Chapter 8 - The Letter Catherine Never Sent|
The original letter was written on pale blue stationery.
Sofia unfolded it carefully across the library table.
Luca sat opposite her.
I stood beside Teresa's chair.
For the first time since the engagement dinner, the three Morettis were sitting together without Vanessa between them.
But the silence was still painful.
Sofia pushed the letter toward her brother.
“Read it.”
Luca looked down.
His hands trembled slightly.
Then he began.
Dear Luca,
I'm writing this because Catherine asked me to help her find the right words.
His expression changed.
He looked up.
“Sofia?”
She nodded.
“Keep reading.”
He lowered his eyes.
She loves you. She misses you. And she's frightened that the life you've inherited is pulling you away from the people who need you most.
Luca stopped.
For several seconds, he stared at the paper.
Then continued.
She doesn't want to leave you.
She wants you to come home.
His face crumpled.
Sofia began crying.
“She was going to give you that letter after the foundation meeting.”
Luca looked up.
“Why didn't she?”
“Because she died.”
The room went silent.
I felt Teresa squeeze my fingers.
Sofia continued.
“After the funeral, Vanessa showed you a letter claiming Catherine wanted to take Lily and leave the marriage.”
Luca closed his eyes.
“I remember.”
Sofia nodded.
“It used sentences from this letter.”
He looked down.
“Changed.”
“Yes.”
She swallowed.
“The original said Catherine wanted you to come home.”
Sofia's voice broke.
“The forged version said she wanted to leave home.”
Luca covered his face.
For years, he'd believed Catherine had been preparing to abandon their marriage.
That belief had shaped everything.
His guilt.
His grief.
His uncertainty about being a good husband.
Perhaps even his willingness to accept Vanessa's constant promises that she could build him a happier family.
Now the foundation of that belief was falling apart.
Luca slowly lowered his hands.
“Where did Vanessa get the original?”
Sofia looked toward him.
“I gave her a copy when she offered to help me organize Catherine's papers.”
He stared.
“Before you two stopped speaking?”
She nodded.
“Yes.”
For several seconds, he didn't move.
Then whispered, “She used my wife's own words against me.”
I had no answer.
There are kinds of cruelty that leave visible injuries.
And others that live inside a person for years.
Vanessa had taken a frightened wife's attempt to save her marriage and transformed it into proof that she wanted to leave.
She had turned love into abandonment.
And then offered herself as the person who would never walk away.
Luca looked toward Sofia.
“I'm sorry.”
Her eyes filled.
He continued.
“I should have listened when you tried to tell me.”
Sofia swallowed.
“Yes.”
The honesty seemed to hurt him.
But he didn't look away.
He nodded.
“I know.”
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Sofia said quietly, “I want to believe you now.”
Luca's voice broke.
“Then let me prove it.”
She looked at him.
He continued.
“I'll give the investigators every record they need. I'll correct what I told the family about you.”
His eyes filled.
“And I'll stop letting other people speak for you.”
Sofia began crying.
Then she reached across the table.
Luca took her hand.
Teresa covered her mouth.
I looked away, giving them a moment.
But before they could speak again, Marco entered.
“Boss?”
Luca looked up.
“What is it?”
“The forensic document examiner finished reviewing the two letters.”
Sofia straightened.
“And?”
Marco looked toward the paper on the table.
“The original and the supposed goodbye letter contain matching passages, but the goodbye letter was created later.”
Luca closed his eyes.
Then Marco continued.
“Investigators also recovered a draft of the altered version from a computer previously used by Vanessa.”
Nobody moved.
The evidence was no longer simply Sofia's word against Vanessa's.
There was a digital trail.
A document history.
A record that could be examined independently.
Then Marco added something that made Luca go still.
“The computer also contained a schedule for Catherine's movements during the week before the accident.”
Luca stared.
“What schedule?”
Marco hesitated.
“Someone had been tracking where she went.”
The room became silent.
“And there's a message from Richard Bellini to Vanessa.”
Luca's voice became dangerously quiet.
“What does it say?”
Marco looked down.
May you like
Then read:
“MAKE SURE CATHERINE DOESN'T REACH LUCA BEFORE FRIDAY.”
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