Chapter 5 - The Bride Who Was Never Supposed to Love Him|
Amelia Hart had spent most of her life believing her parents died in a car accident.
She was six years old when her grandmother took her in.
The official records said her parents lost control of their vehicle on a wet highway outside New York.
Her grandmother never discussed the details.
Whenever Amelia asked questions, she would say:
"Some things hurt too much to explain."
Amelia accepted that answer for years.
Then her grandmother died.
And Amelia found a box beneath the bedroom floor.
Inside were photographs.
Letters.
And a birth certificate bearing a name she didn't recognize.
Amelia Moretti.
She had stared at it for hours.
Her grandmother's surname was Hart.
Her mother's surname was Hart.
Her father was supposedly named Daniel Hart.
But the birth certificate listed:
Father: Gabriel Moretti.
A man she had never heard of.
Amelia spent months searching.
Then she met Lorenzo Bianchi.
And everything changed.
At first, she believed the meeting was coincidence.
A charity auction.
An argument over a painting.
A handsome stranger who looked at her as though the crowded room had disappeared.
She fell in love with him before she discovered his connection to Victor Moretti.
By then, leaving felt impossible.
So she stayed.
And told herself the past didn't matter.
Now, sitting in a small apartment arranged through an independent attorney, she stared at her grandmother's old photographs again.
Her father.
Gabriel Moretti.
Victor's younger brother.
The man who had supposedly died decades earlier.
Amelia closed her eyes.
She had never told Lorenzo.
Not because she wanted to lie.
Because she was afraid of what the truth would do.
Her phone rang.
Unknown number.
She answered cautiously.
"Hello?"
A woman's voice spoke.
"Amelia Hart?"
"Yes?"
"My name is Elena Bianchi."
Amelia froze.
Lorenzo's mother.
The woman who was supposed to be dead.
"I know you're frightened," Elena continued.
Amelia gripped the phone.
"How did you get my number?"
"Your grandmother gave it to me years ago."
Amelia stared.
"My grandmother?"
"Yes."
A long silence followed.
Then Elena whispered:
"She helped me disappear."
Amelia felt cold.
"What?"
"After Victor took control of the maritime company, your grandmother helped me leave Italy."
Amelia stared.
"Why?"
"Because I knew what happened to your parents."
Her heart stopped.
"What happened?"
Elena hesitated.
"Amelia, your father discovered something dangerous about Victor."
Tears filled her eyes.
"What?"
"He found evidence that Victor had been using the company to move stolen money."
Amelia swallowed.
"And?"
"Gabriel wanted to report it."
My stomach tightened.
"What happened to him?"
Elena's voice broke.
"He disappeared."
Amelia closed her eyes.
"He's dead?"
"I don't know."
Silence.
Then Elena continued.
"Your mother went looking for him."
Amelia's hands began trembling.
"And?"
"She disappeared too."
For years, Amelia had believed both parents died in an accident.
Now she was hearing they might have been victims of a conspiracy.
She pressed a hand over her mouth.
"Why didn't anyone tell me?"
Elena began crying.
"Because Victor wanted you to believe you were ordinary."
Amelia laughed bitterly.
"Ordinary?"
"He knew you were Gabriel's daughter."
Her heart raced.
"And?"
"He knew certain family assets could eventually pass to you."
The room went silent.
Then Amelia whispered:
"Is that why he wanted me to leave Lorenzo?"
Elena hesitated.
"Partly."
Amelia closed her eyes.
"Then why hurt me?"
Elena's voice trembled.
"Because Victor was afraid your marriage would bring two family claims together."
Amelia stared.
"The Bianchis and the Morettis."
"Yes."
For the first time, the strange warning from the wedding rehearsal made sense.
Victor hadn't simply wanted Lorenzo humiliated.
He wanted Amelia separated from someone powerful enough to help her investigate her family.
And he knew threatening Isabella would work.
Amelia looked toward the window.
Snow continued falling.
She felt exhausted.
But beneath the fear, something new was growing.
Anger.
Not the kind that made her reckless.
The kind that made her want answers.
"Elena?"
"Yes?"
"Where are you?"
A long pause.
Then Elena whispered:
"Somewhere Victor can't reach me."
Amelia swallowed.
"Will you help me find out what happened to my parents?"
Elena took a breath.
"Yes."
Then she added:
"But Amelia, there's something you need to understand."
"What?"
"Your grandmother didn't change your name only to protect you."
Amelia felt cold.
"Then why?"
Elena whispered:
"Because she believed someone inside the Bianchi family was responsible for your father's disappearance."
The line went dead.
Amelia sat motionless.
Then her phone vibrated.
A message from Lorenzo.
I found a letter from my mother. She knew about you. We need to talk, but only if you want to.
Amelia stared at the screen.
For three years, Lorenzo had been the man she loved.
For fourteen days, he'd been the man she feared finding her.
Now he was offering her a choice.
She typed slowly.
Tomorrow. Public place. No guards at the table.
His reply came immediately.
May you like
Agreed.
For the first time since leaving the cathedral, Amelia felt that she might be able to face the truth without running from it.
