Chapter 8 - THE REUNION
He took a step forward, his hands trembling as he pulled them from his pockets.
“Claire-bear,” he choked out.
It was the nickname he gave me when I was five years old. The nickname nobody else knew.
I didn't walk. I ran.
I crashed into my brother’s arms, burying my face in his chest, sobbing so hard I couldn't breathe. He wrapped his arms around me, crushing me against him, his tears soaking into my hair.
“I’m so sorry,” he kept whispering, kissing the top of my head. “I’m so sorry I had to leave you. I’m so sorry.”
“You’re alive,” I cried, holding onto his coat like I was drowning. “You’re really alive.”
We stood there for what felt like hours, just holding each other in the center of the ruined dining room.
When I finally pulled back, I looked at his face. He looked so much like our father.
“Teresa called me three days ago,” Thomas explained, wiping my tears with his thumbs. “When Margaret found the forgery, Teresa knew Marco was making his final move. She knew it was time to end this. She brought me back to testify.”
I looked over at Teresa. The fierce matriarch was smiling, her hand resting on Luca’s arm.
“You gave me back my brother,” I said to her, my voice thick with emotion.
“Your brother gave me eleven more years with my son,” Teresa replied, looking up at Luca. “It was the least I could do.”
The sound of small, frantic footsteps interrupted us.
A little girl with wild dark curls and terrified brown eyes ran into the dining room, escorted by two of Luca’s guards.
“Mia!” Vanessa screamed.
She scrambled across the floor, ignoring her bleeding shoulder, and scooped the little girl into her arms. Mia buried her face in her mother’s neck, crying softly.
Vanessa held her daughter, rocking her, whispering promises that she would never let her go again.
Luca watched them for a moment. Then, he walked over to Vanessa.
Vanessa flinched, pulling Mia closer.
“You betrayed my family,” Luca said, his voice firm but not cruel. “But you did it for your child. I can understand that.”
Vanessa looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. “Luca, I—”
“I’ve arranged a private jet,” Luca interrupted. “It will take you and Mia to a secure location in Europe. You’ll have enough money to start over. But you will never return to New Orleans. And you will never contact this family again.”
Vanessa nodded frantically, kissing her daughter’s head. “Thank you. Thank you, Luca.”
As the guards escorted Vanessa and Mia out the back door to their new life, I felt a strange sense of peace settle over the room.
The lies were over. The secrets were out.
But there was one person missing.
I looked at Thomas. “Toby,” I said. “He’s asleep upstairs.”
Thomas’s breath caught. “Can I... can I see him?”
I took my brother’s hand and led him toward the grand staircase. But before we reached the steps, I stopped.
I turned back to look at Luca. He was standing amidst the wreckage of his engagement dinner, looking at me with an expression I had never seen before. It wasn't the look of a boss. It was the look of a man who had finally found exactly what he had been looking for.
“Claire,” Luca said softly.
“Yes, Mr. Moretti?”
May you like
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small blue envelope that had started this entire nightmare. He walked over and handed it to me.
“Open it,” he said.
