suit was ruined.
But his eyes were clear.
“It’s done,” Luca said quietly.
“The Bellinis?” I asked.
“Dismantled,” Luca said. “They’ll never touch my family again.”
He looked past me, checking on Noah. A soft smile touched his lips when he saw his son sleeping peacefully.
Then he looked back at me. He noticed my red eyes.
“You’ve been crying,” he said. He stepped inside and closed the door. “What happened?”
I didn't want to add to his burden. He had just fought a war tonight.
But there were no more secrets in this house.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the black diary.
I handed it to him.
“My mother,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “She didn't get sick, Luca. Frank poisoned her. Because she was trying to warn your wife about Vanessa.”
Luca’s expression hardened.
He took the diary. He read the final page.
When he finished, he closed the book gently. He looked at me, his eyes filled with profound sorrow and a terrifying, quiet rage.
“Frank is in my basement,” Luca said softly.
“I want to see him,” I said.
Luca studied my face. He saw the fire in my eyes.
He didn't argue. He didn't tell me it was too dangerous or too ugly.
He treated me like an equal.
“Come with me,” Luca said.
We walked out of the suite, leaving Daniel to guard the door.
We walked down the grand staircase, past the kitchen, and opened the heavy steel door that led to the underground levels of the estate.
The air grew cold. The stairs were concrete.
At the bottom of the steps, two guards stood outside a reinforced room.
They stepped aside when Luca approached.
Luca opened the door.
Frank was tied to a metal chair in the center of the room. He was badly beaten, his face swollen and bruised from Salvatore’s men.
He looked up when we walked in. He flinched when he saw Luca.
Then he saw me.
Frank’s eyes widened in horror.
“Hello, Frank,” I said. My voice was steady. Colder than I ever knew I could be.
“I didn't have a choice,” Frank rasped, spitting blood onto the floor. “The Bellinis threatened my family. I had to do what they asked.”
“You poisoned a hospice nurse,” Luca said, his voice deadly. “You murdered her.”
“I’m sorry!” Frank cried, looking at me. “Emma, please. I’m sorry!”
I walked up to him. I didn't yell. I didn't scream.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small, silver object.
The rosary that had fallen out of Vanessa’s purse.
I dropped it into Frank’s lap.
“Keep it,” I said quietly. “You’re going to need it where you’re going.”
Frank began to weep.
Luca put a hand on my back and guided me out of the room.
As the heavy steel door slammed shut behind us, locking Frank inside his tomb, my phone buzzed again.
I looked at the screen.
It was a text message. From an unknown number.
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TITLE: THE SCAR ON HER ARM
