Chapter 10 - The Scars We Carry
The police arrived twenty minutes later, followed quickly by Marco and a team of Luca’s private security.
They hauled the unconscious Silas away in handcuffs. The official story given to the police was a simple home invasion by a disgruntled former employee.
I sat in the massive, sunlit kitchen, carefully wrapping a sterile bandage around Luca’s bicep.
He sat on a wooden stool, watching me in silence.
“It’s deep, but you won't need stitches if you keep it clean,” I said, tying off the white gauze.
“You have gentle hands,” Luca murmured.
I blushed, pulling my hands away and busying myself with the first-aid kit.
“I used to patch up my little brother when he fell off his bike back in Ohio,” I said, trying to keep the conversation casual.
Luca reached out and caught my hand, stopping me from closing the medical box.
“Why did you leave Ohio, Sophie?” he asked softly.
Answer one: He wanted to know what drove a smart, capable woman to take a job cleaning floors halfway across the country.
Open two: I had never told anyone in this house the truth about my past.
I hesitated, looking down at our joined hands.
“My father got sick,” I confessed, the old pain rising in my throat. “Medical bills piled up. We lost the house. I took the highest-paying domestic job I could find to send money back so my mother wouldn't have to work three jobs.”
Luca’s expression softened.
“You sacrificed your own life to protect your family.”
“I did what I had to do,” I shrugged.
Luca gently turned my hand over, tracing the faint calluses on my palms.
“You don't have to do it alone anymore,” he said.
He meant it. I knew he meant it. He was offering to take care of my family, just as he took care of his own.
But before I could answer, the kitchen doors swung open.
Adrian walked in.
He looked completely exhausted, carrying a cup of black coffee. He stopped when he saw Luca and me sitting so closely together.
“Sorry,” Adrian mumbled, turning to leave.
“Stay,” Luca said, his voice surprisingly gentle.
Adrian paused, turning back around. He looked at his older brother, the guilt still heavy in his eyes.
“I spoke to the bank,” Adrian said quietly. “The accounts are fully secured. Vanessa is locked out permanently.”
“Good,” Luca nodded.
Adrian walked over and leaned against the marble island.
“I’m leaving, Luca,” Adrian said.
Luca frowned. “Leaving for where?”
“Europe,” Adrian sighed. “I need to get out of the city. I need to get away from the business for a while. I need to figure out how to be a better man than the one who let Vanessa manipulate him.”
A reversal.
Adrian wasn't fighting for control of the family empire anymore. He was walking away from it entirely, seeking redemption on his own terms.
Luca stood up, wincing slightly as his injured arm stretched.
He walked over to his younger brother and pulled him into a brief, firm hug.
“Take as much time as you need,” Luca said. “The door is always open when you’re ready to come back.”
Adrian smiled, a genuine, relieved smile, and left the kitchen.
The house was finally shedding its toxic weight.
The next few weeks passed in a blur of quiet, healing peace.
I didn't put the black maid’s uniform back on.
Instead, I wore my own clothes. I cooked meals because I wanted to, not because it was my job. I sat in the parlor and read books while Teresa taught Lily how to play the piano.
The boundary between employee and family had completely dissolved.
One warm afternoon, I was in the greenhouse out back, watering the orchids.
Lily came skipping through the glass doors, holding a brightly colored envelope.
“Sophie!” she beamed, waving the envelope in the air. “Daddy says we’re going on a trip!”
I smiled, putting down the watering can. “A trip? Where to?”
“Disney World!” Lily shrieked, bouncing on her toes. “He bought tickets for next week! He said Nonna is coming too, and we get to stay in a hotel shaped like a castle!”
I laughed, wiping the dirt from my hands. “That sounds amazing, sweetie.”
“And you’re coming too!” Lily added, shoving the envelope into my hands.
I froze.
I opened the envelope. Inside were three first-class plane tickets, and a reservation confirmation for a massive family suite at a luxury resort.
I looked at the names on the tickets.
Luca Moretti.Lily Moretti.Teresa Moretti.Sophie Bennett.
I wasn't listed as a nanny. I wasn't listed as an employee.
I was listed right alongside them.
“Go pack your bags, Sophie!” Lily cheered, running back out of the greenhouse to tell the gardeners the good news.
I stood alone among the blooming orchids, holding the tickets.
It was a beautiful gesture, but a small seed of doubt planted itself in my chest.
A trip was wonderful. But what were we?
Luca had asked me to stay, and he treated me with profound respect and affection, but we hadn't spoken about what we actually were to each other since the morning Silas attacked.
Was I a surrogate mother for Lily? A companion for Teresa?
I needed to know where I stood.
I walked out of the greenhouse and headed toward Luca’s study.
I knocked twice and opened the door.
Luca was sitting at his desk, reviewing some paperwork. When he saw me, he smiled, dropping his pen immediately.
“Did Lily deliver the good news?” he asked.
“She did,” I said, walking over to the desk. I placed the envelope gently on the leather blotter.
“Thank you, Luca. It’s incredibly generous.”
His smile faltered. He could hear the hesitation in my voice.
“But?” he asked softly.
I took a deep breath.
“But I need to know why I’m going,” I said, meeting his eyes. “Am I going as an employee? Am I going as a friend of the family?”
Luca stood up slowly.
He walked around the desk, stopping just inches away from me.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small, velvet box he had offered me in the kitchen weeks ago.
May you like
The box with his grandmother’s silver necklace.
“You’re going,” Luca whispered, opening the box, “as the woman I am completely, irreversibly in love with.”
