Chapter 2 - THE PROMISE HE NEVER MADE|
"Vanessa, what exactly have you been telling my son will happen to him after Saturday?"
Luca Moretti's question hung over the dining room like a storm waiting to break.
Thirty-two wealthy guests sat frozen beneath the golden chandeliers.
Nobody reached for their champagne.
Nobody dared whisper.
And beside me, nine-year-old Benjamin Moretti held his little wooden telescope against his chest as though it were the last thing he owned.
Vanessa Bellini slowly lowered herself into her chair.
"Luca, darling, you're making this sound much worse than it is."
"Then tell me what it is."
She adjusted the diamond bracelet around her wrist.
"I was explaining that marriage brings changes."
"What changes?"
"New responsibilities."
"Be specific."
Vanessa's smile disappeared.
I had worked at the Moretti estate for fourteen months.
During that time, I had seen Luca Moretti negotiate with businessmen who arrived in armored vehicles.
I had watched powerful men lower their voices when he entered a room.
But I had never seen him look as frightened as he did when Benjamin whispered that he might stop being his son.
"Daddy?"
Luca immediately turned.
"Yes, buddy?"
Benjamin glanced toward Vanessa.
"Am I going to live somewhere else?"
Luca went completely still.
"What makes you ask that?"
The little boy swallowed.
"She said there are schools where boys learn to be independent."
Vanessa quickly interrupted.
"Boarding schools, Benjamin."
Luca looked at her.
"What?"
"Excellent boarding schools, actually."
She attempted a reassuring laugh.
"I mentioned that some very successful families send their children away for a few years."
Benjamin stared at the floor.
"She showed me pictures."
My stomach tightened.
Luca slowly straightened.
"You showed my son boarding schools?"
"Only as a possibility."
"When?"
"Last week."
"And you discussed this with me when?"
Vanessa said nothing.
Luca took a step toward her.
"Vanessa."
Her expression hardened.
"You cannot seriously expect us to spend the rest of our marriage organizing everything around a child."
Something inside me went cold.
Benjamin's fingers tightened around my sleeve.
Luca noticed.
He looked down at his son.
"Ben, would you like to go to the kitchen with Mrs. Carter for a few minutes?"
Benjamin shook his head immediately.
"No, Daddy."
"Okay."
"I want to stay."
"Then you stay."
Vanessa sighed.
"You're proving my point."
Luca looked back at her.
"What point?"
"That he controls this entire household."
Benjamin flinched.
I felt it through his little hand.
And suddenly, staying quiet became impossible.
"Mr. Moretti?"
Luca turned toward me.
"Yes, Rachel?"
I swallowed.
"Benjamin doesn't control anything here."
Vanessa laughed sharply.
"Oh, now the maid has opinions about parenting?"
I could feel thirty-two pairs of eyes turning toward me.
My face burned.
But Benjamin's hand was still holding mine.
"He asks permission before taking cookies from the kitchen."
I struggled to keep my voice steady.
"He apologizes when other people bump into him."
I looked at Luca.
"And this afternoon, he asked whether he was allowed to keep the birthday card his mother mailed because Miss Bellini said his desk would need to be cleared."
Luca's expression changed.
"What card?"
Vanessa pushed back her chair.
"This is absolutely ridiculous."
Luca didn't look at her.
"Rachel, what birthday card?"
I hesitated.
"Mrs. Carter found it in the mail this morning."
Benjamin looked up.
"Mommy sent another card?"
My heart sank.
He hadn't known.
I looked toward Mrs. Carter.
The older woman slowly nodded.
"It's in my apron pocket, sir."
She reached inside and removed a pale blue envelope.
Across the front, in careful handwriting, were three words.
My Little Star.
Benjamin's eyes filled immediately.
"That's what Mommy calls me."
Luca held out his hand.
Mrs. Carter gave him the envelope.
He turned it over.
The seal was broken.
His jaw tightened.
"Who opened this?"
Vanessa stared at the centerpiece.
Nobody answered.
Luca looked directly at his fiancée.
"Vanessa?"
"I was checking the mail."
"Benjamin's mail?"
"We're about to become a family."
"That wasn't my question."
She rolled her eyes.
"Fine."
"Fine?"
"I opened it."
Luca stared at her.
"Why?"
"Because I wanted to know what Caroline was sending into my house."
The silence was immediate.
Then Luca spoke.
"Your house?"
Vanessa's face changed.
"I meant our house."
Luca looked around the dining room.
At the flowers.
The crystal glasses.
The expensive engagement decorations.
Then he looked toward Benjamin.
"This is my son's home."
Vanessa pressed her lips together.
"You're embarrassing me."
Luca's voice became colder.
"You embarrassed my son on his birthday."
He handed Benjamin the envelope.
"Here, buddy."
The little boy opened it carefully.
Inside was a birthday card decorated with silver stars.
He unfolded it.
Then smiled through his tears.
"She drew Orion."
Luca crouched beside him.
"She did?"
Benjamin nodded.
"She remembered where my window faces."
He turned the card over.
On the back was a short message.
Benjamin read it quietly.
"Wherever you are, remember that the stars belong to everybody."
His voice broke.
"And you will always belong with me."
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then Benjamin looked at his father.
"Even if I go away?"
Luca gently took the card.
"You're not going away."
"But Vanessa said—"
"Listen to me, Ben."
Luca placed both hands on his son's shoulders.
"No one is sending you to boarding school."
Benjamin swallowed.
"Not after Saturday?"
"Not after Saturday."
"Not when you have another baby?"
"There isn't another baby."
"And if there is one someday?"
Luca's eyes softened.
"You will still be my son."
Benjamin stared at him.
"Promise?"
"I promise."
The little boy leaned forward and hugged him.
I looked away.
Because there was something unbearable about watching a child ask for a promise that should never have been in question.
Across the table, Vanessa began crying.
"Luca, you know I love you."
He remained beside Benjamin.
"Then why have you been frightening him?"
"I wasn't trying to."
"You told him he'd lose his room."
"I said we might need the space."
"You told him birthdays would stop."
"I said our priorities would change."
"You told him his mother had forgotten him."
Vanessa covered her face.
"That was a misunderstanding."
Luca stood.
"No."
His voice was quiet.
"You understood exactly what you were saying."
Vanessa looked at the guests.
"Someone please explain to him that I'm trying to build a marriage."
Nobody spoke.
Then an elderly gentleman near the end of the table cleared his throat.
It was Judge Arthur Whitcomb, a retired family-court judge and longtime friend of Luca's father.
"Miss Bellini, I've spent forty years listening to adults explain why children should accept decisions they were never consulted about."
Vanessa stared at him.
He continued.
"I've rarely seen a child as frightened of disappointing adults as this little boy."
Benjamin lowered his head.
The judge's expression softened.
"And that doesn't happen because someone loves him too much."
Vanessa turned away.
Luca took a slow breath.
"Everyone, please forgive me."
He looked around the table.
"This evening is no longer an engagement celebration."
Vanessa's head snapped up.
"What?"
Luca removed the small gold pin from his lapel.
"My son is nine years old today."
He placed the pin on the table.
"And I intend to celebrate him."
For the first time all evening, Benjamin smiled.
It was small.
Uncertain.
But real.
Mrs. Carter immediately straightened.
"I can bring more candles, sir."
Luca nodded.
"Please."
"And the chocolate dessert?"
"Bring everything."
I couldn't help smiling.
Benjamin looked at me.
"Miss Rachel?"
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"Does that mean people can sing?"
I laughed softly.
"Only if you want them to."
He looked at his father.
Luca smiled.
"I'd like to sing."
Benjamin's whole face changed.
"Really?"
"Absolutely."
Then Vanessa stood so suddenly her chair scraped against the marble floor.
"This is unbelievable."
Luca looked toward her.
"Vanessa."
"No."
She pointed toward the blue balloon.
"You are choosing a balloon and a housemaid over the woman you're supposed to marry."
Luca studied her.
"Rachel didn't ask me to choose anything."
"She's manipulated you from the beginning."
My breath caught.
Vanessa turned toward me.
"Tell him why you were in Benjamin's bedroom yesterday."
I froze.
Because I had been there.
And Vanessa knew exactly why.
Luca looked at me.
"Rachel?"
Before I could answer, Vanessa reached into her evening purse.
She removed a folded piece of paper.
Then she smiled.
"Perhaps everyone should know what your precious housemaid has been hiding."
My hands went cold.
Because I recognized the paper immediately.
It was the letter I'd written to my mother.
The one I'd hidden inside my uniform drawer.
And on the front, in my own handwriting, were the words I never wanted Luca Moretti to see.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER I CAN STAY IN THIS HOUSE.
Vanessa held it high enough for every guest to see.
May you like
Then she looked directly into my eyes.
"Shall I read the rest, Rachel?"
