Chapter 4 - THE FORGED SIGNATURE AND THE ROSARY
Luca stared at the half-burned document in his hands.
“This is my signature,” Luca murmured, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion. “But I never signed this. I’ve never even seen this document.”
I stepped closer, looking over his shoulder. The signature was perfect. The sharp ‘L’, the looping ‘M’—it was an exact match to the paychecks I received every two weeks.
“Mr. Moretti,” I said quietly, “if you didn’t sign it, someone spent a lot of time practicing how to copy your handwriting.”
Daniel sat on the edge of his bed, cradling his cast. “She caught me taking it from her desk, Dad. That’s why Victor chased me. They wanted to burn it so I couldn’t prove she was threatening Grandma.”
Luca stood up, the paper crumpled in his fist. The look in his eyes wasn’t just anger anymore; it was a lethal, quiet fury.
He didn’t say a word. He just walked out of the room.
I grabbed Daniel’s good hand and hurried after him.
By the time we reached the bottom of the stairs, Vanessa was pacing the living room like a caged animal, while Victor sat on the sofa, flanked by two massive security guards. Teresa was quietly sitting in her armchair, her hands folded in her lap.
Luca walked straight up to Vanessa and threw the burned document at her feet.
“You forged my signature to commit my mother to an asylum.”
Vanessa stepped back, her eyes wide. “No! Luca, I swear, you signed that! You signed it last month when I brought you that stack of real estate contracts! You weren’t looking, and I slipped it in—”
She clamped her hand over her mouth.
She had just confessed.
The room fell dead silent.
Luca laughed. It was a dark, humorless sound that made the hair on my arms stand up.
“You slipped it in,” Luca repeated softly. “You tricked me into signing away my mother’s freedom.”
“It was for the best!” Vanessa cried, desperation making her voice shrill. “Look at her, Luca! She’s a burden! She can’t even dress herself properly, she drools when she eats, she’s ruining our image! I was trying to give us a perfect life!”
“By terrorizing my fourteen-year-old son?” Luca roared, finally losing his temper.
Vanessa flinched.
I looked over at Teresa. The old woman was crying silently, but her eyes were fixed on Vanessa’s wrist.
“My rosary,” Teresa whispered.
Everyone turned to look at the old woman.
Teresa pointed a shaking finger at Vanessa’s left wrist. Hanging loosely around Vanessa’s pale arm was a delicate, antique silver rosary.
“She told me I lost it,” Teresa cried. “She said my brain was rotting and I threw it away.”
Luca stared at the rosary. He knew that piece of jewelry. It had belonged to his late father, who had given it to Teresa on their wedding day. Teresa never took it off.
“Take it off,” Luca commanded Vanessa.
“Luca, please, she gave it to me—”
“TAKE IT OFF!”
Vanessa frantically unclasped the rosary and dropped it on the coffee table.
I walked over, picked it up, and gently placed it back into Teresa’s trembling hands. The old woman pressed the silver cross to her lips, weeping with relief.
“You stole from my mother,” Luca said, disgust practically dripping from his words. “You threatened my son. You lied to me.”
“I love you!” Vanessa screamed, tears ruining her perfectly applied makeup. “I did this for us! You need a strong wife, Luca! Not a house full of cripples and maids who don’t know their place!” She glared at me with absolute hatred.
Daniel squeezed my hand tightly.
“You’re leaving,” Luca said, his voice icy. “You and Victor. You will walk out of the front door with nothing but the clothes on your backs. The engagement is over.”
Vanessa gasped, falling to her knees. “You can’t do this! The wedding is in two weeks! My family’s reputation—”
“Your family is lucky I don’t put a bullet in Victor’s head tonight,” Luca said.
I thought it was over. I thought the nightmare was finally ending.
But then, Teresa stood up from her chair.
Her legs were shaking, but her voice was surprisingly clear.
“Luca,” Teresa said, her eyes locked on Victor. “The papers aren't the only thing they were hiding.”
Luca turned to his mother. “What do you mean, Mom?”
Teresa took a deep breath.
“The night Daniel fell,” she said, pointing at Victor. “They weren’t just arguing about the folder. I saw Victor hand Vanessa something before Daniel grabbed the papers.”
Victor’s face went completely grey.
“Shut up, you crazy old bat!” Victor yelled, trying to stand up, but a guard forced him back down.
“What did he hand her, Mom?” Luca asked gently.
May you like
Teresa looked at me, then back at her son.
“A little brown bottle,” Teresa whispered. “Filled with blue pills.”
