Chapter 10 - The Unopened Letter
The golden morning light felt surreal after the violent darkness of the night.
I stood by the grand fireplace, staring down at the yellowed envelope in my hands. The heavy manila folder rested on the mantle beside me, filled with documents that declared me a millionaire fifty times over. But all my attention was anchored to the familiar, messy scrawl of my late husband’s handwriting.
To Luca Moretti.
David had written this. Sometime before the crash. Sometime before he sacrificed his life for Elias.
"Hannah?"
I looked up. Luca was standing a few feet away, watching me with a careful, quiet intensity. The adrenaline of the night had completely faded, leaving a thick, palpable intimacy in the quiet parlor. My mother and Leo had been escorted upstairs to the finest guest suite to rest. Teresa had finally fallen asleep on the sofa, heavily medicated and safe.
"This is from David," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. I held the envelope out to him.
Luca’s expression shifted from exhaustion to surprise. He approached slowly, wiping his hands on his slacks as if he needed to be clean before touching it. He took the envelope delicately.
"I didn't know this was in the file," Luca murmured, running his thumb over the seal. "The lawyers never mentioned a personal letter."
"Open it," I said, a sudden, inexplicable knot of anxiety tightening in my stomach.
Luca broke the brittle wax seal and unfolded the single sheet of lined notebook paper. The silence in the room stretched out, thick and heavy, punctuated only by the ticking of the antique grandfather clock in the hall.
As Luca read, I watched his face. I saw his dark eyes scan the lines, stop, and re-read them. The strong line of his jaw clenched. A deep, sorrowful breath hitched in his chest.
When he finished, he slowly lowered the paper, staring blankly at the ruined Persian rug.
"What does it say?" I asked, stepping closer. "Luca, please."
He looked at me, his eyes shining with unshed tears. He handed me the letter.
I took it, my hands shaking, and read David's words.
Luca, if you are reading this, it means something went wrong, and I am gone. Your father suspects a rat in the family, and we both know Vanessa’s family is positioning for a takeover. But this letter isn't about mafia politics. It’s about my wife, Hannah.
You don't know her, but she is the strongest, kindest woman in the world. She deserves a life free from the shadows I work in. I know your father put the legitimate assets in my name to hide them, but I also know you want out of the life. You want to go legitimate. You want to build something real, something that doesn't bleed.
When the dust settles, find Hannah. Take care of her and my boy, Leo. Not with money, Luca. With protection. And when the time is right, use the Tuscany vineyard to start over. Build the life you and I talked about when we were just kids driving your dad’s cars. Trust Hannah. She has the heart to heal the Moretti name.
Your brother in arms, David.
I read the words three times. My vision blurred, tears splashing onto the paper, smudging the ink.
David hadn't just been a driver. He had been Luca’s confidant. His best friend. They had dreamed of escaping the mafia life together.
I looked up at Luca. "You two were friends."
"He was the only man in this world I truly trusted," Luca whispered, stepping into my space. The physical distance between us vanished. I could feel the heat radiating from his chest. "When he died, a part of my humanity died with him. Until you walked into this house eleven months ago."
Luca reached out, his large, calloused fingers gently brushing a tear from my cheek. The touch sent a jolt of electricity straight to my heart.
"I tried to keep my distance, Hannah," Luca confessed, his voice rough, dropping an octave. "I told myself I was only hiring you to honor my father's debt. To keep you safe from Carlo. But every time I saw you... every time you smiled at my mother, every time you looked at me with those defiant, beautiful eyes when Vanessa insulted you... I felt myself coming back to life."
My breath hitched. The air between us suddenly felt charged, heavy with unspoken desires that had been simmering beneath the surface of my servitude.
"Luca, I..." I didn't know what to say. I was a maid. A widow. And he was a mafia boss trying to shed his crown.
"You don't belong in a uniform, Hannah," he said fiercely, his hand sliding to the back of my neck, his thumb tracing the line of my jaw. "You belong at the head of this table. You belong with me."
Before I could process the confession, the parlor doors swung open again.
Marco stood in the doorway, looking uncomfortable. He cleared his throat loudly.
Luca pulled back slightly, his eyes flashing with annoyance. "What is it, Marco? The feds are gone."
"The feds are gone, sir," Marco said grimly. "But we have a new problem. A black town car just pulled up to the front gate. The driver is demanding entry."
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"Who is it?" Luca demanded.
Marco looked down at his boots. "It's your brother, sir. Matteo Moretti. And he’s holding a deed of foreclosure for the Tuscany vineyard."
