Chapter 8 - THE NECKLACE WITH TWO HEARTS
Luca held the diamond necklace under the dim attic light.
It was exquisite. Two small, perfect diamond hearts intertwined on a delicate platinum chain.
“My father bought this for my mother on their wedding day,” Luca said softly.
Margaret was weeping as two police officers dragged her out of the attic.
Sarah lowered her rifle, pulling me into a side hug.
“It’s over, Emma. It’s finally over.”
But Luca was staring at the necklace.
He turned it over.
Engraved on the back of the intertwined hearts were two names.
Luciano and Emma.
A tear finally escaped Luca’s eye, tracking down his hardened face.
“She had it engraved before she died,” he whispered. “She knew. She loved you just as much as she loved me.”
I reached out and touched the cold metal of the necklace.
For my entire life, I had felt like an outsider.
A maid. A girl struggling to pay bills. A girl who didn't belong anywhere.
But looking at my name, carved next to my brother’s by the woman who had saved my life, I finally felt grounded.
“She wanted us to find each other,” I said, my voice thick with emotion.
Luca looked at me.
The cold, calculated mafia boss was gone.
Standing in front of me was just an older brother, completely stripped of his armor.
He unclasped the necklace.
“Turn around,” he said softly.
I turned.
He gently draped the cold chain around my neck, fastening the clasp.
The diamonds settled perfectly against my collarbone.
“You are a Moretti,” Luca said, turning me back to face him. “You will never wear a maid’s uniform again. You will never worry about a lease again.”
He looked at Sarah.
“And neither will you. You saved my sister’s life. You are family now.”
Sarah smiled, wiping her own tears. “Thank you, Luca.”
“Come on,” Luca said, putting his arm around my shoulders. “Let’s go clean up my house.”
We walked back downstairs.
The dining room was a crime scene.
Carlo and Vanessa Bellini were in handcuffs, being escorted out the front doors by the police.
Vanessa looked back at Luca, her makeup smeared, her red dress ruined.
“Luca, please!” she cried. “I didn't know about the murder! I just wanted to marry you!”
Luca didn't even stop walking.
“Take her out,” he told the officers.
The heavy front doors slammed shut, echoing through the massive foyer.
The house was finally quiet.
No Bellinis. No traitors.
Just us.
I stood in the foyer, my hand resting on the diamond necklace.
“What happens now?” I asked.
Luca looked around the grand, empty house.
“Now, we rebuild.”
He looked at me and smiled. A real, genuine smile.
“But first, I think we need to have a proper family dinner.”
He turned toward the kitchen.
But as he took a step, a loud, frantic knocking came from the massive oak front doors.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Luca frowned. The police had just left.
He walked over and pulled the heavy door open.
Standing on the front steps in the freezing Chicago rain was a little girl.
May you like
She was no older than six, soaking wet, shivering violently.
And clutched tightly in her small hands was Vanessa Bellini’s ruined white envelope.
