Chapter 4 - THE WORDS HE NEVER MEANT
“Employee access will be withdrawn Thursday morning.”
Luca read the sentence again.
Then he tore the unsigned notice neatly in half.
“Emily is not losing her job.”
Teresa began crying.
“Oh, thank goodness.”
But Luca hadn't finished.
He looked at Mrs. Carter.
“Who can deactivate an employee's access?”
“Only Daniel's security office, with your approval.”
“Did anyone request it?”
Mrs. Carter glanced toward Daniel.
Daniel stepped forward.
“Miss Bellini submitted a request last Thursday.”
Luca's eyes narrowed.
“Under whose authority?”
“She said you wanted fewer household employees after the wedding.”
“And you believed her?”
“I told her I needed confirmation directly from you.”
“Did she provide it?”
“No, sir.”
Luca breathed out.
“Good.”
Daniel continued.
“Nothing was changed.”
For the first time since dinner, I felt my chest loosen.
But only slightly.
Because Vanessa had been counting on me disappearing.
That meant she had understood exactly how much Teresa depended on our relationship.
And she'd decided to use it.
Mrs. Carter looked at me.
“Emily, I owe you an apology.”
I shook my head.
“You weren't responsible.”
“I should've asked you about the notice.”
She looked toward Teresa.
“And I should've noticed how unhappy Mrs. Moretti had become.”
Teresa immediately protested.
“Oh, no. Everyone's been very kind.”
Mrs. Carter's eyes filled.
“Then why did you stop coming to breakfast?”
Teresa looked confused.
“Vanessa said I should eat upstairs.”
Luca turned.
“What?”
“She said the dining room needed to be kept available for wedding planning.”
Mrs. Carter frowned.
“She told us you preferred breakfast alone.”
Teresa stared at her.
“No. I missed having company.”
Those words hurt more than I expected.
For three weeks, Teresa had eaten alone because everyone believed she'd chosen to.
And she'd believed nobody wanted her downstairs.
Luca looked toward the long table.
The flowers.
The candles.
The empty chairs.
“I wondered why you weren't joining me on Sundays,” he whispered.
Teresa swallowed.
“Vanessa said you were busy.”
“I waited for you.”
“She said you wanted privacy.”
He closed his eyes.
I remembered those Sundays.
The trays Vanessa insisted we send upstairs.
The way Teresa asked whether Luca had already eaten.
And how I'd been told not to disturb him.
It hadn't been one enormous lie.
It had been dozens of ordinary moments arranged so two people who loved each other stopped speaking.
“Mom,” Luca said, “I should've come upstairs.”
“You're a busy man, sweetheart.”
“Not too busy for you.”
“But you didn't know.”
His voice softened.
“That doesn't mean I shouldn't have asked.”
Mrs. Carter reached for the folder.
“There are more instructions concerning Mrs. Moretti's schedule.”
She found a page marked Household Transition.
The first line said Teresa's private sitting room should be emptied before the wedding.
The second directed staff to remove personal belongings not required at Briarwood.
The third stated that her bedroom would no longer be maintained as an occupied room.
Luca read the list.
Then looked at his mother.
“Did Vanessa explain this?”
Teresa nodded reluctantly.
“She said the room needed to be prepared.”
“For what?”
“She didn't tell me.”
Luca stood.
He walked to the window, then returned.
His face had gone pale.
“Mom, you should have been included in every conversation about your room.”
She twisted her purse in her lap.
“Would I have been allowed to say no?”
He looked at her.
“Of course.”
Teresa shook her head.
“Vanessa said you'd already made your decision.”
The silence afterward was terrible.
Then Luca did something I hadn't expected.
He pulled out the chair across from his mother.
And sat down.
“There's something I need to tell you.”
Teresa looked frightened.
“Have I done something wrong?”
“No, Mom.”
He took a breath.
“About six weeks ago, I did talk to Vanessa about getting you some additional help.”
My stomach tightened.
Teresa went still.
Luca continued.
“She told me you were having trouble with the stairs.”
Teresa looked puzzled.
“What trouble?”
“She said you'd nearly fallen twice.”
Mrs. Carter frowned.
“Mrs. Moretti hasn't fallen on the stairs.”
Luca looked at her.
“Are you certain?”
“Absolutely.”
Teresa nodded.
“I had a little pain in my knee one morning. Emily helped me carry some towels. That's all.”
I remembered.
It had happened in early September.
Her knee was stiff after she'd spent too long tending the rose bushes.
By lunchtime, she was walking normally.
Vanessa had seen us near the staircase.
She'd asked whether Teresa needed someone watching her all the time.
I'd told her no.
Now I understood what she'd done with that small incident.
Luca pressed his hands together.
“I thought you were hiding something because you didn't want to worry me.”
Teresa looked wounded.
“You could've asked.”
“I know.”
“Why didn't you?”
He looked down.
“Because Vanessa said you'd be embarrassed.”
I watched him absorb what that meant.
He had trusted his fiancée to protect his mother's dignity.
She'd turned that trust into a reason he shouldn't speak directly to his mother.
Teresa took a long breath.
“What kind of help were you thinking about?”
“I wanted someone to check whether your rooms could be made safer.”
“Here?”
“Yes.”
She stared at him.
“In this house?”
“Of course.”
Tears filled her eyes.
Luca nodded toward the doorway.
“I wanted to move my office downstairs so we could make the east rooms more comfortable for you.”
Teresa covered her mouth.
“Luca.”
He reached for her hand.
“I wasn't planning to send you away.”
Then he hesitated.
I noticed.
So did Teresa.
“Sweetheart?” she whispered.
He looked at the blue folder.
“There is something else.”
His voice was barely audible.
“Before Vanessa began making arrangements, I did tell her to look into residential care.”
Teresa drew back.
Luca swallowed.
“I thought I was asking for information. But I gave her the words she needed.”
He looked directly at his mother.
“Mom, I was the one who first asked Vanessa to find out whether you might be better off somewhere else.”
May you like
Teresa slowly pulled her hand away.
And for the first time that night, she looked at her son as though she didn't know whether she could trust him.
